We reported earlier on the troubling comments from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) during a hearing for Riley Barnes, who was nominated for Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. While Kaine claimed he believed in “natural rights,” he said the following.
The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator… that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities. And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So, the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) just eviscerated this take, saying the “radical and dangerous notion” that Kaine appeared to have a problem with was the founding principle of our nation.