Senate Republicans made it apparent this week they plan to grill Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on her previous handling of sex-related offenses when her confirmation hearings before the Judiciary Committee commence Monday.
Although GOP lawmakers have been united in seeking clarity on Jackson’s judicial philosophy, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley upped the stakes on Wednesday when he said he would “for sure” question what he described as Jackson sentencing child sex offenders at lengths “below the government’s recommendations,” claims that were immediately disputed by the White House and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin on Thursday as “outrageous.”
“She’s had 10 that I’ve seen that we’ve found and I haven’t found a single case where she’s sentenced — for child porn offenders — where she’s sentenced with the guidelines,” Hawley tweeted on Wednesday. “Always below, and almost always below the government’s recommendations — in some cases dramatically below.”
WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE PICK IN FACE OF HAWLEY SCRUTINY
Hawley’s comments were subsequently echoed by Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who called on “real answers” over Jackson, who served as commissioner of the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 2010 to 2014 before her career as a federal judge.
“The White House’s whataboutist response to Judge Jackson’s very real record in child pornography cases is dismissive, dangerous, and offensive. We need real answers,” Lee tweeted on Thursday.
Concerns over Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders were also brought up during a call with an aide for Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn who said the senator wanted to “engage with [Jackson] on her record with child sex offenders” during committee hearings next week.
Democrats including Durbin and representatives for the White House dismissed the GOP’s allegations over Jackson’s record. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Hawley’s points were relying on “cherry-picked elements of her record out of context,” and press secretary Jen Psaki also addressed the senator’s allegations during a press briefing on Thursday.
“In the vast majority of cases involving child sex crimes, the sentences Judge Jackson imposed were consistent with or above what the government or U.S. probation recommended,” Psaki said.
Durbin also echoed the White House’s sentiment that Jackson isn’t an “outlier in any respect” of the Sentencing Commission’s guidelines, adding: “She went along with the overwhelming majority of federal judges asking for this and the unanimous decision of the commission. And Hawley now thinks he’s discovered something.”
Amid the scrutiny over Jackson’s record on sentencing, Republicans have also raised issues about representation of Guantanamo detainees as a public defender, according to an email from Kyle Martinsen, a deputy rapid response director at the Republican National Committee.
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On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech that Jackson had strong backing from progressive groups over her history as a public defender, saying “the soft-on-crime brigade is squarely in Judge Jackson’s corner.”
McConnell did say he believes Jackson is “highly likely” to be confirmed, adding, “Her supporters look at her resume and deduce a special empathy for criminals.”
