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.
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."
