Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on reports that federal district court nominee Wendy Vitter failed to disclose speeches and public comments, as required of all nominees evaluated by the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“A review of district court nominee Wendy Vitter’s Senate Judiciary Committee nominee questionnaire showed that she failed to disclose several public speeches, including to anti-choice groups, as well as a political ad.

“Both the majority and minority expect nominees who come before us to be forthright and thorough in submitting official paperwork, which is why we take seriously failures to disclose. The committee has requested an updated questionnaire, which the administration has not yet provided.

“I’m concerned that failures to disclose relevant information and materials to the committee are becoming a pattern under this administration. Vitter’s omissions follow ones for others, including two district court nominees, Brett Talley and Gordon Giampietro.

“In Talley’s case, before his nomination was withdrawn, he missed the committee’s deadline to provide detailed follow up on his failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest and 15,000 online posts, including a defense of the KKK and a ‘joke’ about statutory rape. In Giampietro’s case, he never disclosed an online post in which he described the Civil Rights Act as an ‘intrusion into private business’ and said diversity is code for ‘relaxed standards.’

“These are lifetime appointments. The committee can’t do its job and review nominees’ records if the administration hides information, and both parties should be furious at this routine practice under President Trump.”

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