WASHINGTON – The candidacy of President Joe Biden Adele Mangi A powerful U.S. District Court judge is in jeopardy after two Senate Democrats announced they would oppose his nomination.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. and Joe Manchin, DW.Va., said they will oppose Manchin’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. With only a 51 to 49 majority, Democrats said Mangin’s lack of Republican support meant he lacked the simple majority needed to be confirmed. Mangi will be the first Muslim American to serve as a judge on the appeals court, which has the final say on most federal legal disputes.
“Mr. Mangin’s affiliation with Families for Justice Alliance is deeply troubling,” Cortez Masto told NBC News. I cannot support this candidate.”
Mangi was criticized According to Republican participation in Rutgers Law School’s Center on Security, Race and Rights, Republicans condemned the center’s decision to hold an event on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. – confessed his guilt of conspiracy.
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee were criticized for questioning Mangi during a White House confirmation hearing on a Hamas terror attack in Israel. he said that the line of questioning is Islamophobia.
Manchin said he opposes Mangi because going forward he will only support judicial nominees with at least one GOP vote, and currently there are zero who say they will vote for him.
“I don’t think he has any bipartisan support, and I’ve just come to the conclusion that I’m not going to continue down that path. I’m a big believer in bipartisanship, I’m a big believer in preserving the filibuster and that’s where we’re going, lifetime appointments — I’m just saying, enough is enough,” Manchin told reporters Thursday that he would oppose Mangin’s nomination.
But Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, one of the most moderate Republicans, said she wasn’t looking at Mangi and wasn’t ready to take a stand.
Murkowski, who is not on the Judiciary Committee, said she would base her decision on a variety of factors, including her “court experience.” He added that he did not investigate the criticisms directed at him. If she supports him, it could give Mangi a lifeline.
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, who has backed many of Biden’s judicial nominees, said he had not seen any Republicans voting for Mangi.
“I think they should pull it,” Graham said, “If you look at the way I voted, I voted for a high percentage, that’s a bridge too far.”
The White House has stood by Mangi, calling the GOP’s criticism a smear campaign based on his religion. He pointed to support from the AFL-CIO, the South Asian Bar Association and the GOP-appointed appeals judge.
“President Biden is proud to nominate Adeel Mangi, whose extraordinary qualities and integrity have earned him new support every day, including from the 7th Law Enforcement Agency, who endorsed his endorsement, as well as retired presidential appointee Timothy Lewis. George HW Bush. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Mr. Mangi, who lived the American dream and has proven his integrity, has become the target of a malicious and smear campaign just because he will make history as the first Muslim to serve as a federal appeals judge. in the email.
“Senate Democrats should stand with the qualities that make America exceptional, as embodied by Mr. Mangin, not with the nefarious forces trying to force America into the past,” he said.
The White House also noted Mangi’s written testimony to the committee that he had “no involvement” when asked about the Rutgers Center’s speaker events involving controversial people. including one WHO admitted his guilt conspiring to provide services to a designated terrorist group.
“We’ve been told that questioning Mr. Mangin’s record is Islamophobic,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor about Mangin’s nomination.
“I hope that more Democrats will join us in opposing Mr. Mangi,” McConnell said, “and not fall prey to false accusations of bias.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., defended Mangin’s nomination Thursday morning in response to McConnell’s criticism.
Durbin said Wednesday: “Let me first say that this man has been treated unfairly by Republicans in committee and on the floor. They have made baseless accusations against him, and I’m afraid that reflects a bias against his candidacy.”
Durbin said he spoke with Cortez Masto about his opposition.
“I spoke to the senator and I understand his concern,” he said. “Hopefully we can give him some information to reconsider.”