Press releases

WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today sent a letter urging Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to schedule a second hearing with Biden administration nominee Vanita Gupta, citing her misleading statements and incomplete answers to senators’ written questions. Gupta is nominated to become associate attorney general, the number three position at the Justice Department.

“While under oath, Vanita Gupta misled the Committee on at least four issues: (1) Her support for eliminating qualified immunity; (2) her support for decriminalizing all drugs; (3) her support for defunding the police; and (4) her death penalty record. Unfortunately, in her responses a week later to our written questions, Ms. Gupta was no more forthcoming. In some cases, she doubled down on her misleading statements from the hearing, and in others she refused to answer altogether. In ‘response’ to scores of our questions, she merely copied-and-pasted the same inapplicable, general statements for one question after another,” the senators wrote. 

“We urge you to immediately schedule a second hearing with Ms. Gupta so that she can answer for her misleading statements, and for her refusal to respond to our written questions,” they continued. 

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also signed the letter. 

The letter is available here