Ladies and gentlemen, your nominee to be ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell:
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to South Africa this week refused to say whether he would support or oppose repealing laws allowing Black Americans to vote.
During a Thursday Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) asked Trump nominee Brent Bozell, a right-wing media critic and founder of the conservative Media Research Center, about his support for Trump administration plans that limit refugee admissions almost exclusively to white Afrikaners.
“Senator, I don’t make that policy,” Bozell replied.
Murphy, however, did not accept this attempt at evasion.
Here’s the full exchange between Murphy and Bozell:
MURPHY: Mr. Bozell I want to give you a second chance to answer a question that senator Van Hollen put to you I don’ want to litigate the specific question of the persecution of the Afrikaner people that’s a policy that the administration has announced that I understand you will support.
But Senator Van Hollen asked you a like a really simple question, like a layup question, and it is concerning to me that you couldn’t give an easy straight answer. He asked you, should we have a race-based refugee admissions policy as a nation? In other words, do you support having a refugee admissions policy that admits white refugees only?
So let me ask you that question again. I don’t want to get into the specifics of the Afrikaner issue. Do you support having a refugee admissions policy in this country that only admits white refugees?
BOZELL: Senator, I don’t make that policy.
MURPHY: Well… but it’s really important… If I were to ask this question of virtually any nominee to be an ambassador prior to this panel, that would be an easy layup answer.
“No, of course, of course, of course we don’t support having a refugee policy where we only admit white people.” So why can’t you give me your personal view on that?
BOZELL: Because Senator, I am here to serve America and to do what the president is asking me to do. I’ll be following the executive order of February.
MURPHY: Would you support reinstituting laws in this country to only allow white people to vote?
BOZELL: Senator, I’m going to serve as ambassador to South Africa, and I want to focus on that.
MURPHY: You will not share your personal views on whether it is right or wrong to reinstitute discriminatory policies in this country to prevent black people from voting?
BOZELL: Senator, my personal views are irrelevant. I am serving here to do what the president is asking me to do in South Africa.
MURPHY: That’s just simply not true though. The whole reason that you’re appearing before this committee is because your personal views, your history is absolutely relevant to your fitness to serve. We wouldn’t have this process if your personal views were not relevant.
That is pretty stunning that you will not share your views, not only on whether we should have a refugee admissions process that is race based, but you won’t share your personal views on whether we should reimpose discriminatory treatment against Black Americans.
That is absolutely relevant to your qualifications to serve and your refusal to answer it I hope is something that every member of this committee will think about.
We all know what the answer to Murphy’s question is. He’s just not willing to say it out loud. They’re all still pretending their racist dog whistles aren’t blow horns right now.
