Pompeo's tweet on racist blog about Indian-American raised at Senate hearing

New York, April 13: A tweet by Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo linking to a blog that made racist taunts against his Indian-American opponent in a 2010 Congressional election has come back to haunt him in his Senate confirmation hearings.

Pompeo, the Central Intelligence Agency Director nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, needs Senate confirmation for the job and faced about four and a half hours of questioning by the panel. Menendes recalled that he had tweeted a blog link “to your supporters calling your opponent, an American (of) South Asian heritage a turban-topper, stating that you thought it was, quote, ‘a good read,’ an article that you tweeted that said your opponent, quote, could be a ‘Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, who knows’.” 

He blogged that Goyle was “just another ‘turban topper’ (that) we don’t need in Congress or any political office that deals with the US Constitution, Christianity and the United States of America!!!” He added, “Like his comrade (then-President Barack) Obama, he wouldn’t give an answer, only that he was not a Christian. This guy could be a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, etc., who knows, only God, the Shadow and ... Goyle knows! One thing’s for sure ... Goyle is not a Christian!” Although his father was a Muslim, Obama said he was a Christian but some Republicans claimed he was not and continually raised it.  (IANS)