Glenn Beck has called gay marriage
supporters “bullies” for pressuring law firm King & Spalding
to drop its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The Atlanta-based law firm on Monday
announced
it was withdrawing from the case, prompting
partner Paul Clement to jump ship to the Washington-based Bancroft
PLLC, where he'll continue to represent House Republicans, who
took on defending the law that bans federal recognition of the
marriages of gay and lesbian couples after President Obama announced
he would no longer because he believes the law is unconstitutional.
On
the Wednesday edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck, the
conservative celebrity lashed out at activists who were just getting
started on their protest.
“So a private firm picked the case
up. Well, here’s where the bullies come in. They start getting
hammered with phone calls. This law firm gets hammered with phone
calls and pressured. And so all these activists force the law firm
to reconsider and they dropped the case,” Beck said. “We’re
trying to teach our kids about bullies in school, and boy do we teach
them every day because we let the bullies win every day.”
Beck went on to compare Clement to a
modern day civil rights hero.
“Paul Clement is a lawyer. Now I
don’t know if he’s for or against the gay-marriage act. I have
no idea. I don’t care, and neither should you. To me he is a
modern day John Adams.”
“What is the difference between John
Adams and Paul Clement?” Beck continued. “I really don’t think
there is one. Again, I don’t know the guy if he supports gay
marriage or doesn’t. But let me take you to the hairy back guy.
Remember this guy that plotted 9/11? The hairy back guy? Man, if it
was me, I’d have him – I would have like, you know, duct tape and
I’d just be ripping it off his back all the time. I’ve made up
my mind on him. You don’t want me in the jury box against that
guy. I’ve made up my mind. But you are innocent until proven
guilty in America. You are entitled to a vigorous defense. Not an
immoral one, but a vigorous one.”
Several bloggers, however, have noted that
DOMA is not facing a criminal trial and does
not have a constitutional right to a lawyer.