(LibertySociety.com) – Colleen Shogan once again finds herself in the crosshairs of Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO, who questioned the Biden administration nominee under oath on February 28th, 2023. Senator Hawley had previously sparred with Shogan the first time President Biden nominated her for National Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) back in September 2022, and her nomination was ultimately blocked. President Biden re-nominated her, hoping to get her confirmed this time around.
Senator Hawley has taken issue with Shogan for her tweets, in addition to an article she wrote about Republican anti-intellectualism, where she described how scholars “loathe to admit the anti-intellectual culture that surrounds us.” She added that Republicans running for President use anti-intellectualism for political benefit, despite disdain from scholars. Her article specifically mentioned that former President Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush used this tactic.
Shogan defends her writing, claiming that she only meant that “Republican presidents use common sense terminology to effectively communicate with Americans,” although it is clear that Senator Hawley wasn’t buying her explanation, just as he expressed his doubts the last time he questioned her about it in September 2022. He pointed out how she singled out Republican presidents, implying that Democrat voters are intellectual and Republican voters are not.
Senator Hawley also had printouts of previous tweets from Shogan before she locked down her Twitter account. She has refused to turn over her tweets, citing that they are personal tweets and aren’t reflective upon her ability to do her job. Senator Hawley said that her reasoning was not a valid argument since they were previously public tweets. He also accused Shogan of lying under oath on multiple occasions, even in the questions she was required to submit for the hearing. He stated his intention to oppose her nomination and encouraged his colleagues to do the same, expressing that he hasn’t ever seen a nominee refuse to answer questions in the way she has.
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