Clyburn Calls 1991 Thomas Backing a Mistake as Justice Defends His Conservative Record
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Clyburn Calls 1991 Thomas Backing a Mistake as Justice Defends His Conservative Record
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Summary
James Clyburn said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that his support for Clarence Thomas during the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation fight was a mistake he now owns.
Clyburn said he expected Thomas's background and their work together at the EEOC to make him uphold Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act precedents, but instead called him a "very angry rightist."
The South Carolina Democrat had testified for Thomas in 1991, then describing him as a personal and professional friend despite his conservative Republican philosophy.
Thomas, in a separate interview last week with Ted Cruz, rejected the idea that being Black required him to hold Democratic views, saying critics impose a deterministic expectation based on race.