Democrats are attacking the religious beliefs of several of President-elect Donald Trump's top candidates, risking a conflict with the Constitution, which prohibits the use of religious tests to hold public office.
President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has been criticized for his tattoos, one of which depicts a Jerusalem cross. Another contains a Crusader slogan, which critics say has been appropriated by far-right groups.
Meanwhile, former Governor Mike Huckabee, who was nominated to be the US ambassador to Israel, has been criticized by Democratic senators, particularly for his religious views regarding Jewish rights to the Land of Israel.
Article 6, Section 3 of the Constitution say (emphasis added):
The senators and representatives of both the United States and the several states, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution. do. but Religious tests are never required As a qualification to any government office or public trust of the United States.
In recent memory, Democrats have run afoul of this provision when questioning conservative judicial nominees.
They lambasted several Catholic candidates for their religious beliefs, drawing angry protests from Republicans, especially in the case of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) later recalled before the Senate Judiciary Committee during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing: And I just hope that we can all embrace that as we move into the future, and the judges [Barrett]I felt treated very, very badly. ”
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
