Joe Biden is in deep trouble with America's Muslims after showing his support for Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists. That support has melted away recently, but the damage had already been done.
Biden has been obsessed with nominating "firsts." The first transgender appointment, the first gay cabinet appointment, the first woman here, the first black there; the president has been painting rainbows all over Washington in his first three years.
So it didn't surprise anyone when Biden named Adeel Mangi as a nominee for the federal bench. Not only would Mangi be the first Muslim to sit on the federal bench, but he'd also be the first terrorist sympathizer to be named a federal judge and perhaps the first antisemite to sit on an appeals court.
That's right. Mr. Mangi is an adviser to the director of Rutgers University’s Center for Security, Race, and Rights, a group that has brought several nauseating antisemites to campus.
He also served on the advisory board of the Alliance of Families for Justice, a New York-based nonprofit that counts among its advisors Susan Rosenberg, one of the country's most notorious domestic terrorists.
Mangi has already come under intense scrutiny over his links to the alliance, which has hailed convicted cop-killers, including Mumia Abu Jamal and Mutulu Shakur, as "freedom fighters." But the group's affiliation with Rosenberg, which has not been previously reported, underscores an affinity for domestic terrorists that could add to Mangi's woes. Republicans have rallied in opposition to Mangi, and two Democrats have said they'll vote against him. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) cited Mangi's links to the Alliance of Families for Justice as rationale for her opposition.
The extent of Mangi's relationship with Rosenberg is unclear—he did not respond to a request for comment—but her terrorist activity is no secret. It came back into the spotlight in 2020, after revelations that Rosenberg served on the board of a left-wing group, Thousand Currents, that bankrolled Black Lives Matter organizations.
As of today, three Democratic senators have come out against Manji's confirmation. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), as well as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), have all cited his radical ties as reasons to vote against his confirmation. As long as the GOP remains united, Mangi is a gone goose.
With the Senate at a 51-49 Democratic majority, that would be enough to sink Mangi's nomination. Ordinarily, Mangi would have been yanked from consideration already. But due to Biden's aforementioned troubles with the Muslim community, the president isn't giving up.
Behind the scenes, Zients and other top White House officials have been pushing lawmakers to confirm Mangi “without further delay,” a White House official said. In addition to Zients, White House Legislative Affairs Director Shuwanza Goff, Deputy Legislative Affairs Director Ali Nouri, White House counsel Ed Siskel and Phil Brest, the White House senior counsel in charge of nominations, have all been in regular touch with senators, the official added.
Mangi’s embattled nomination presents a political conundrum for President Joe Biden as he dials up his re-election campaign. The White House’s relationship with Muslim Americans has grown sour amid the community’s strong disapproval of U.S. support for Israel as it bombards Gaza. Biden is counting on strong support this fall from the Democratic-leaning cohort, which represents a sliver of the U.S. electorate but has a significant presence in some states, most notably battleground Michigan.
Stephen Green's excellent analysis of the current electoral vote map shows that Michigan and Pennsylvania are the ballgame for both Trump and Biden. The president is not going to give up on Mangi until all hope is lost.
Then he can go to the Muslim community and claim that "Islamophobia" killed the nomination. At this point, it appears the damage done to his re-election may be beyond saving.
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