Republican Senator John Kennedy to Arab-American Witness: “You Support Hamas, Don’t You?”

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Tuesday baselessly accused an Arab-American witness of supporting terrorists during a Senate hearing. When she denounced his blatant Islamophobia, the Republican senator told her to “put her head in a bag.”

Kennedy attacked Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, a nonpartisan organization national civil rights organization, testifying before a The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on combating hate crimes. Berry was the only Muslim witness at the hearing.

“You support Hamas, don’t you?” Kennedy Berry asked abruptly.in reference to the terrorist group behind the October 7 attacks on southern Israel. His question drew audible gasps from the audience.

“Senator, interestingly enough, I’m going to thank you for that question because it speaks to the purpose of our hearing today,” Berry said. “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support. But the fact that you’re asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question underscores the problem of hate in our country.”

Several people in the audience applauded after his speech.

But Kennedy continued in the same vein, asking her whether she supported Hezbollah, an Islamist political party and paramilitary group that is also a designated terrorist organization.

“Again, I find this line of questioning extremely disappointing, senator,” Berry began to respond as Kennedy spoke to him at the same time, asking him to answer yes or no.

“The answer is that I do not support violence, whether it is Hezbollah, Hamas or any other entity that uses it,” she finally said. “So no, sir.”

“You can’t bring yourself to say no, can you?” Kennedy replied, even after she had said no.

The Republican senator continued to raise his voice, asking Berry if she supported Iran and cutting her off as she tried to answer his questions. Someone in the audience began yelling as Kennedy continued to speak.

“I think it’s particularly disappointing that you have an Arab-American witness in front of you and you say, ‘You support Hamas,'” Berry said, while repeatedly rejecting allegations that she supports terrorist groups.

“You should put your head in a bag,” Kennedy finally said, sparking loud protests from the audience.

A spokeswoman for Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment.

Here is a video excerpt of their exchange:

No one on the committee responded to Kennedy’s offensive questions. Perhaps that’s because there weren’t many senators in the hearing, at least when Kennedy was speaking. Some were there earlier, but apparently left after asking their questions of the witnesses.

Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat of Illinois), the president, was present. He said nothing to Kennedy, but told Berry that she could respond to anything he had just said.

“It is unfortunate that I am faced here with the problem that we are trying to solve today,” Mr. Berry said, to applause. “It is truly disappointing, but it shows the danger that hangs over our democratic institutions.”

“I hope that my testimony today has been useful in understanding the need to respond to hatred,” she added.

Durbin appeared to allude to Kennedy’s offensive remarks before closing the hearing, but he did not appear particularly angry about them.

“I regret some of the things that were said today in this hearing,” the Illinois senator said. “But we are a free nation, and that’s what happens in a democracy.”

Asked why no one answered Kennedy’s questions, a Durbin spokesman said Wednesday that the Republican senator’s comments were completely out of line.

“The vile and horrific remarks made by Senator Kennedy yesterday were completely unacceptable and have no place in our dialogue, much less a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing,” Durbin’s spokesman said in a statement.

“Political leaders must not fan the flames of hatred and division, and Senator Kennedy failed to meet that responsibility yesterday,” the spokesman said. “Chairman Durbin was deeply offended by Ms. Berry’s treatment and made a point of speaking with her after the hearing to thank her for her participation and her insights on the need to combat hate in all its forms.”

Kennedy’s treatment of Berry drew almost immediate condemnation from Muslim and Jewish organizations.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council, a national nonprofit focused on policies that impact American Muslims, released a lengthy statement that “expresses its disgust and deep disappointment with the conduct of the Republican senators.” at Tuesday’s hearing.

“Maya Berry, a respected civil rights activist and co-chair of the Civil and Human Rights Leadership Conference’s Hate Crimes Task Force, has been repeatedly subjected to contemptuous questioning and baseless Islamophobic accusations.” can be read in the group’s press release.Her presence at today’s hearing was crucial, and the unwarranted attacks and smears she received from some senators were completely unacceptable.

The Muslim Civic Coalition, a Chicago-based partnership of activists and organizations focused on civic justice, said that “the“The questioning by several senators resulted in the exact type of misinformation and hate speech the hearing was intended to combat,” according to a press release from the group.

“We were hoping there were more senators present to support Durbin’s leadership as we witnessed dehumanizing questions from several members of the committee,” Maaria Mozaffar, legislative director of the Muslim Civic Coalition, said in a related statement. “As a nation, we cannot normalize dehumanization.”

Sheila Katz, executive director of the National Council of Jewish Women, called Kennedy’s treatment of Berry “heartbreaking” in a social media post.

“Heartbreaking scene at Senate hearing on anti-Semitism, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred: the only Muslim witness was asked biased questions about his support for Hamas and Hezbollah despite his clear condemnations,” Katz wrote on social media. “This hearing must combat hate, not perpetuate it. The Senate must do better.”

On Wednesday, more national groups criticized Kennedy’s behavior.

“Using a hearing devoted to the alarming rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Semitic hate crimes to launch personal and discriminatory attacks on an expert witness they invited to testify is both outrageous and inappropriate,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “This kind of racist rhetoric should be widely condemned. It has no place in Congress, or in politics.”

Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a progressive public policy group, said Kennedy should be formally censured.

“We cannot afford to be so callous to the normalization of hate speech that this senator can escape any consequences,” Gaspard said in a statement. “This is a shocking display of anti-Arab American bigotry against a civil society leader who came to Congress with the goal of protecting all communities from hate.”

“Hate should have no safe haven in Congress, and Senator Kennedy should be censured for his remarks,” he added.