On June 10, 2020, Vanita Gupta, then president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, spoke at a House of Representatives Vanita Gupta, then president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, speaks at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee.
On Monday (March 1), five attorneys general from Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma sent a letter (pdf) to President Biden urging him to withdraw his nomination of Vanita Gupta as assistant attorney general.
“As the chief legal officers of Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, we are writing today to urge you to withdraw the nomination of Vanita Gupta for assistant attorney general.” The letter said.
The five attorneys general, Todd Rokita of Indiana, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Mike Hunter of Oklahoma, Jeff Landry of Louisiana and Ken Paxton of Texas Ken Paxton (Texas). In their letter, they wrote: “Ms. Gupta’s past statements and record demonstrate that she is not interested in meaningful judicial reform and supports the destructive policy of defund the police. Her nomination would further divide our nation rather than implement policies that protect our communities and support law enforcement.”
The attorneys general told President Biden, “As someone who has chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and overseen the Department of Justice for many years, you know how important it is for the Department of Justice to have healthy, cooperative relationships with local and state law enforcement.”
The letter noted that 2020 will be quite a difficult year for justice, with violent crime increasing dramatically in many cities and murders reaching record levels. “At this juncture, we need to support police officers and provide them with the resources to help make our cities and communities safer,” they said.
“Ms. Gupta has a history of making radical statements that do not support providing law enforcement officers with the resources they need to succeed,” the five attorneys general noted, “and supporting such a radical nominee will not bring unity.”
“Policies that limit their ability to do their jobs don’t make us safer, they put us – and them – at greater risk of violence. Meanwhile criminals who have no respect for the law or human Life will be given more freedom to wreak havoc on our streets.”
According to The Federalist, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, of which Gupta is president and CEO, in In September 2019, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, of which Gupta is president and CEO, urged Congress to “shift government funding away from policing practices rooted in the criminal legal system and the carceral state to a public safety vision that reflects the promotion of community health and the rebuilding of trust.”
The Federalist notes that in March 2019, the organization published a 416-page report (pdf) calling for the abolition of school police in all schools and for the replacement of current policing with “community policing.” The report states, “Police should not play any role in student discipline.”
The media outlet said Gupta said during the House hearing that a “new model” of law enforcement must be found to “shrink the footprint of the criminal legal system in the lives of black and brown people.” Her comments came during the unrest that followed the death of African-American man George Floyd. In fact, according to insurance claims filed around the country, the riots led to $2 billion worth of damage between May 28 and June 8 of last year, the most expensive man-made property loss in U.S. history (link).
It has not been determined when Gupta’s confirmation hearing will be held.
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