DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said that Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton is a “maggot-infested man” during a Wednesday segment on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
When asked his thoughts on Cotton, who alleged Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may have defended Nazis accused of war crimes, Harrison said he is “the lowest of the low.”
“When Barack Obama was president of the United States, there was a person he appointed to be an ambassador to the Bahamas, a friend of his, Cassandra Butts. Cassandra worked on Capitol Hill; we all knew her; she was brilliant. Cassandra had leukemia. She was up for confirmation and Tom Cotton blocked her confirmation. 835 days she waited to be confirmed as ambassador to the Bahamas. When asked why he was holding up her confirmation, he said, because he wanted to hurt Barack Obama. It shows you who this little maggot-infested man is.”
Butts alleged Cotton told her he would keep the hold on confirmation to inflict “special pain” on Obama. Cotton’s spokesperson denied the statements and clarified that the senator was gradually releasing his holds on Butts and two other nominees as the Secret Service continued its investigation into whether the agency leaked personal information about then Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz.
Butts, however, died while her hearing was on hold.
“He does not deserve to have that pen,” Harrison continued. “He doesn’t deserve to be in the United States Senate representing the good people of Arkansas. He doesn’t deserve and doesn’t know.”
Harrison then alleged Cotton subverts the Constitution. (RELATED: AP Claims Republicans Oppose Ketanji Brown Jackson Because She’s Too Empathetic)
“That is the Republican Party we see today. It is a party built on fraud, fear and fascism. They don’t deserve to be in power. Not because Democrats should, but because they don’t deserve to be in power of this great nation.”
In a speech Tuesday, Cotton criticized Jackson’s defense of four Guantanamo Bay detainees who were held under anti-terrorism laws. Jackson was assigned the cases as a public defender.
“Judge Jackson has also shown a real interest in helping terrorists,” Cotton said. “You know, the last Judge Jackson left the Supreme Court to go to Nuremberg and prosecute the case against the Nazis. This Judge Jackson might’ve gone there to defend them.”
Cotton was referring to Robert H. Jackson’s role in the 1945 Nuremberg trials.