GOP congressman is fine with racism — but don't criticize Trump's Supreme Court pick

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced a resolution on Tuesday condemning criticism of Amy Coney Barrett’s religious views. But in recent years, he has repeatedly refused to back efforts to counter actual discrimination.

Biggs’ proposed condemnation alleges that the religious views of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee have only been called into question by a small number of Democratic officials, a historian, a “podcast cofounder,” and songwriter Diane Warren. It asks the House of Representatives to condemn “any attempt to impose an unconstitutional religious test” on Barrett and “any attempt to disparage” her “constitutional right to exercise her religious beliefs.”

Barrett said in her 2017 confirmation hearings that “it’s never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge’s personal convictions, whether they derive from faith or anywhere else on the law.” But she also said in a 2006 law school commencement speech that “your legal career is but a means to an end” and “that end is building the kingdom of God.”

Biggs has not always been so eager to condemn discrimination.

Earlier this month, he voted against a bipartisan resolution condemning racism and hate crimes against people of Asian descent, which have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic. Biggs dismissed the sentiment as “woke culture on steroids.”

Last year, he was one of just 23 representatives to vote against a resolution against antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry. He attacked it as “a watered-down resolution that said virtually nothing,” while condemning only “anti-Semitic rhetoric.” His statement made no mention of anti-Muslim hate.

Since 2017, Biggs has been a vocal defender of Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban.

“President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to strengthen and control our immigrant vetting system is rooted in a sincere desire to prioritize the safety and security of Americans, and is based on historical precedent,” he said in January 2017.

“This order is exactly what President Trump said he would do during the campaign, and he should be applauded for following through with his promises,” he added.

As a candidate, Trump explicitly said in December 2015 that he was “calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

This past July, as the House voted to repeal the ban on travel from majority-Muslim nations, Biggs claimed the Muslim ban was “not a Muslim ban” but a “legitimate travel restriction implemented for the safety of this nation.”

A Biggs spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.