October 15, 2019

Trump Tapped a Stephen Miller Acolyte to Be a Federal Judge. Immigrant Rights Groups Aren’t Having It.

Steven Menashi has worked alongside Miller on the administration’s cruelest policies.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty

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A coalition of 28 immigrant rights groups sent a blistering letter Tuesday to members of the Senate judiciary committee to criticize federal judge nominee Steven Menashi’s “disturbing and long track record” of shaping and implementing harsh anti-immigrant policies during his time in the White House. Specifically, the group pointed to Menashi’s work with Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s immigration hawk senior adviser, on policies like “Remain in Mexico,” the recent public charge rule, and more while serving as associate White House counsel.

“Mr. Menashi has worked to erode critical rights and legal protections while serving in the White House Counsel’s office advising on the administration’s inhumane and cruel anti-immigrant measures,” they wrote.

On Thursday, the judiciary committee is expected to vote on Menashi’s controversial nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which oversees six districts in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. During a hearing before the committee earlier this month, Menashi refused to specify exactly what role he played in shaping those policies, stating only that he “provided legal advice” on many of the administration’s plans.

Menashi also refused to answer questions during his hearing about his time in the White House, angering Democrats and Republicans alike. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) appeared particularly frustrated during his questioning of Menashi; when Menashi asked if Kennedy had any follow-ups after repeatedly dodging the senator’s questions, Kennedy replied, “I’m out of time. You took up a lot of it by not answering my questions.” 

Meanwhile, Menashi has also ignored questions from Democrats like California Sen. Dianne Feinstein about his knowledge of Trump’s July 25 phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They gave him until October 7 to respond, but he never did.

“Steven Menashi has left questions unanswered about his work at the White House, including his involvement in the White House’s response to the whistleblower complaint,” Feinstein told HuffPost at the time. “Mr. Menashi is seeking a lifetime appointment to the court, so his record must be thoroughly examined. The committee shouldn’t vote on his nomination without all of the facts. He must stop evading our questions.”

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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