A group of leading conservatives released the following statement
opposing the State Department nomination of Harold Koh:
Obama Chooses Radical Transnational Ideology Over US
Interests With Koh State Department Nomination
President Obama’s nomination of left-wing academic Harold Koh
to be the top lawyer at the State Department represents a
choice based on ideology instead of national interest. Koh is a
terrible pick for this important position.
Koh is a radical transnationalist who, based
on his writings and statements, aims to use international and
foreign law to deprive Americans of our rights as American
citizens.
KOH FAVORS FOREIGN LAW
OVER AMERICAN LAW
Koh wants the Supreme Court to misinterpret the Constitution to
embody rules of foreign and international law. He objects
to America’s “distinctive rights culture,” which he complains
gives “First Amendment protections for speech and religion …
far greater emphasis and judicial protection in America than in
Europe or Asia.” He also wants to invent new
constitutional rights favored by leftist elites—for same-sex
marriage and against the death penalty, for example.
Under our Constitution, these are matters for us citizens to
decide through our elected representatives. But Koh wants
to impose on us the views of foreign and international
bureaucrats.
KOH FAVORS TREATIES + UN CONFERENCES
THAT UNDERMINE AMERICAN
SOVEREIGNTY
Koh also favors an aggressive misuse of treaties to impose
social and economic policies on American citizens. For
example, he strongly supports a treaty that has been
interpreted by the treaty’s own committee to create rights to
abortion and prostitution, to have the government determine the
pay scale of every job, and even to require the abolition of
Mother’s Day.
Koh also believes that United Nations conferences and even
international meetings of left-wing activists have the
authority to create rules of so-called customary international
law that are binding in the United States
as federal law.
KOH’s POSITIONS HANDICAP
AMERICA’s EFFORTS TO DEFEND ITSELF
Koh favors a flat ban on the United States government ever
taking action to prevent American citizens from severe and
imminent threats to national security. Koh opposes the
very idea that American government officials should act to
promote what they perceive to be our national self-interest.
KOH’s POSITIONS WOULD HARM AMERICAN
BUSINESSES
Koh supports imposing massive liability on American
businesses—and massive costs on their employees, customers, and
shareholders—for their entirely lawful commercial transactions
with foreign regimes that did bad things to their people.
This threatens a massive redistribution of wealth from American
citizens to international left-wing activists.
As the State Department’s top lawyer, Koh would be well
positioned to advance his dangerous views on all these matters.
President Obama’s choice of Koh demonstrates a preference for
ideology over the national interest and the Senate should
reject his nomination.
The statement was released by:
Edwin Meese, former Attorney General
Alfred Regnery, Publisher, American
Spectator
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax
Reform
Wm. Bradford Reynolds, former Assistant Attorney
General
Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research
Council
Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research
Center
T. Kenneth Cribb, former Counselor to U.S.
Attorney General
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for
America
Phyllis Schlafly, founder and President, Eagle
Forum
Richard Viguerie, Chairman ConservativeHQ.com
