Rep. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, insisted Tuesday that Republicans will next try to outlaw interracial marriage, which may come as a shock to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas.
“The Republicans won’t stop with banning abortion. They want to ban interracial marriage. Do you want to save that? Well, then you should probably vote,” tweeted Mr. Swalwell.
He was immediately reminded that Justice Thomas, who is Black, and his wife Ginni, who is White, are an interracial couple. The conservative jurist was nominated by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican.
“This is literally crazy. Justice Clarence Thomas would like a word,” tweeted Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action.
Mr. Swalwell was one of many Democrats alarmed over the leaked Supreme Court draft indicating that the high court has the votes to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.
— Michael Caputo (@MichaelRCaputo) May 3, 2022
The congressman backed up his assertion by citing a March comment by Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, after Matt Lewis, columnist for the Daily Beast, knocked Mr. Swalwell’s “ridiculous tweet.”
In a call with reporters, Mr. Braun was asked whether he thought the Supreme Court should overturn Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 case that ruled laws against interracial marriage were unconstitutional, and leave the decisions to the states.
Mr. Braun said initially, “Yes, I think that that’s something that if you’re not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, you’re not going to be able to have your cake and eat it, too,” but later said he misunderstood the question.
“Earlier during a virtual press conference, I misunderstood a line of questioning that ended up being about interracial marriage. Let me be clear on that issue – there is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form,” Mr. Braun said in a March 22 statement to media outlets.
Even so, Mr. Swalwell tweeted Tuesday: “@SenatorBraun said he wants to ban interracial marriage.”
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, was among those who tweeted photos of Justice Thomas and his wife without comment.
Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Republican, also blasted Mr. Swalwell, calling him “a fool.”
“You are such a fool. What is wrong with you! More gaslighting from the radical left!!” tweeted Mr. Donalds, who is Black.
You are such a fool. What is wrong with you! More gaslighting from the radical left!! https://t.co/F90nmajjiJ
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) May 3, 2022
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.