Senate Republican Hypocrites Voted To Confirm Nearly A Dozen Trump Judges Who Were Soft On Child Predators

An ABC News review of federal judges appointed and confirmed during the Trump administration found nearly a dozen had handed down below-guideline sentences in cases of defendants viewing, possessing, transporting or distributing child pornography.

Judge Ralph Erickson of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, confirmed in 2017 with support from Sen. Lee, sentenced defendants in at least 11 child porn cases to prison terms below the recommendation, records show.

Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar, who was on Trump’s Supreme Court short list in 2018, sentenced a man convicted of distribution of child pornography to 73 months behind bars when the guidelines suggested 97-121 months.

The Senate Republican Concern About Judge Jackson Is Hypocrisy

Senate Republicans might want to take a look at their own records before they attack Judge Jackson. By their standards, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz are soft on child predators because they voted to confirm Trump judicial nominees who imposed less than the minimum sentence.

The smear against Biden’s SCOTUS nominee is less than baseless. It is hypocritical. If Senate Republicans want judges to sentence child predators to federal minimum sentences, they should pass legislation to reimpose the minimums that the Supreme Court tossed more than 15 years ago.

Republicans have no good reason to vote against the confirmation of Judge Jackson, and their smear campaign has only exposed their inconsistency and hypocrisy.