Airhead? Sen. Hirono says Jackson wasn’t tapped to fill quota, then touts how she was tapped to fill quota

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, will never be referred to as one of the brightest minds in the Senate, however, the Democrat seemed to outdo even herself on Monday during the Ketanji Brown Jackson Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings.

While taking exception to the charge that Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court amounted to “affirmative action,” Hirono insisted the judge was not selected because of the color of her skin only to then dispel that assertion by explaining that she was indeed selected to fill a quota.

“Some of my Republican colleagues and public figures have attempted to undermine your qualifications through their pejorative use of the term ‘affirmative action’ and they have implied you were solely nominated due to your race and not for other factors,” Hirono said to Jackson. “Apparently some have even claimed that you need to show your LSAT scores to determine whether you are a top legal mind. This is incredibly offensive and condescending.”

“Let me be clear, your nomination is not about filling a quota. It’s about time,” she continued. “It’s about time that we have a highly qualified, highly accomplished black woman on the Supreme Court. It’s about time the highest court reflects the country it serves. It’s about time that black women and girls can finally see themselves — who looks like them sitting on the highest court and making decisions that will impact their lives.”

For the record, President Biden has been clear all along that he would nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court if given the chance.

When Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, the president confirmed as much again while effectively eliminating all other qualified candidates.

“I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency,” Biden said. “While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I have made no decision except one. The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue, in my view. I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment.”

Social media was quick to set the “dumbest person to ever serve in the Senate” straight… here’s a quick sampling of responses from Twitter:

Tom Tillison

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