Sen Booker ERUPTS on Trump s Shameful Nomination

Mr. Karl, I never thought I would have somebody that made a lot of the statements that you've made before the United States Senate, and I would love to discuss some of your comments. You're going to be working with international organizations. Do you think one race is superior than another race on the planet Earth? Senator, absolutely not. You don't. So do you think that America would be weaker if it was, say, 40% Jewish? Senator, absolutely not in and of itself. I think the problem- Why did you qualify that? No. Senator, if you'd let me finish, I believe that unity, as President Trump has said, rather than diversity, is a greater strength. But why not simply say it doesn't matter what percentage of our population is Jewish? Senator, it certainly doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Senator, if I could finish, as somebody of Jewish origin myself, and I do want to take this moment to say, because there have been some comments made, one of my weaknesses, and we've discussed some that you may think in general are weaknesses, is sometimes I take an idea too far. And I made some comments in interviews about minimizing the effect of the Holocaust that were absolutely wrong. And I'm not going to sit here and defend them here. I just want to be very, very clear on that point. Again, had I been in Germany in that time, even though I'm a sixth-generation American, had I not, I would have been killed just like anybody else. I've heard you say that you regret some of your comments about Jews. Absolutely. Do you regret any other comments about any other races? Senator, you would have to reference a certain comment, but I'm certainly not a perfect person, and I'm sure that I've made... Do you regret any of your comments about Latino Americans? Senator, I'm sure that if you read me every single comment I'd made about a group, there would be some that, upon consideration... You stipulate for this body that you have in your past made comments about Jews and Latinos and perhaps blacks that you perhaps regret. Senator, thank you for the question. As a Calvinist who believes that we're all infinitely sinful and only redeemed through grace... We're sending you into a very diverse world. Yeah. And you can't say unequivocally that America doesn't matter what our racial makeup is. You believe it matters what the racial makeup of America is. Senator... Do you believe it matters, yes or no, what the racial makeup of America is? Senator, to echo President Trump... I don't want you to echo President Trump. I want you to answer my question, yes or no. Does it matter what the racial makeup of America is? Senator, I'll stand on my comment. Thank you. What's your comment? Answer the question, yes or no. Echoing President Trump, I believe unity rather than diversity is a strength. So you have a problem if America grew to be more Latinos than white people? Senator, the individual group is not important. This is a cross societal... What do you mean when you say that you believe in the great replacement theory? Senator, thank you for that question. This refers to the intentional demographic replacement of Europeans in Europe. It was invented by Renaud Camus, who was a French scholar. You think there's an active effort to, quote unquote, replace Americans right now? Senator, I think the Democratic Party, through its immigration policies, has certainly shown signs of that. And I don't understand that. So you are saying that if more Americans are black or Latino Americans, that that somehow weakens America because it puts whites in a minority? Senator, I never said anything like that, nor do I actually believe that. I want to be very clear that regardless of country, if people generally share more in common... I'm sorry, can I read you what you've said? Because it sounds like this. You said the great replacement is real, and they are going to try to make you pay for it. Who is they? Senator, thank you for that question. I simply don't know from you reading that one isolated comment. So this is the problem. You make the most incendiary comments that you admit that you regret about Jews, about Latinos, about blacks. And you sit here and say that you do not have a worldview that somehow our country is weakened based upon the populations of each. In fact, you say in your writings that it is a threat to the United States of America and create an us versus them. And the only interpretation of I can have of us versus them is it's white people against others, which sounds deeply racist to me. That somehow you think our country's greatness depends upon its ethnic diversity as long as white people have more numbers than others. That does not sound like a nation that was founded with the belief that all people are created equal and equal before the eyes of God. It sounds like you have a racial hierarchy. There's no way for me to read this in any other way. You have said our country based upon religious diversity, based upon ethnic diversity, based upon racial diversity, you have indicated that somehow those make America weaker or stronger. That God forbid our nation grows in population that then you suddenly say I'm aggrieved and they are trying to replace us. This is the United States of America. We are one nation under God. But you cut us up and divide us along racial lines. Senator, respectfully, I do not think that they do. You cannot use the word respectfully because you do not respect me. You look upon me as my color of my skin. You say holidays like Juneteenth are racial hustles. Don't come here and hustle me. You have said statements that other nations are going to look upon you and read plainly. When you go to a country of a different religion or ethnicity, you have discriminated against Jews in your writing. You have discriminated against others. And then you claim yourself as a victim. Mr. Chairman, I've never seen such a blatantly racist individual who doesn't even deny that he's made these statements but wants to tell us that he regrets them and yet still believes that this body who is committed to principles of equality, who is committed to ideals of our founders, that you're not in direct violation to the ideals and values and principles. And the last thing I want to say, I watched people beat others when they attacked the Capitol, viciously attack police officers. Brian Sicknick, a New Jersey resident, was beaten near death and would die days later. And you say those violent felons, you literally have said that they were treated worse than people during Jim Crow. When thousands of Americans were lynched, murdered, beaten, and killed, you equate Capitol Hill rioters with receiving worse treatment than Americans during Jim Crow, which even some of the worst people who participated in that violence and beatings have come forward decades later and said, I was wrong. It is shameful that when this body ran for its life, when they had gallows for the vice president put outside, when they tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power, that you would equate those people to the folks that were victimized and terrorized by white nationalist organizations like the KKK. Sir, you have no decency. You have no honor. You say inflammatory things because it thinks it will ingratiate you to those who are paying your salary. And you sit here before me and try to wrap yourself in the American flag? Well, I believe in this nation. I believe in the principles. I believe in those who fought and died for our country. You disgrace that legacy and the ideals that we all swear an oath to uphold that does not believe in one nation for one people and another people. Dear God, I pray for us if we let somebody like you represent us to the diverse nations of the world as representing the values of our country. Senator, I absolutely deplore Jim Crow, but I do not agree with the characterization that you have done of my views.