Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy grilled President Joe Biden’s judicial nominee Nusrat Jahan Choudhury over her past statements on police during a Wednesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Kennedy repeatedly pressed Choudhury for saying that “cops kill unarmed black men in America every single day” while attending Princeton University to earn her Masters Public Administration degree.
“Senator, I said it in my role as an advocate,” she said.
“Oh, so you didn’t mean it,” Kennedy pressed. Choudhury said she said it to make a “rhetorical point” in her advocacy role.
“So when you say something that’s incorrect, it’s okay to excuse it by saying ‘oh, I was being an advocate?’ What do you believe? Do you personally believe that cops kill unarmed black men every single day in America?” Kennedy continued. (RELATED: ‘Afraid To Give Me An Answer?’: John Kennedy Presses Three Biden Judicial Nominees To Answer A Single Question)
“Senator, I believe that law enforcement have an important and challenging job in this country—”
“That’s not what you said though, councilor,” the senator interjected. “I just think that’s an extraordinary statement to make with no data to back that up. No, none whatsoever. There’s no basis for you to be saying that and you knew it then and you know it now. How can anyone possibly believe that you’re gonna be unbiased on the federal bench?”
The nominee said her record indicates that she has worked “collaboratively” with officers across the country “to solve complex problems to promote constitutional, effective and safe policing.”
“Your record shows that you believe cops are guilty until proven innocent,” Kennedy said. “Your record shows that if a cop shoots a criminal, it’s the cop’s fault. And if a criminal shoots a cop, it’s the gun’s fault. I’ve read your record and I don’t appreciate you not answering the questions straight up. I would respect you a lot more if you would just tell us what you believe and not try to hide it.”
In 2021, nearly 1,055 individuals were killed by police nationwide, 15% of these civilians being unarmed, according to Washington Post tracking data. A study found that 34% of unarmed civilians are black, though reiterated that not all cases of police shooting an unarmed individual are unjustified, according to the Manhattan Institute.