Opponent Slams Schumer Over Estrada Withdrawal, Ethics

Talon News ^ | September 10, 2003 | Jeff Gannon

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WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) claimed a victory in the battle over President Bush's judicial nominees when Miguel Estrada asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration. The New York senator was emboldened by the event and said that the Democrats will continue to block judges who are "far beyond the mainstream and refuse to answer questions."

Schumer used his membership on the Senate Judiciary Committee to block nominees when Democrats were in the majority in 2001 and has led unprecedented filibusters of lower court nominees since his party was relegated to the minority following the 2002 elections.

Schumer's only announced Republican opponent in next year's New York senate race, Michael Benjamin, called Estrada's withdrawal "a set-back for the Hispanic community."

Benjamin, a securities trader and the son of immigrants, said that Schumer's opposition to President Bush's nominee was "always baseless, shameless, and unfortunate."

Benjamin harshly criticized his opponent, saying, "As a New Yorker and a Hispanic, I am appalled by Senator Schumer's selfish and unprincipled opposition to Miguel Estrada."

Benjamin noted, "Miguel Estrada is the embodiment of the American Dream, a role model for young people all over America, and eminently qualified to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia."

"Beyond showing tremendous intellectual ability, he shows struggling Americans and immigrants from all over that dreams do come true," Benjamin added.

Continuing his comments on Schumer, Benjamin said, "It's a shame to watch him try to end an amazing personal success story for his own political gain. Senator Schumer never showed any legitimate basis for his opposition to Mr. Estrada or for holding him to a different standard than other nominees to the Federal bench."

Benjamin chastised the first-term Democrat senator, saying, "As leaders of this shameless political effort to sink the nomination of a good man, Senate Democrats have set a bad constitutional precedent and a new low for partisanship in Washington. ... This is not the sort of leadership expected from a Senator from New York."

Benjamin told Talon News, "The way I see it, if you are a conservative Jew, a conservative Christian, a conservative Hispanic, a conservative Black, or a conservative woman, you can kiss goodbye your chance of Senator Schumer supporting your nomination to the federal bench."

In addition to criticizing Schumer on his opposition to judicial nominees, Benjamin has called his opponent's ethics into question. In May, he wrote to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate Schumer for alleged campaign fundraising violations. Benjamin said that in January, the senator received $47,000 from 30 employees of a Tennessee security company that preceded his co-sponsorship of favorable legislation two months later.

Benjamin also pointed to a $130,000 fine levied against the New York senator in April 2003 for taking illegal campaign contributions as well as questions surrounding the activities of a protege as "reasonable grounds for an official investigation."

Schumer reportedly has already raised over $16 million for his reelection campaign.

Despite the fundraising gap, Benjamin is hopeful that he can become New York's first Hispanic United States senator.

"It's not only going to take a lot money, but also a lot of work to dislodge Schumer from the Senate. But the job is made easier by his positions on host of other issues such as taxes and abortion," Benjamin said.

"Hispanics are the most populous minority in the United States and the time has come for Hispanics to have representation in the U.S. Senate," Benjamin added.

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