Lindsey Graham (Credit: Rick Bloom)
Sen. Lindsey Graham thinks Sonia Sotomayor has a "temperament" problem. The South Carolina Republican grilled the nominee Tuesday over complaints from attorneys who have appeared before her in 2nd Circuit cases, and he raised the issue again with reporters Wednesday.
During a recess Wednesday afternoon, NationalJournal.com's Amy Harder spoke with the senator about Sotomayor's temperament, and about charges that his questioning of the nominee on this issue had sexist undertones. Edited excerpts follow.
NJ: You've been one of the GOP senators to ask the toughest questions of Sotomayor. Yet you've also said you may very well vote for her. How do you reconcile those two?
Graham: What I have done is try to point out things that I think the public needs to know and she needs to answer, like her temperament.
NJ: Is that one of your main concerns?
Graham: Well, as something people who practiced in front of her had to say about her, that's different than anybody else on that Circuit.
NJ: How would you answer the charges that your questions on her temperament are sexist?
Graham: I think there are female judges on that court who didn't have those criticisms. I think it's unique to her. I think if a Republican president picked a female nominee who had those things said about her, in terms of her temperament, the Democrats would have every right to confront that person.
NJ: Do you think the same thing would happen with a male nominee?
Graham: Yeah, absolutely. How can you look at it and not say, 'Hey, wait, what's going on here?' There are women on the 2nd Circuit, there are men on the 2nd Circuit. She stands out like a sore thumb when it comes to temperament.
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