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Where *does* he find these people? Leonard Leo is really scraping the bottom of the barrel …

Where does he find these people?

by digby

Their t-shirts all had a different loathsome quote from Neomi Rao on them. She’s a real piece of work.

Trump’s “regulatory czar” and nominee to replace Brett Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals had quite a hearing this morning:

Aaaand here’s Ted Cruz making sure nobody thinks this woman is the most loathesome person in the room:

And yes,  they’re going to confirm this cretin:

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s new chairman, Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), is moving quickly to confirm additional judges. The panel is scheduled to vote Thursday on a slate of nominees, including a half-dozen appeals court picks.

The D.C. Circuit is often referred to as the nation’s second-highest court because it reviews high-profile cases involving government regulations and separation of powers issues and because it has been something of a pipeline to the Supreme Court. Four current justices previously served on the D.C. Circuit.

In recent years, the appeals court has ruled on cases involving gun control laws, the Trump restrictions on transgender troops serving in the military and the use of military commissions to prosecute terrorism suspects.

But it was questions about Rao’s early writing rather than the court’s docket that dominated the discussion Tuesday. In a 1994 column, Rao wrote: “It has always seemed self-evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions. A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober.”

Rao said at the hearing that her specific suggestion about women and alcohol was meant as “common sense observation” about “actions women can take to be less likely to become victims.”

Rao was rated “well qualified” by the American Bar Association this week and Republican Senators defended her record. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) noted she was unequivocal in the 1990s — and now — that anyone who commits a crime of violence should be prosecuted. Her suggestion that college students avoid excessive drinking, he said, is good advice, and he intends to give it to his own children.

“There is certainly nothing disqualifying here,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said. “Judicial nominations have become a blood sport,” a reference to lingering bitterness over Kavanaugh’s contentious confirmation battle.

Sure being a far right, extremist, know-nothing is perfectly fine. It’s all perfectly fine.

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