Ted Cruz ripped into Cory Booker today for using a religious test when questioning Trump’s judicial nominee Neomi Rao today.
Before we get to Cruz, here’s what Booker said in his ridiculous line of questioning (via PJ Media):
Booker seized on Rao’s 2008 article opposing the Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas, which decriminalized homosexual activity. He then directly asked her, “Are gay relationships in your opinion immoral?”
“I am not sure the relevance of that,” Rao responded.
“Do you think gay relationships are immoral?” he continued.
“I do not,” Rao said.
“Do you believe they are a sin?” Booker pressed.
“My personal views on any of these subjects are things I would put to one side,” the nominee said.
“So you’re not willing to say whether you believe it is sinful for a man — for two men — to be married?” the senator pressed once again.
“No,” Rao responded.
“Excuse me?” Booker said.
“My response is that these personal views are ones that I would put to one side. Whatever my personal views are on the subject, I would faithfully follow the precedent of the Supreme Court,” the nominee said.
When Ted Cruz got his chance to question Rao, he began by dropping the smackdown on Booker, accusing him of using a religious test:
The Senate Judiciary Committee should not be a theater for mischaracterizing or twisting nominees’ records or views. Nor should it be an avenue for persecution.
We’ve seen a growing pattern among Senate Democrats of hostility to religious faith. I have to say I was deeply troubled a few minutes ago to hear questioning of a nominee, asking your personal views on what is sinful.
In my view that has no business in this committee. Article Six of the Constitution says there should be no religious test for any public office. We have also seen Senate Democrats attack what they have characterized as religious dogma. We’ve seen Senate Democrats attack nominees for their own personal views on salvation.
I don’t believe this is a theological court of inquisition. I think the proper avenue of investigation is a nominee’s record. So Ms Rao, let me talk about your record. Let me ask you about your actual record, which is what this committee should be looking at, not our own personal religious views or your religious views, whatever they may be.
As usual, he’s exactly right. The Constitution is clear on the issue of religious tests. But more and more Democrats seem to be using religious tests in their questioning of nominees. We saw it with Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin in 2017 on the same nominee and Bernie Sanders in 2017 on a non-judicial nominee. They just can’t help themselves when it comes to persecuting Christians for what they believe.
Mike Lee even gave a great speech on this 2017 because Democrats are doing this a lot more these days.
Ted Cruz continues on with his questioning of Rao, which you can watch in the video above.