The Senate confirmed Kristen Clarke to serve as Associate Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Decision in the Biden administration, by a vote of 51 to 48. GOP Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) crossed the aisle to support Clarke’s confirmation.
51-48, Senate confirms Kristen Clarke as assistant AG to lead the Justice Department's civil rights division.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 25, 2021
Confirmed, 51-48: Executive Calendar #124 Kristen M. Clarke to be an Assistant Attorney General. @TheJusticeDept
— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) May 25, 2021
Republican senators blasted Clarke's history of embracing far-left ideology.
.@LeaderMcConnell: "Our colleagues on the [judiciary] committee did not give [Kristen Clarke] a favorable recommendation. That's because of a long history of statements that place the nominee on the far-left fringe of the political spectrum." https://t.co/vgE6X9FaqW pic.twitter.com/WnZ70UX2bo
— The Hill (@thehill) May 25, 2021
Kristen Clarke is unfit to lead the Civil Rights Division at the @DOJ. I voted against her confirmation because I am concerned about her ability to be impartial and fairly enforce the law based on her radical views.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 25, 2021
Agreed. Kristen Clarke is unfit to lead the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. https://t.co/XadLRRdD9a
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) May 25, 2021
Though she narrowly cleared the full Senate vote, Clarke did not receive a favorable advancement from the Senate Judiciary Committee; no Republican members voted in support of her confirmation.