Why the Senate Should Reject Biden’s Choice for Deputy Secretary of State

Every Secretary of State has the critically important responsibility to serve as chief diplomat for the United States. The team that surrounds the secretary must be absolutely committed to this goal. While their duties include consideration of what a policy’s impact will be around the world, the secretary and his or her team must always put the interests of the United States first.

Unfortunately, the recent nomination of Wendy Sherman to serve as Deputy Secretary of State raises serious concerns. She has shown up numerous times in our FOIA lawsuits.

For example, her name appeared in emails showing her involvement in the Obama administration’s efforts to influence the Israeli elections against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That was the same FOIA lawsuit where we uncovered that the “Obama State Departmenorities” would be upheld if she were confirmed. Sherman’s career is one marked with ideological devotion to two main causes: 1) abortion on demand and without limits, and 2) appeasement of the radical Iranian regime.

First, on Iran: when Sherman was the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the Obama administration, she played a prominent role in drafting and negotiating the disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—better known as the disastrous Iran Deal. In fact, Sherman was the lead negotiator for the final deal. Given that the Iran Deal, even when described in the most optimistic light, was nothing more than a short-term pause in Iran’s push for nuclear weapons in exchange for sweeping sanctions relief, it is our judgment that Sherman is a poor choice for this role.

At the ACLJ, we are familiar with Sherman’s role as lead negotiator of the Iran Deal: We obtained emails from the State Department in one of our Freedom of Information Act lawsuits proving she was a central figure in that debacle. In fact, in which Sherman was a senior official, gave money to OneVoice, a group whose leadership included Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ son.

Next, much like Xavier Becerra—President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Sherman has spent much of her career advocating for abortion-on-demand and without restriction. Early in her career, Sherman was the director of EMILY’s List, advancing the mission of funding and electing hardline pro-abortion women to federal office. While it is not surprising for President Biden’s nominees to be on the wrong side of the abortion debate, Sherman’s devotion to the abortion industry should be cause for concern.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., expressed his concern about Sherman’s position on life this way: “[W]ith Sherman as the number two in charge, we would risk allowing our programs to be hijacked and turned into a propaganda machine for advocating abortion-on-demand worldwide.”

We agree. The U.S. Senate should reject Sherman’s nomination and call on Biden to choose a more appropriate nominee. {eoa}

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