In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many Senate Republicans released statements or tweets commemorating Dr. King’s legacy of social justice. In a statement, Senator Lindsey Graham said, “We honor Dr. King because he gave his life to a worthy cause which was to make America a more socially just place.” And in a Twitter thread, Senator Ted Cruz noted that America has made strides towards racial equality, and tweeted that to honor Dr. King’s memory, we must “…never forget our responsibility to pursue truth and justice as he did, and secure the blessings of liberty for every American.” However, their open reverence for Dr. King divorced from any action that could fulfill his promise provides little comfort.
This morning, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, such as Senators Graham and Cruz, will consider several troubling judicial and executive nominees. These senators have the power to advance Dr. King’s charge to secure voting rights, address poverty, and end housing segregation. But to do so, they must begin to match their rhetoric with their votes.
By nominating individuals who are outright hostile to civil rights and the rule of law, President Donald Trump reinforces his contempt for protecting the rights of all citizens. From his executive order banning citizens from majority-Muslim nations to the creation of his now disbanded sham voter fraud commission to the Justice Department’s decision to probe Harvard University’s affirmative action policies, the president’s nominees are a key force in advancing a blatantly anti-civil rights agenda.
Read the full op-ed here.
