GOP Sen: Stop Nominating People With ‘Questionable Records On Race’

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) submitted a letter to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday in response to an editorial on judicial nominee Thomas Farr this week that argued Democrats should stop calling racism to advance their agenda.

Scott agreed that while a nominee’s history “should be seen through a wider lens, the solution isn’t simply to decry ‘racial attacks.'”

“Instead, we should stop bringing candidates with questionable track records on race before the full Senate for a vote,” he wrote. “What this means, regardless of the obvious issues the Democratic Party has on race, is that the Republican Party must strive to do better. We can build on the momentum of opportunity zones and criminal-justice reform to show we are serious about tackling real issues facing people of color. I know conservative solutions can transform lives, but if folks don’t trust us, implementing those solutions becomes impossible.”

Democrats opposed Farr’s nomination to a federal district court, citing his past defense of a voter ID law in North Carolina that was designed to suppress the black vote. After Scott joined Democrats in their opposition to Farr last month — and with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) continuing his opposition to judicial nominees while he pushes for legislation to protect the special counsel — Farr’s nomination will likely be ill-fated.