Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) tripped up an ABC News reporter on Monday as the reporter was echoing what Hawley called “White House talking points” and could not give vital case information to back up her claims.
ABC’s Rachel Scott pressed Hawley on why he has allegedly voted for judges in the past who are soft on child sex predators but is pushing back on the swift confirmation of President Joe Biden Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“But how is it acceptable for a lower court, if it’s not acceptable for a higher court?” Scott asked Hawley.
“I’m not sure which judges you’re referring to, if there are judges who are soft on child porn offenders, in a systematic kind of pattern,” the Republican senator responded, adding, “But again, I’ve only voted for one Supreme Court justice.”
Scott insisted she looked through Hawley’s record, which she said “shows you have voted for at least three federal judges who have imposed lighter sanctions on child porn offenders. So, how do you square that?”
“Same answer: not for this court,” Hawley answered. “And, I think this pattern is going to be a problem wherever I’m aware of it.”
“I know that’s the White House talking point, but I think it’s a dangerous one,” the senator continued. “You gotta be careful with that. It’s the old, ‘Well, everyone else is jumping off a cliff, so I will, too.’”
Scott asked Hawley if he regretted his past votes, to which the senator pushed back asking for the judges’ names and cases when they were allegedly soft on child porn offenders. “Well, I’m not sure which judges you’re talking about; I have not seen the White House’s talking points on this. But this is their new line,” the Republican told Scott.
“It’s public information, we actually have it, here,” Scott told Hawley, naming Judge Joseph F. Bianco, who was appointed as a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit by then-President Donald Trump.
“And what were the cases?” Hawley asked Scott numerous times. “You voted for them, shouldn’t you be familiar with their record, as well?” Scott responded.
“But what were the cases?” Hawley asked again.
When Scott couldn’t answer, the senator chuckled and said, “You don’t know their record.”
“What cases, was it after their confirmation or before?” Hawley again posed.
Scott started to respond, “Do you expect me to just —,”
“Well, I expect you to know the facts since you’re asking me about them,” the senator told her. “So, how many cases did they have? Judge Jackson had seven, I just listened them. So what are the ones that these judges have?”
“The larger point, senator, which I think that you’re not —,” Scott shifted gears, before Hawley interjected.
“So, you don’t know. You’re just here to do a ‘gotcha.’ When you know the facts, come back to me,” he said. “Good luck!”
This audio of ABC's Rachel Scott trying to trap Josh Hawley over Ketanji Brown Jackson's record on child sex predators is just too good. #EpicFail pic.twitter.com/GuLW4xLKs1
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 21, 2022
As The Daily Wire highlighted last week, Hawley publicly questioned Jackson’s fitness for the bench based on her record.
“I’ve been researching the record of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, reading her opinions, articles, interviews & speeches,” the senator posted to Twitter. “I’ve noticed an alarming pattern when it comes to Judge Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders, especially those preying on children.”
“On the federal bench, Judge Jackson put her troubling views into action,” Hawley said. “In every single child porn case for which we can find records, Judge Jackson deviated from the federal sentencing guidelines in favor of child porn offenders.”
“This is a disturbing record for any judge, but especially one nominated to the highest court in the land,” he accused. “Protecting the most vulnerable shouldn’t be up for debate. Sending child predators to jail shouldn’t be controversial.”
Related: Hawley: Biden SCOTUS Nominee ‘Has A Pattern Of Letting Child Porn Offenders Off The Hook’