Vanita Gupta regrets past harsh rhetoric
VANITA GUPTA, President Joe Biden’s nominee to a senior post at the US Justice Department, has expressed regret for using harsh rhetoric in the last several years over social media as she faced sharp criticism from Republicans during her confirmation hearing, becoming the second Indian-American to face trouble over her past Twitter outbursts.
Gupta, 46, was nominated to serve as the Associate Attorney General at the Department of Justice. ‘I regret the harsh rhetoric that I have used at times in the last several years. I can pledge to you today that if I am confirmed, you won’t be hearing that kind of rhetoric for me,’ Gupta told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Gupta was responding to sharp criticism from Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senator Chuck Grassley, the panel’s top Republican, said that while Gupta has performed admirable work in the past, her past comments about Republicans gave him concerns over whether she could fill a critical Justice Department position, Fox News reported.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz also accused her of being an extreme partisan advocate. If confirmed, she would be the first woman of color to be the associate attorney general. Gupta told lawmakers that it will be the honor of her lifetime to assume the Associate Attorney General’s responsibility to oversee the enforcement of laws to protect the health, safety, and economic security of all Americans.
‘My parents are proud immigrants from India, and they believe more than anything in the promise of America. Growing up, they taught me that loving this country brings with it the obligation to do the necessary work to perfect our union. That belief is shared by my husband, whose family fled violence and war in Vietnam and sought refuge on these great shores,’ Gupta said.