By Kaitlan Collins
Senator Cornyn introduced a resolution to the Foreign and Military Affairs committee this past Monday which condemned the recent actions of Iran specifically regarding their oppression of women, minorities, and human rights.
Both Senators Padilla and King called out Senator Cornyn for his apparent hypocrisy in regard to his beliefs on women’s and minorities' rights.
Senator Padilla immediately questioned why Cornyn was condemning the human rights violations of Iran when he himself opposes same-sex marriage in the United States, having helped Senator Cruz conduct a filibuster on the same-sex marriage bill during Friday’s floor session. Padilla also noted that the United Nations itself has declared that every adult has the right to marry whomever they please, regardless of gender.
Cornyn very quickly tried to back peddle on the question, stating he “never supported repressing anyone in the United States.” However, he simply stated “I can’t say that right now” when Padilla then asked him to clarify that he does in fact support same-sex marriage.
King also honed in on Cornyn’s hypocrisy. Cornyn had specifically condemned Iran’s restrictions on women’s clothing and the amount of skin they are allowed to show. King questioned Cornyn on whether he classified women having a right to choose how much of their bodies they reveal and what clothes they wear as a right to choose their own bodily autonomy. Cornyn has previously not supported women’s right to choose their own bodily autonomy in the United States when it comes to abortion care.
Cornyn also tried to maneuver around King’s question as well, stating “You could characterize it as that but that’s not how I characterized it.” King was sure to remind Cornyn after the fact that “It does sound like in a sense you do support women's right to choose…”
Despite Cornyn’s clear hypocrisy and Senator Shelby's lack of understanding of what a resolution does, the resolution passed through the committee and will potentially be heard on the floor this Friday.
For questions of American security: the Washington Watch would like to clarify the details of Cornyn’s testimony and questioning were not offered to the press until after a decision had been made on the resolution.
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