Joe Dinkin, the Working Families Party communications director, attempted to tie President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee to white nationalist groups during an appearance Monday night on Fox News.
Host Tucker Carlson quoted a letter that the Working Families Party, a progressive political party in the United States, sent to Democratic senators at the beginning of March stating that Judge Neil Gorsuch has "an extreme ideological agenda supported by some of the most dangerous ultraconservative and white nationalist groups."
Carlson asked Dinkin what the statement meant.
"I think this means that Gorsuch is somebody who has shown through his long record that every act he has taken, whenever given the chance between siding with corporation or a working-class person, every single time he has picked the other side than I would've picked," Dinkin said.
Carlson said Dinkin had every right to disagree with Gorsuch's decisions but that he was unsatisfied with Dinkin's answer. Carlson said Dinkin was trying to "tar [Gorsuch] with the brush of white supremacy."
Dinkin attempted to justify his criticism by blaming Gorsuch for not speaking out against Trump's controversial travel ban.
"So because Gorsuch hasn't come out during the nomination process, I think that's what you're saying, during his own nomination process and attacked Trump's travel ban, you call him a white supremacist?" Carlson asked.
"That's so unfair. It's hard to believe you're actually saying that," he added.
Dinkin continued to defend his position, but Carlson was not satisfied and attempted to get Dinkin to concede that his assertion was an "unfair" thing to say.
"You tried to tie him to white supremacists," Carlson said. "I just want you to concede that whatever one can say about him or his record, that is an unfair thing to say and you shouldn't say things like that unless you have reason for saying them and you don't."
"I think that short of him denouncing Trump's Muslim ban becomes pretty close to that line," Dinkin responded.
Carlson said that his children have not denounced Trump's "Muslim ban" and then asked whether they are also white supremacists.
"You said something appalling and unfair. Just concede it and let's move on. How's that?" Carlson said.
"Let's move on," Dinkin said.