Trump's pick for ambassador involved in racist smear against black politician
President Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Norway is facing demands that he abandon his pursuit of the diplomatic post following the unearthing of a 1994 court filing indicating his involvement in the production of a racist campaign flier against an African American politician in Georgia.
According to the filing, Mark Burkhalter helped create a flier that distorted and exaggerated the features of Gordon Joyner, a candidate for county commissioner in north-central Georgia. Joyner was pictured with some features darkened, a large Afro, enlarged eyebrows and a warped eye.
Joyner sued for libel, resulting in an out-of-court settlement, an apology signed by Burkhalter and three other men, and payment of an undisclosed sum.
Burkhalter did not disclose his involvement in the controversy to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to a letter by Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, that was obtained by The Washington Post. The committee’s discovery of his role has not previously been reported.
Burkhalter, a real estate developer and former Georgia state representative, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The State Department and the National Security Council referred questions about Burkhalter to the White House, which did not respond to requests for comment.
“These actions should disqualify anyone from Senate confirmation,” Menendez wrote in a letter sent to White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows on Thursday. “During this time of national trauma and reckoning over violence and racist actions against African-Americans, however, it is unthinkable to nominate for a position of public trust an individual who participated in such a despicable, racist scheme. I therefore urge you to immediately withdraw his nomination.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trumps-pick-for-ambassador-involved-in-racist-smear-against-black-politician/2020/07/02/3505e15a-bc13-11ea-86d5-3b9b3863273b_story.html
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