President Trump’s federal judge nominee to the Fifth Circuit came under fire from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing Wednesday over a couple of jokes made on Twitter.
Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, who runs a popular Twitter account known for his upbeat and humorous tweets, was criticized by Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., over a 2015 tweet sent by Willett joking that he could support a constitutional right to marry bacon.
I could support recognizing a constitutional right to marry bacon. pic.twitter.com/HKPW6tE4H6
— Justice Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) April 30, 2015
GUYS. Leahy says: "You've equated the constitutional right to same sex marriage, which the Supreme Court has upheld, with the the constitutional right to marry bacon. I don't think one would see that as praising the Supreme Court decisions"
— Shoshana Weissmann, Sloth Committee Chair (@senatorshoshana) November 15, 2017
ABOUT THIS TWEET. NOT KIDDING https://t.co/f5nZoiXscX
"Senator, as for the bacon tweet, that was the day after the Obergefell decision was issued and it was my attempt to inject a bit of levity," Willett explained. "The country was filled with rancor and polarization. It was a divisive time in the nation."
"And you think that cut back the divisiveness with a comment like that?" Leahy responded.
"Senator, I believe every American is entitled to equal worth and dignity," Willett said. "I've never intended to disparage anyone and would never do so. That's not where my heart is."
Leahy's wife apparently wanted to marry a rotting sack of potato peels https://t.co/5vnA1Nc7X9
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) November 15, 2017
Guess Leahy can't take a joke.
