Did Betsy DeVos plagiarize some answers in her Senate questionnaire?
Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos may have plagiarized an Obama administration official when responding to senators鈥� questions regarding her qualifications for the job.
Unsatisfied with Ms. DeVos鈥檚 answers to limited questions during a confirmation hearing earlier this month, senators sent more than 1,000 followup inquiries her way. In response to Sen. Patty Murray (D) of Washington鈥檚 question as to how she would address bullying of LGBT students, DeVos responded: 鈥淓very child deserves to attend school in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn, thrive, and grow.鈥�
As The Washington Post first reported, those lines made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of Obama's Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department.
In a 2016 press statement vowing to protect the rights of transgender students, Gupta wrote, "Every child deserves to attend school in a safe, supportive environment that allows them to thrive and grow.鈥�
Some have come to DeVos鈥檚 defense, noting that the general language and common sentiments don鈥檛 make the coincidence a clear-cut case for plagiarism accusations.
鈥淭his is character assassination,鈥� Rob Goad, a White House education adviser, told the Post in an email. 鈥淭he secretary designate has long been referencing the need for safe and supportive learning environments, free of discrimination, for all students, so that they can learn, achieve, thrive, grow and lead successful productive lives.鈥�
DeVos has faced significant opposition since President Trump nominated her for the position. Still, the Senate Health, Education, Pensions and Labor Committee voted to confirm her appointment on Tuesday. Democrats continue to levy opposition to her nomination, arguing that she lacks proper experience and expertise to perform the role鈥檚 duties, hoping to sway just a few Republican senators to vote against her confirmation.
In addition to DeVos's response on bullying, some of her other responses to the long list of questions have raised concerns about DeVos's knowledge of the field, according to the Post. Several answers are near or verbatim quotes of federal statutes or information on government websites, used with citation.
While the responses bore DeVos鈥檚 name, it鈥檚 unclear what role any aides may have played in helping her to respond to the lengthy list of inquiries.
Other high-profile plagiarism scandals have surrounded the 2016 election and new administration, including accusations that Melania Trump lifted lines from Michelle Obama鈥檚 2008 Democratic National Convention speech and that Monica Crowley, Mr. Trump鈥檚 initial pick for senior communications director of the National Security Council, used more than 50 plagiarized phrases in her book.
As 海角大神 previously reported, the recurring incidents have led some to question if plagiarism scandals matter in politics as much as they do in academia or publishing.
"In politics, it鈥檚 not clear that we have an agreed-upon code of conduct, so the ethics almost blend sort of directly into the politics," Michael Carroll, a law professor at American University, previously told the Monitor. "If the people don't have a problem with it, is there some other reason to think it's a problem?"
