After an eight-month delay, President Joe Biden’s antisemitism envoy nominee has passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Deborah Lipstadt was nominated by President Joe Biden last July to be the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve her nomination 13-9 Tuesday.
Republican Sens. Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio joined Democrats in nominating her.
Lipstadt’s nomination became delayed after Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, objected to her nomination after taking offense to a tweet she posted regarding the Jan. 6 riots.
This is white supremacy/nationalism. Pure and simple. GOP Senator Johnson slammed as ‘white nationalist sympathizer’ after race remarks https://t.co/9vaBQsqK7J
— Deborah E. Lipstadt (@deborahlipstadt) March 14, 2021
The nominee accused Johnson of engaging in white supremacy.
“You’ve never met me. You don’t know what’s in my heart. Do you?” he said at a hearing on her confirmation in February, according to the Jewish News of Northern California.
Since, Lipstadt has apologized for her tweet, acknowledging that it was not nuanced and vowing not to handle diplomacy via social media. She noted that her critique of Johnson was directed at his words, not his character.
“I’m sorry if I made it in a way that it could be assumed to be … of the person personally,” she said.
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Lipstadt’s nomination has earned high praise across the Jewish community.
The Orthodox Union touted Lipstadt’s leadership, saying, “She is the right person, at a time of tremendous need, to take on this challenge.”
The Jewish Federations of North America stated that her appointment “comes at a critical time, as antisemitic attacks are on the rise in the US and abroad. Only with the proper resources and tools can we fight antisemitism, and this is an important step in these efforts.”
We are grateful to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch and the committee members for confirming Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as a nominee to serve as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/Zy4oPp0B1y
— The Jewish Federations of North America (@jfederations) March 29, 2022
The Anti-Defamation League tweeted that Lipstadt “is a pillar of our community, and if confirmed, will be highly effective at combating antisemitism.”
Dr. @deborahlipstadt’s confirmation has been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ADL has worked with Dr. Lipstadt for several years – she is a pillar of our community, and if confirmed, will be highly effective at combatting #antisemitism. https://t.co/YkPiOtC7FL
— ADL (@ADL) March 29, 2022
Lipstadt, an Emory University religion professor who has taught Jewish history and Holocaust studies for 40 years, has published numerous books on antisemitism. She was an expert witness in the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally civil suit last year. Lipstadt is well-known for her victory in a U.K. libel case filed by Holocaust denier David Irving that she wrote about in Denying the Holocaust. Her book would inspire the 2016 film Denial.
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Lipstadt’s nomination will now move to a full Senate vote. If confirmed, she will carry the title of ambassador due to a December 2020 House vote to elevate the special envoy role to the ambassadorial level.
