One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals broke down in tears during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today, as he disputed baseless suggestions that he would not be fair to members of the LGBTQ community.

Lawrence VanDyke broke down as he responded to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. about a harsh letter sent to committee leadership on the eve of the hearing from the American Bar Association.

The letter asserted that VanDyke “would not say affirmatively that he would be fair to any litigant before him, notably members of the LGBTQ community.”

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Conservatives have adamantly defended the nominee, and when asked about this at Wednesday’s hearing, VanDyke strongly disputed the ABA’s account.

“I did not say that,” VanDyke told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tears welling up in his eyes.

“No, I did not say that. I do not believe that. It is a fundamental belief of mine that all people are created in the image of God. They should all be treated with dignity and respect, senator,” he responded.

VanDyke also said that he was not given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations during his ABA interview. He said when he was confronted with the concerns about his views, he began to answer but was told they were running out of time.

Source: FoxNews.com