Black Congressman: Clarence Thomas Is an 'Uncle Tom'

By Aaron Blake, The Washington Post

01 May 14

emocratic Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Wednesday stood by his remark that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an "Uncle Tom" and continued to suggest that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) opposition to President Obama is race-based.

In an interview with CNN, the Congressional Black Caucus member doubled down on his comments, first made over the weekend, that Thomas apparently "doesn’t like black people, he doesn’t like being black.” His comments were first reported by BuzzFeed.

"Well if you look at his decisions on the court, they have been adverse to the minority community, and the people I represent have a real issue with an African American not being sensitive to those issues," Thompson told Dana Bash.

Thompson cited Thomas siding with the conservative justices on the court -- of which he is a firm member -- upholding Voter ID laws and Michigan's ban on affirmative action. The court has also struck down part of the Voting Rights Act, which was first passed to prevent racial discrimination in elections.

"The people that I represent, for the most part, have a real issue with those decisions," Thompson said. "All those issues are very important and for someone in the court who's African American and not sensitive to that is a real problem."

Asked about McConnell's statement that his goal as GOP leader in the Senate was to make Obama a one-term president, Thompson wouldn't say flatly that it was racist but strongly pointed in that direction.

"I've never seen the venom put forth on another candidate or a president like I've seen with this president, and that's my opinion," Thompson said.

He added of McConnell: "I've never heard him say it to any other president."