Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison criticized Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton for saying Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Democratic President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, might have defended Nazis accused of war crimes if given the opportunity.
Harrison, speaking on MSNBC, called Cotton the "lowest of the low" and a "little maggot-infested man" for claiming Jackson would not have followed in the footsteps of Associate Justice Robert Jackson, who was notable for his work as Chief United States Prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals following World War II.
You can hear what Harrison said in the video below.
Harrison said Cotton "does not deserve to be in the United States Senate representing the good people of Arkansas," adding:
"He doesn't deserve and doesn't know... he put his hand on the Bible and took an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and he uses it as a play toy."
"That is the Republican Party that we see today. It is a party built on fraud, fear, and fascism and they don't deserve to be in power, not because Democrats should, but because they don't deserve to be in power of this great nation."
To back up his criticisms of Cotton, Harrison pointed to Cotton's blocking of Cassandra Butts, former Democratic President Barack Obama's nominee to become the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas.
According to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, Butts visited Cotton about his objections to her nomination and Cotton said because he knew Obama and Butts were friends, blocking Butts was a way to "inflict special pain on the President."
Butts died in 2016, having suffered from acute leukemia. She was ultimately never confirmed.
Many have echoed Harrison's criticisms of Cotton and the Republican Party at large.
IMO Chairman Harrison is 100% correct! Everything he said has been happening in real time. @GOP has no shame, nor do they belong in their present jobs.https://twitter.com/thedemcoalition/status/1511906954012155907\u00a0\u2026— mabel (@mabel) 1649309122
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison calls Tom Cotton a \u201clittle maggot-infested man.\u201d We should all come out swinging like that every single day.pic.twitter.com/oc8daH1k0I— Liz Dye (@Liz Dye) 1649251846
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison slams Tom Cotton as \u201clittle maggot-infested man\u201d after Cotton suggested Ketanji Brown Jackson would defend Nazis\n\nCotton is a despicable sub-human. \n\nWhat is wrong with Republican lawmakers? Why do they have to get so nasty? \n#BlueVoicespic.twitter.com/FdTCstDybA— \ua9c1\ud83e\udd8b\ud835\udda6\ud835\uddbe\ud835\uddc8\ud835\uddcb\ud835\uddc0\ud835\uddc2\ud835\uddba \ud835\udda1\ud835\uddc5\ud835\uddce\ud835\uddbe\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ua9c2\ud83d\udc9b\ud835\uddb4\ud835\uddc4\ud835\uddcb\ud835\uddba\ud835\uddc2\ud835\uddc7\ud835\uddbe (@\ua9c1\ud83e\udd8b\ud835\udda6\ud835\uddbe\ud835\uddc8\ud835\uddcb\ud835\uddc0\ud835\uddc2\ud835\uddba \ud835\udda1\ud835\uddc5\ud835\uddce\ud835\uddbe\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ua9c2\ud83d\udc9b\ud835\uddb4\ud835\uddc4\ud835\uddcb\ud835\uddba\ud835\uddc2\ud835\uddc7\ud835\uddbe) 1649335808
Thank you @harrisonjaime for speaking the truth! America needs to hear this!https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1511745368815546376\u00a0\u2026— Barbara Sorrell (@Barbara Sorrell) 1649279188
Jaime Harrison nails it: The GOP is the party of Fraud, Fear, and Fascism. And they don\u2019t deserve to be in power.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1511745368815546376\u00a0\u2026— Dr. Deb\u2019Mo\u2019\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b (@Dr. Deb\u2019Mo\u2019\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b) 1649283012
Way to stand up to the disgraceful bullies on the Right!! @harrisonjaimehttps://www.businessinsider.com/dnc-jaime-harrison-tom-cotton-little-maggot-infested-man-kentanji-brown-jackson-2022-4\u00a0\u2026— Liberal Texan (@Liberal Texan) 1649274072
We're in real trouble when one political party's goals,policy's are more similar to Putin's autocracy than to any past Rep Party (before Trump). We're in real trouble when one party prefers Putin to Biden,views Democracy as the real enemy, not Putin,preferring fascism to freedom.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1511745368815546376\u00a0\u2026— Bambi Koslen (@Bambi Koslen) 1649273656
A full-throated condemnation that Arkansans of consciousness that needs to read. You Arkansans must stand up and say your junior senator is wrong and so misguided. And that's being kind.https://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AAVVeti?ocid=st\u00a0\u2026— Gwen Kelly (@Gwen Kelly) 1649269770
This is how you speak about Republicans.https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1511745368815546376\u00a0\u2026— LaSonya (@LaSonya) 1649286051
Cotton's office has not responded to requests for comment.
Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearing attracted significant media attention due to the numerous attacks from Republicans.
Top Republicans, including Senator Josh Hawley (Missouri), accused Jackson of being too lenient on child sex offenders, pointing to her past statements on sex offender registries and civil commitment, in addition to her views on mandatory minimums.
Conservatives who suggested Jackson's rulings were evidence she "supports pedophilia" were quickly fact checked by The New York Times, which noted "they omitted the context of her remarks and sentencing decisions."
