Sanders Attacks Trump Budget Nominee for Past Christian Writing
Wednesday's hearing on Russell Vought, Donald Trump's pick as deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, didn't center on his competence but rather on his religious views. This came about as Sen. Bernie Sanders brought up an article written by the White House nominee.
Vought wrote a reaction last year defending his alma mater Wheaton College for forcing out a professor who said Christians and Muslims "worship the same God." In the article posted on a conservative blog, he described Islam as a "deficient theology" and expressed that Muslims stand condemned for rejecting Jesus Christ.
Sanders asked Vought if he thought his article was Islamophobic, to which the nominee answered, "Absolutely not." He went on to explain that being a Christian, he had a duty to defend his alma mater, a Christian school whose statement of faith includes the centrality of Christ for salvation.
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Despite Vought's candid answer of "absolutely not," Sanders repeated his question if the article was Islamophobic. The nominee replied by saying: "Again, Senator, I'm a Christian, and I wrote that piece." But the Vermont independent seemed to be annoyed with Vought's reiterating his Christianity that he interrupted again.
He demanded Vought to explain his views towards Jews if they should be condemned too for not believing in Christ. Vought replied by beginning he is a Christian which infuriated Sanders. "I understand that you are a Christian!" the senator yelled. "But this country is made up of people who are not just — I understand that Christianity is the majority religion, but there are other people of different religions in this country and around the world. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are going to be condemned?" Sanders continued.
In the end, Sanders said he was voting against Vought's confirmation, saying the nominee is not someone who represents what the U.S. is supposed to be about. Vought will undergo further questioning from another Senate panel if he gets approved by the Senate Budget Committee. After which, the Senate will vote in full on his confirmation.
