Texas senator's big 'gotcha' moment in DOJ confirmation hearing made him a laughingstock

[CatWoman]

President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. assistant attorney general began going through the very partisan vetting process of a Senate committee hearing Wednesday. Kristen Clarke will become the first woman of color to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in its 46-year existence. It’s an important position, highlighted by the recent national reporting on the continuing epidemic of Black citizen deaths at the hands of our country’s law enforcement apparatus.


The right wing of the country, having very little to offer but fear when it comes to race and civil rights discourse, has decided that the best way to attack Kristen Clarke’s nomination is to create the impression that she “hates white people.” It’s the old reverse racism argument used by racists, while they stare into the mirror with horror and fear of retribution for their sins. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, famous for voting against all of the things he tells the electorate he secretly didn’t want to vote for, seems to have been under the impression that he had a real gotcha question and piece of evidence to unveil during the committee hearing. He didn’t. And he looked as pathetic as you might expect.

Sen. Cornyn began by passive aggressively saying, “Well maybe there’s a misprint, but I’m sure you can clear it up for me,” before bringing out evidence that when she was a young student at Harvard, she “argued that African Americans were genetically superior to ah [sic] Caucasians. is that correct?” (I left in the “ah,” because John Cornyn put it in there.) Without knowing what John Cornyn is talking about I can very confidently say that no, that is not correct. But let’s watch Ms. Clarke try not to laugh out loud while giving a serious answer to a clown of a senator.

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In the video it is clear that the hot air really evaporated from Cornyn’s sails. But later on Sen. Cornyn, forever disappointing the Founding Fathers who probably hoped for at least a particle of intelligence from elected leadership, defended his dead-end questioning on social media.

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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/4/14/2025875/-Texas-senator-s-big-gotcha-moment-in-DOJ-confirmation-hearing-made-him-a-laughingstock?detail=emaildkre

[spooky3]

1. That gigantic head holds a lot of dead air. Nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. Well put

[spooky3]

12. Why, thank you!

[calimary]

17. Just dead air?

Seems to me there’s plenty more room in that “gigantic head.”

Hot air.

Bullshit.

More bullshit.

Delusions of grandeur.

Delusions of a lot more than mere grandeur.

With an extra-large helping of baloney on the side.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. I watched her answer this ridiculous question by this idiotic senator ... she answered with extreme

grace and intelligence, and his mouth literally fell open as his so called gotcha question fell apart.

Maybe he needs to be charged w/ a hate crime?

This young lady will go places. She handled him like an old Washington DC pro, under pressure too. Magnificent young lady!

[CatWoman]

3. love that smile on her face

[Solly Mack]

4. Sexist and racist and self-satisfied in his ignorance. Typical Right-winger.

[Comfortably_Numb]

5. Johnny Cornhole.... keeping Rand Paul, Raphael Cruz, and Josh Hawley company at the bottom of the

Cesspool.

[winstars]

6. Gilda Radner: NEVERMIND!!!

[justhanginon]

7. Cornyn seems really stupid even for him being a republican

and he has some serious competition with the Hawley, Cruz crowd.

[Paladin]

8. It's no illusion: Cornyn really IS that stupid.

So as a Texan, that's my Senate representation: One dumbass (Cornyn), and one evil motherfucker (Cruz).

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Dumb fucker really doesn't know what to say after that.

[stopdiggin]

10. this is what happens when people have absolutely no filter left

If your judgement on truth or accuracy is based purely on where something falls on the field of tribal politics ... Then you end up parroting these clearly inane positions. The senator's staff clearly needs a rousting and a shake up -- because they thoroughly embarrassed him with sloppy goods here -- but I despair in thinking that this is all too commonly considered 'real research' in far too many quarters. (i.e., the senator's staff is hardly alone in lacking filter or perception)

[halfulglas]

13. So he gets back to his office and yells

Who the hell got me this oppo research made me look like a fool. (Made you LOOK like a fool, senator?)

[Marcuse]

14. He must feel like an absolute idiot, because that's what he looked and sounded like.

[NCjack]

15. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), "graduate" of Oxford U., stumble-bummed into

another embarrassment.

[George McGovern]

16. Cornyn made a fool of himself and didn't even realize it.

Seems to me republiquans consistently seek out bits and pieces of text, articles, etc. written, spoken by Democrats in order to create disorder. Snatch words out of context, misinterpret to chip away at the solid foundation of democratic principles and create false ideas in public hearts and minds.

Cornyn's performance would be laughable if it weren't so serious on his part.