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Floor Speech
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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have spoken repeatedly about the nomination of Adeel Mangi to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Notwithstanding his anti-Semitic affiliations, it seems every week a new law enforcement organization announces its opposition to this nominee for his record of associating with the most radical type of anti-police activists--those who support cop killers.
Apparently, some Democrats are finally listening to law enforcement and the Jewish groups sounding the alarm.
Last week, a number of Democratic Senators reportedly told the White House that they didn't think Mr. Mangi has the votes. This, of course, produced a panic on the left. This week, a New York Times columnist accused Republicans of Islamophobia for criticizing Mangi and his dalliance with anti-Semitic activists. Democrats, on the other hand, were urged to get in line and vote for him.
Who is giving this advice?
Well, the author of the piece herself had previously speculated that Israel may be engaged in genocide in Gaza. She called the Israeli war of self-defense a ``charnel house of horrors.'' She defended the anti- Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and she even got mealymouthed about the October 7 attacks, saying:
[T]wo can play the game of who started it and who is to blame, rolling back the clock to biblical times to try to fix ultimate responsibility for the catastrophe of Israel and Palestine.
So, again, what has Mr. Mangi done to deserve friends like these or, indeed, to merit such a vehement, blinkered defense from the Biden administration?
Just yesterday, the White House called opposition to Mr. Mangi's nomination a "smear campaign solely because he would make history as the first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate judge.''
How insulting. What self-respecting attorney wants to hear that a President cares more about the demographic tick boxes than their life's work?
Besides, in the case of Mr. Mangi, Senate Republicans' opposition has absolutely nothing to do with his Muslim faith. Rather, it has everything to do with his longstanding sympathy for and association with some of the most radical elements in society.
I happily voted for the first Muslim article III judge at the outset of the Biden administration, also of New Jersey--so did 31 of my Republican colleagues--in one of the largest bipartisan votes for a judge in the Biden Presidency. But we didn't support this nominee because he was Muslim; it was because he had an extraordinary personal and professional background.
Mr. Mangi's associated center at Rutgers asks convicted terrorists if we overly ``exceptionalize'' 9/11. Judge Quraishi, on the other hand, thought 9/11 was exceptional and joined the Army soon after, rendering honorable service in Iraq.
Mr. Mangi spent his career making millions in defending corporate clients like foreign energy companies, massive drugmakers, and even chocolate monopolies, all while volunteering his time to support anti- police activists. Judge Quraishi, on the other hand, supported law enforcement professionally, first at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then as an assistant U.S. attorney.
We are told that any questioning of Mr. Mangi's record is Islamophobia. On the other hand, the terrorist-adjacent Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that Senators probe Judge Quraishi's experience in the Army and in law enforcement, saying their concerns ``must be addressed.''
According to Democrats' rhetoric, shouldn't this organization also be condemned for Islamophobia?
Two Muslim Biden nominees with records as different as night and day--Republicans happily supported the nominee who served his country and backed the blue. We have and we will continue to oppose the nominee who has repeatedly chosen, instead, to mingle with supporters of terrorists and cop killers.
I hope more Democrats will join us in opposing Mr. Mangi, and should they fall victim to spurious associations of bias, perhaps they should remind the White House of an alternative candidate, rested and ready, in the Federal courthouse in Trenton, NJ.
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