A former Democratic presidential contender slammed President Biden for “destroying the country” over identity politics.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said Mr. Biden should not have promised categorically to name a Black woman as the next Supreme Court justice, and noted how his last such affirmative-action choice went.
“Biden chose Harris as his VP because of the color of her skin and sex — not qualification. She’s been a disaster,” Ms. Gabbard wrote Monday on Twitter.
Biden chose Harris as his VP because of the color of her skin and sex—not qualification. She’s been a disaster. Now he promises to choose Supreme Court nominee on the same criteria. Identity politics is destroying our country.
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) January 31, 2022
“Now he promises to choose [a] Supreme Court nominee on the same criteria. Identity politics is destroying our country,” she concluded.
Mr. Biden made the Black woman pledge during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, a stance that he has reiterated since liberal Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced his retirement at the end of the court’s current term.
Monday’s tweet was the second time Ms. Gabbard has waded into the affirmative-action issue regarding the next Supreme Court justice.
“Biden’s mistake: He should not be choosing a Supreme Court justice based on the color of their skin or sex, but rather on their qualifications & commitment to uphold our Constitution & the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in that document which is the foundation of our nation,” she wrote Saturday.
Ms. Gabbard and Vice President Kamala Harris also have a history.
In one of the most dramatic moments in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, Ms. Gabbard eviscerated her record as a prosecutor in California, criticisms Ms. Harris dismissed as jealousy over her poll standings.
She also called Ms. Gabbard an “apologist” for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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