The Senate narrowly voted to confirm civil rights attorney Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general on Wednesday.
Gupta, 46, will become the first woman of color to serve as associate attorney general in the history of the Justice Department after the 51-49 vote in which Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the only GOP lawmaker to vote for her confirmation as Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand to break a potential tie.
In the role, Gupta will oversee the department’s civil rights litigation as well as its antitrust, civil and environment divisions as the third highest-ranking official in the agency, joining Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Gupta’s confirmation was “very good news for the forces of equality and justice in the country.”
“Not only is Ms. Gupta the first woman of color ever to be nominated to the position, she is the first civil rights attorney ever to be nominated to the position,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor. “That’s shocking, really. We never have had a former civil rights attorney serving in such a position of prominence at the Justice Department.”
Gupta faced harsh opposition from Republicans who described her as a “radical” nominee and accused her of altering her positions on issues such as drug legalization and police funding.
“She’s levied attacks on members of this body, and during the confirmation process, she employed the loosest possible interpretation of her oath to deliver honest testimony,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said.
Biden Nominee Vanita Gupta Grilled Over Radical Leftist Record
Murkowski explained her decision to support Gupta, saying she was initially troubled by some of her past statements but chose to vote in her favor after they had a lengthy conversation.
“I asked her point blank, ‘Why do you want this? Is this worth it?’ Because this has clearly been very hard on her as a nominee,” she said. “And she paused and reflected a moment, and just spoke to how she feels called to serve in a very personal way that I thought was impactful.”
Gupta’s confirmation comes the same day that Garland announced the Justice Department will open an investigation into police practices in Minneapolis after a jury convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd.
President Joe Biden pushed for Gupta and Kristin Clarke, his nominee to lead the Justice Department Civil Rights Division, in a speech Tuesday following the verdict, stating they would “root out the unconstitutional policing and reform our criminal justice system.”
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Lisa Murkowski, behind in the poles in Alaska. Another John McCain / Mitt Romney Democrat in RINO clothing. Traitor!
I wouldn’t doubt she’s doing it to prove she’s of value to the Commiecrats so she can run as one.
You might have a valid point. I heard rumors that Sarah Palin was thinking of replacing Loser Murkowski in the next election.
SHE should have never LEFT the seat open for pukecowski to get in..
FOr years murkouski, has shown SHE IS IN THE WRONG political party.. The folks in Alaska, need to wise the hell up and get rid of her.. iF That’s even possible.
Stupid RINO Murkowski..
Does Murkowski ever do anything right ! She seems to make wrong decisions on just about everything !
Which makes me wonder, HOW THE HELL did the supposedly SANE folks in Alaska, put her in office, in the first place!
Well, I guess she will help the nightmare in the white house racially divide this country… the enemy of our country is within… The nightmare in the white house and his cult of radical democRATS are tearing apart this country… GOD HELP US ALL AS THE COUNTRY IS BEING TORN APART… They are taking this country down a very dark and dangerous road to destruction…
white politicians are signing there own death warrant by supporting these causes and color.
Pity that’s only a FIGURATIVE warrant, and not a literal one!
Yet another reason Murkowski must be replaced with a conservative republican senator and that the entire current fraudulent white house and administration must be thrown out as quickly as possible. All a danger to our nation as one of free, innovative, industrious, peoples
BRING BACK PALIN!
Sarah for senate 2022!
A change is needed and it must be done at the next election. The swamp is still full of RINO’S who need to be replaced. Don’t forget too, that this country is being ran by the agenda started before Trump and continues with his puppet
Well, 51-49 is not as close as it looks, because Kimilla was always going to vote for the Socialist / Communist!
Then it would have been 51-50,
Yup, ‘ol mattress back to the rescue…
murkosky always votes with the marxists, which tells us, she is one of them and will vote against GOP policies until she gets kicked out by another common sense GOP. Shes a traitor.
Funny thing: A lot politicians in Alaska seem to die in plane crashes, including Senator “Chicken Head” Murkowski’s father. Also the late Senator Ted Stevens.
I wonder if she’s next? Often the planes burst into flames and burn up, thus complicating ID-ing the bodies… Nice way to disappear…
I wouldn’t shed a tear, if she was!
A rino is a democrat and they do not care about the success or failure of AMERICA.The real AMERICANS,the patriots that still love our country WILL prevail.It will be a very tough fight,but in the end the real AMERICANS will prevail.
Why don’t RINOs like Murkowski come out as Dems? Why is their dishonesty so important to them? And why don’t Repub voters kick the bums out as a lesson to the rest? Cantor them all!
More traitors incoming !!!!!! Traitor alert.
Is everyone in the Democrap party a leftist, racist, sexist, bigot lunatic? I guess they are. Actions speak louder than words.
IT honestly seems like its a REQUIREMENT to be that, to join the DNC.
Remove her from the party.It is time to get people that will actually vote as a conservative.