Rep. Becca Balint Rebukes Nazi Comparison, Calls Out Offensive Rhetoric in Judiciary Hearing

A Vermont Democratic lawmaker delivered a powerful rebuke during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday after a right-wing lawyer likened FBI agents to the Gestapo, the notorious secret police of Nazi Germany.

Steve Crampton, a senior counsel for the conservative Thomas More Society and a former Mississippi Supreme Court candidate, made the inflammatory comparison while criticizing the FBI’s enforcement of the FACE Act. The Act makes it a federal crime to block entrances to abortion clinics, a point of contention for Republicans and anti-abortion activists.

Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), who is Jewish and lost family members in the Holocaust, swiftly addressed Crampton’s comments, emphasizing the gravity of his words.

“I have to start by saying, words absolutely matter,” Balint said firmly. “And Mr. Crampton, earlier, you likened the FBI to the Gestapo, to Nazis. And that kind of rhetoric is not actually helpful in this debate.”

Balint then provided a historical reality check, underscoring the horrifying legacy of the Gestapo to illustrate why such comparisons are both inappropriate and offensive.

“The Gestapo operated without any civil restraints,” she explained. “Its actions were not subject to judicial appeal. Thousands of citizens, including Jews, trade unionists, political clergy, and others simply disappeared into concentration camps, one of those being my grandfather.”

Continuing, she detailed the Gestapo’s atrocities: “The political arm of the Gestapo could order prisoners to be maimed, tortured, murdered; there was no legal process. The Gestapo, under Adolf Eichmann, organized the deportation of millions and millions of Jews to concentration camps.”

While acknowledging Crampton’s passion for the issue, Balint made clear that invoking Nazi comparisons was not only unhelpful but also deeply offensive.

“Now I understand you feel passionately about this issue,” Balint said. “I do, I understand that. But your use of the word Gestapo is inappropriate, it’s offensive, and it’s uneducated. And I urge you, I urge you as you continue your work, to cease using this terminology.”

She concluded with a plea for more productive and informed discourse: “What we are trying to do here is to actually elicit testimony that is helpful to get us to a better place, and I don’t think that is helping.”

Balint’s rebuke served as a stark reminder of the importance of accurate and respectful language in political debate, particularly when invoking the horrors of history. Her comments resonated as a call for civility and accountability, particularly in contentious hearings like this one.