Conservative group unveils ad accusing liberals of attacking Barrett’s faith

The conservative group Judicial Crisis Network is launching a new advertisement accusing liberals of attacking Amy Coney Barrett’s faith, part of a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in support of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. 

The ad called “Stop the Bigotry,” will begin airing in Iowa, Colorado and Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. It will air in the D.C. market during the first presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday evening. 

The ad is the third supporting Barrett’s nomination that has been released by Judicial Crisis Network, a group that focuses on the nomination and confirmation of conservative judges. The group plans to spend at least $10 million in support of Barrett’s nomination, on both TV and digital ads.

“Democrats and liberal extremists are attacking Amy Coney Barrett for her faith. It’s shameful bigotry. But it’s not new,” the new ad states. 

Barrett faced questions from Democrats about the role of her faith during her 2017 confirmation hearing to become a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. The ad displays one clip from 2017 during which Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asked Barrett, a devout Catholic, if she was an “orthodox Catholic,” and another in which Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said to Barrett, “The dogma lives loudly within you.” 

Republicans accused Democrats of anti-Catholic bias at the time. The exchange with Feinstein in particular made Barrett an immediate star among religious conservatives. 

Democratic lawmakers have thus far seemed to avoid scrutinizing Barrett’s religious beliefs and instead have described her as a threat to the Affordable Car Act and a woman’s right to choose. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) argued on CNN over the weekend that the focus should be on Barrett’s views of the Constitution. 

“I think it’s appropriate for people to ask her about how faithful she would be to the Constitution of the United States, whatever her faith,” Pelosi said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It doesn’t matter what her faith is or what religion she believes in. What matters is, does she believe in the Constitution of the United States?”

A handful of media outlets have recently written stories scrutinizing People of Praise, a Christian group to which Barrett belongs in her hometown of South Bend, Ind..

Conservatives have criticized some of the news coverage of Barrett, including articles that incorrectly linked Barrett’s religious group to the series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” 

During a news conference Sunday, Trump criticized a New York Times piece that he said described Barrett’s religion as “not consistent with American values.” Trump also made reference to Bill Maher’s recent monologue of his HBO show, during which the comedian called Barrett a “f—ing nut” and poked fun at her faith. 

“They’re basically fighting a major religion in our country,” Trump told reporters. 

Barrett, a former Notre Dame law professor, is meeting with senators this week and will begin confirmation hearings on Oct. 12. Republicans are aiming to vote on her nomination before the Nov. 3 election. 

Judicial Crisis Network is among a handful of conservative groups spending millions of dollars supporting Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Americans for Prosperity, Susan B. Anthony List and America First Policies all announced plans to spend millions on advertising campaigns after Trump announced Barrett as his choice on Saturday during a White House ceremony.