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Attorney General's Position Human Rights Campaign calls John Ashcroft 'Frightening!' People for the American Way 'Strongly Opposes' Nominee |
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Compiled by GayToday
"We are extremely dismayed with the Ashcroft nomination which represents a clear U-turn in Bush's pledge to bring Americans together. We hope Bush returns to the trend of choosing moderate nominations for sub-cabinet levels at all federal agencies." As a Senator, Ashcroft voted against the Employment Non Discrimination Act, which would have banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also voted against the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act that said a same-sex marriage performed in one state did not have to be recognized by another. Ashcroft is also virulently anti-choice. "Ashcroft's dismal record for racial, gender and sexual orientation civil rights issues raises serious concerns about his ability to enforce our nation's civil rights laws," said Stachelberg. Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way said: "While it is extremely rare for People For the American Way to oppose an Executive Branch nomination, we must oppose strongly the nomination of John Ashcroft to be Attorney General of the United States. "The Attorney General of the United States is not only the lawyer for the President, but also the lawyer for the people of the United States. He is the principal enforcer of our nation's civil rights laws.
"This is truly an astonishingly bad nomination." |
