Associate Attorney-General Nominee Indian-American Vanita Gupta apologizes at Senate Hearing

After being criticized for her harsh tweets, Indian-American Vanita Gupta, who is Biden’s nominee for the third ranking position in the US Justice Department, has apologized for her past rhetoric.

“I regret the harsh rhetoric that I have used in the past at times in the last several years,” Gupta said. “I wish I could take it back.”

Gupta, a civil rights attorney who leads the coalition group Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, also urged the senators to look at her “lifelong record” as a believer “in the importance of building consensus” and as “a deeply pragmatic person”.

It was reported that, during the conformation hearing on Tuesday Gupta had drawn sharp criticism from Republican senators for her past tweets.

“Her Twitter feed has painted Republicans with a broad brush, describing the Republican National Convention as three nights of ‘racism, xenophobia and outrageous lies,’” said Senator Chuck Grassley.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn also reffered few tweets which she found objectionable — one was when Gupta criticised Senator Collins in 2018 after she announced plans to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault, to the Supreme Court.

“Senator Collins is failing her constituents and sending a dangerous message to survivors. This is excruciating,” Gupta had tweeted.

Earlier, as key senators raised objection, President Joe Biden had decided to withdraw his plan to appoint Indian American Neera Tanden as head of Office of Management and Budget.

It was Neera Tanden’s previous tweets provoking lawmakers, that led to widespread objection against her appointment. Some key senators had urged Biden to withdraw the move to appoint Neera Tanden as head of office of management and budget.