Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) grilled the Biden administration’s far-left FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya over his radical views on immigration law enforcement, and his apparent opposition to efforts to roll back the racist doctrine of Critical Race Theory at a hearing on his nomination before the Senate Commerce Committee today.
Sen. Cruz went through some of Bedoya’s far-left tweets, which were reported on by Breitbart News ahead of the hearing, blasting Bedoya as a “left-wing activist” and a “provocateur.”
“The Biden administration has nominated a number of extreme nominees. Radicals who have advocated for abolishing the police, to the senior officials currently at the Justice Department,” said Sen. Cruz.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the authorization of the Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on November 03, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“A banking regulator who trained in the Soviet Union, and advocates nationalizing the banks and wants to bankrupt thousands of businesses across America. And unfortunately, Mr. Bedoya, as I look at your record you fall firmly in that line. I see the record of someone who has been a left-wing activist, a provocateur, a bomb-thrower, and an extremist. So I want to take a minute to explore your views.”
“I’m not talking about the things you say when you’re wearing a suit and tie, talking about fourth amendment violations, I’m talking about what you angrily tweet out to the world. I refer you to a tweet on February 26, 2021: ‘It is time to call ICE what it is: an out-of-control domestic surveillance agency that peers into all of our lives.'”
The Texas Senator went on to discuss Bedoya’s opposition to local law enforcement cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
“You also have, on April 12, 2021, a tweet that is certainly not lacking in subtlety: ‘Maryland police have no business working with ICE. Maryland police have no business working with ICE. Maryland police have no business working with ICE. Maryland police have no business working with ICE. Maryland police have no business working with ICE.’ So apparently you’re calling on state law enforcement to refuse to cooperate in any way with federal immigration enforcement. How do you explain these tweets? Are you with the more radical members of the squad in the house, and are you an advocate of abolishing ICE?”
“I am not, Senator. That last message was rhetoric,” adding that he was simply advocating for a bill requiring the government to get a warrant before scanning faces on drivers’ licenses.
“I have occasionally used rhetoric, sir,” repeated Bedoya.
Cruz then delved further into Bedoya’s preoccupation with immigration issues, which extended to attacking Democrat congressional leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who had called for decorum from colleagues during a debate on immigration.
“Decorum? Thousands of latino kids still forcibly separated from their parents, some in cages, and you go on CNN to ask for decorum from members of the Hispanic Caucus. You should apologize to those members and to the latino community,” Bedoya’s tweet reads.
“You’re also blasting Democrats who are not sufficiently extreme to your liking when it comes to immigration, is that right?”
“I think family separation was abhorrent. The kids at the border looked like my cousins.”
Cruz went on to ask Bedoya if he was similarly critical of the Biden administration. Bedoya said he had criticized the Obama administration, but did not give a clear answer on whether he had similarly criticized Biden.
Cruz then noted Bedyoa retweeted MSNBC host Joy Reid calling former President Trump a “white supremacist.”
“I don’t recall sharing that. I don’t believe the prior administration was a white supremacist administration,” insisted Bodeya.
Cruz then noted Bodeya’s retweeting of John B. King disagreeing with the Senator’s contention that Critical Race Theory should not be taught in schools.
Bodeya responded that he believed “history should be taught,” but disagreed with the claim that “all white people are racist.” He went on to say that he hadn’t “given great thought to Critical Race Theory before this hearing,” despite retweeting opposition to Cruz’s call for it to be removed from schools.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.