Rep. Al Green blasts Judiciary Committee for lack of diversity in impeachment witnesses

[Jose Garcia]

Source: The Hill

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) slammed the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a lack of diversity in a panel of witnesses during its first impeachment hearing.

Green — who has been one of the most vocal supporters of impeaching President Trump — argued it was a misstep to bring in four constitutional law experts: Noah Feldman, a professor at Harvard Law School and director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law; Pamela Karlan, a professor of public interest law at Stanford Law School; Michael Gerhardt, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law; and Jonathan Turley, a professor of public interest law at George Washington University Law School who is also an opinion contributor for The Hill.

“It hurts my heart, Mr. Speaker, to see the Judiciary Committee hearing experts on the topic of impeachment, one of the seminal issues of this Congress. Hearing experts, Mr. Speaker, and not one person of color among the experts,” he said during a speech on the floor.

“What subliminal message are we sending to the world when we have experts but not one person of color? Are we saying that there are no people of color who are experts on this topic of impeachment? What is the message that we're sending? Mr. Speaker, if I am wrong, I will apologize, but if the committee is wrong, if the Congress is wrong, what will it do?”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/472978-rep-al-green-blasts-judiciary-committee-for-lack-of-diversity-in-impeachment

[hlthe2b]

1. Diversity should be a goal wherever possible I absolutely agree.

I'm not sure this selection of only three expert witnesses for the Dems would make the case of intentional exclusion, but I do take his point.

[fleur-de-lisa]

2. He's right.

[phandancer917]

16. He is right...

...but in this case....I feel also VERY irrelevant.

As for the impeachment hearings, The only person of color I am concerned about is the Orange asshole in the White House.

[Backseat Driver]

3. Not many founding fathers who signed on the line were minorities either,

and many, including those that Americans have framed for their wisdom(?) owned slaves, a policy America much later decided did not meet the values so enshrined by the constitution - Get over it that any expert witnesses followed rule of constitutional law and actually did show up at all! Which obvious colluding racists did stand to be sworn at the last committee to constitutionally investigate?

The only ones I saw supported POSTUS' failure of oath among the interrogators and from the viewing stand! I sincerely am disturbed by long-held embedded ignorance which was remedied by law not by the heart (where bigotry lives and breathes) - Americans are a melting pot of minorities - to include each minority group would just be unwieldy to the purpose.

[Hestia]

4. More GOP talking points, trying to divide the Democratic Party again.

This brings nothing to today's table.

[Jose Garcia]

5. Congressman Green is not a Republican. He is a Democrat.

[maxrandb]

19. I know, that's why what he said was so stupid

I guess having a woman Constitutional Law scholar is not "diverse".

I guess having multiple women and men of color that are actually fucking members of the committee is not "diverse".

It's not becoming some kind of fucking litmus test, is it? Because if it is, there are a shit ton of old racist white fucksticks on the "other side of the aisle" who will surely use congressmen Greens statements to ensure there is "not diversity" in our entire fucking government.

[George II]

6. Oh come on, what is he looking for? The population of the US is roughly:

73% white
14% Hispanic
13% black

Does he want the panel to include 3 white witnesses and 1/2 each Hispanic and black?

[NurseJackie]

7. He needs to focus on the task at hand.

[brooklynite]

8. 3/5 should work......

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Turley writes for The Hill? Couldn't they find a witness without a conflict of interest?

The Hill is enmeshed in this thanks to John Solomon's connections with Guiliani etc.'s attempts to make up shit and spread it.

[FrankBooth]

10. Great timing

For Al's comment and this post.

[LiberalFighter]

11. That is a stretch.

A person's race does not play into the impeachment.

Nearly 50% of the Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee on the Democratic side are minority. I seriously doubt that with minority law experts this wasn't considered.

[Dopers_Greed]

12. That is a bizarre argument, and makes no sense

Trump is a white supremacist, thus surrounding himself with mostly whites.

This scandal involves Ukraine, a mainly white European country.

Wouldn't it follow that most of the witnesses to his crimes would be white?

[Jose Garcia]

13. These weren't fact witnesses.

They were expert witnesses.

[FrankBooth]

14. So what?

How exactly does Al's point or your post help get Donald Trump impeached? The timing stinks. If he has issues with the substance, take it up with Nadler behind closed doors.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Bring it up later, importantly. But right now it is a diversion tRump welcomes. . . . nt

[onenote]

17. Did he suggest anyone in particular?

[Perseus]

18. Oh please, tell the chair that in private, don't make an issue of it, it distracts

I am all for diversity, but this is not the time or place to bring something so inconsequential into the conversation. I am sure republicans will love that, although they don't care about diversity, but they use anything they can.

[Nitram]

20. Did Rep. Green suggest a person of color who is also a nationally respected constitutional expert?