While they’ve confirmed HUNDREDS of Youngkin’s appointees, Virginia Senate Democrats have rejected a handful they consider to be “inconsistent with the expectations, goals and values …of the work of those boards,” as Sen. Adam Ebbin puts it (see video, below). Of course, just like Trump, MAGA Glenn doesn’t like to be contradicted on ANYTHING, throws a sh** fit whenever that happens (as in this case – check out said sh** fit here, in which Youngkin rants that “Senate Democrats have rejected excellence” and that “they could not articulate a single substantive reason to reject them”).
Well, ok, so let’s go through the nine rejected nominees and articualte some substantive reasons – or not – why Virginia Senate Democrats should have rejected them (or what their thinking might have been in rejecting them, since Dems aren’t going into any details publicly). Also, see below for video of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee meeting on January 21, in which the Youngkin appointees were debated. I’ve contacted people who should know more details on the rationales here, but so far haven’t heard back. I’ll update this post if/when I hear anything…
P.S. Obviously, none of these people are who Democrats would prefer. The question, though, is what specifically about *these* appointees makes them unacceptable, as opposed to other Youngkin appointees…
P.P.S. It’s been pointed out to me by several people that Republicans MANY TIMES over the years have rejected highly qualified Democratic nominees and appointees, often giving no reason for doing so. For instance, remember this (Former Secretary of Education Atif Qarni Comments on the Rejection of Youngkin’s Board of Education Appointee, Wonders “are the Republicans in this case anti-merit and pro-equity?”)? Or how about this (“By a vote of 55 to 42, Republicans rejected Kaine’s choice of former AFL-CIO state director Daniel G. LeBlanc to be secretary of the commonwealth”)? Or this (“As of early afternoon, more than 1,000 of former Gov. Ralph Northam’s outstanding appointments to state boards and executive agencies were in limbo after the Republican-led House of Delegates refused to take up a resolution confirming them. By Friday evening, Republicans had narrowed the list of Democratic appointees they wanted to block, voting down 11 state board members picked by Northam.”)? Etc, etc.
Meg Bryce to the Virginia Board of Education: This one’s a total no-brainer. I mean, check out Youngkin “is shamefully appointing Meg Scalia Bryce” – who “supports book banning, discrimination against LGBTQ students,” etc. – “to the state board of education” (Bryce is the youngest daughter of far-right former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.) and Video: At NAACP School Board Forum, Republican Candidate Meg Scalia Bryce (Antonin Scalia’s Daughter) Says, “It has to be okay for some people to be able to say, ‘Well…I don’t agree that there is systemic racism’” and The Most Important Race You Haven’t Heard Of: Antonin Scalia’s Daughter Is Running for Albemarle County School Board, and She’s as Extreme as You’d Think She’d Be. So no, obviously Bryce shouldn’t be anywhere near the Virginia State Board of Education (or a local Board of Education, for that matter)!
Quintin Elliott to the VMI Board of Visitors: Not sure about this one; Elliott was actually named deputy secretary of transportation by Ralph Northam in January 2018 and “was previously appointed as Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in January 2014 by then Governor Terry McAuliffe.” Also, Elliott ” received a civil engineering degree from VMI and served in the Virginia Air National Guard from 1986 to 2008.” So, there could be a good reason for rejecting Elliott, I just haven’t been able to find what it might be.
John Clifford Foster to the VMI Board of Visitors: Foster “serves as a financial advisor and the Virginia complex manager for Raymond James, a global financial services firm”; “previously served as President of the VMI Club of Richmond, and as a board member of the VMI Keydet Club, and the VMI Alumni Association. He also served on an advisory committee to the Economics and Business Department at VMI for twenty years”; “was the business manager of The VMI Cadet, the school newspaper, and was a First Class Private in India Company.” So…not sure about why this nomination was rejected, either. Maybe there’s a great reason, but I can’t find anything and so far at least, nobody is giving any details.
Jeff Goettman to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority: Goettman had served as Youngkin’s chief of staff – “a powerful behind-the-scenes player who has guided most of the administration’s initiatives.” Goettman also ” was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Export-Import Bank in 2017, and in 2019 became an adviser to the U.S. Treasury Department under the Trump administration.” Maybe the antipathy to Goettman stems from this? “…earlier this year, when the administration essentially rewrote a bill passed by the General Assembly to legalize slot-machine-like ‘skill games’ at convenience stores. State Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), the measure’s sponsor, complained that Goettman had blindsided him by calling on a Saturday.” Other than that, not sure. [UPDATE: I’m told that Goettman is extremely difficult to work with, also that he’s supposedly not liked by General Assembly Democrats OR Republicans)
Kenneth Marcus to the GMU Board of Visitors: As State Sen. Adam Ebbin put it, “’I’m aware the nominee is a leader on that issue, and as a Jewish person I appreciate that’. But, he said, the nominee’s work to protect one group does not ‘give them a blank check when it comes to the civil rights of other Americans.’” Looking at Marcus’ Wikipedia entry, “Marcus has helped file or otherwise support Title VI complaints filed with the OCR, all related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…These complaints alleged that certain activities by pro-Palestinian activist campus groups constituted violations of Title VI anti-discrimination provisions through ‘harassment’ or ‘intimidation’ that ‘targets’ and creates a ‘hostile educational environment’ for Jewish students.” Also: “Ian Lustick, writing in The Forward, deplored both Marcus’s appointment, and his use of his office, arguing that: ‘Marcus came to his position not to protect and expand learning opportunities in American educational institutions, but to threaten and narrow them, especially when it comes to open debate about Israel and the Palestinians. And his use of accusations of anti-Semitism in order to silence debate about Israel is being done with the sanction of the President of the United States.'” And: “Marcus believed that under the Obama administration, sexual misconduct allegations were over-enforced, and that those who were accused of sexual misconduct were often deprived of their right to presumption of innocence and due process.” And: “Marcus has encountered criticism from advocacy groups such as Know Your IX and educational policy nonprofits such as the American Council on Education, who both stated that revoking Obama-era policies towards sexual harassment accusations during the COVID-19 pandemic was inappropriate, and possibly ‘retraumatizing’ to sexual assault victims subjected to cross-examination.” So maybe Youngkin’s nomination of Marcus was rejected for some or all of those things? (UPDATE: Also see this: “Mr. Marcus has not demonstrated a willingness and ability to enforce civil rights law and protect all students in our country from discrimination and he is therefore unsuited to lead the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights…Mr. Marcus has not demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to the rights of immigrant children and language minorities in our schools. When provided a clear example during his confirmation hearing of a hypothetical school policy denying noncitizen five-year-olds access to kindergarten, Mr. Marcus was unable or unwilling to demonstrate his understanding that those actions violated those children’s civil rights.[4] Mr. Marcus’ response in the hearing, and the absence of a previous record of support, fail to demonstrate a commitment to protecting immigrant and language minority children from violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” etc)
Nina Rees to the GMU Board of Visitors: Rees calls herself a “Parental Choice Advocate” and “former senior administration official during the presidency of George W. Bush.” “Most recently, she was the president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement.” So, presumably, the charter schools issue is why Democrats rejected her?
Marc Short to the GMU Board of Visitors: Short “most recently served as Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Short also served as Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House for President Donald J. Trump. As the legislative affairs director, he worked to successfully pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and shepherd through the nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.” Short also “was president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the largest free-market business league in the U.S. with an annual budget exceeding $300 million.” On the other hand, Short “said he does not believe the riot on January 6 at the US Capitol can be described as ‘legitimate political discourse,’ rebuking how the Republican National Committee recently framed that day in a statement.” Short also said “There’s nothing in the 12th amendment or the Electoral Count Act that would afford a vice president that authority [to refuse to certify the 2020 election results].” So…not exactly sure why Senate Dems voted to reject Short, although certainly he’s very conservative and worked in the Trump administration – maybe that’s the thinking?
Farnaz Thompson to the GMU Board of Visitors: Thompson, a “partner in the Washington, D.C., office of McGuireWoods LLP,” “served in the U.S. Department of Education from 2018 to 2021, first as special counsel and then as deputy general counsel for postsecondary education. She also served as assistant attorney general in the Civil Litigation Division of the Virginia attorney general’s office.” Other than serving in the Trump administration, I’m not sure what specifically caused this nomination to be rejected.
Yesli Vega to the Virginia Board of Health: This one’s probably the most glaring of all. For more on her, see Glenn Youngkin’s Most Extreme, Bizarre Appointment Yet? Extremist Yesli Vega – Who Doubts Pregnancy After Rape – to the State Board of Health?!?, Anti-Abortion-Extremist Yesli Vega Continues to Deny the Existence of Audio Recording Where She Doubts Likelihood of Rape-Related Pregnancies, Yesli Vega Celebrated Independence Day with January 6 Insurrectionist (“Yesli Vega is a dangerous fraud who is only running to cater to the fringe of our politics, not actually serve and represent the people of Virginia.”), New VA-07 Ad: Yesli Vega Defends the Violent Criminals on January 6, etc. I mean, if Democrats didn’t reject THIS horrendous nominee, why even bother having a State Senate with the power to reject unacceptable gubernatorial appointments???
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