The Trans Daughter Of A Trump Nominee Says He's Unfit For The Job, Told Her She Was "A Freak In A Dress"
Frank Coffman is being considered as a U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, but his confirmation process has been sidelined after his transgender daughter accused him of a history of transphobic bigotry.
Bailey Coffman, 30, said her father claimed she was "possessed by the devil" when she came out to him in 2015. Now the Senate Judiciary Committee's Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are asking Coffman, 61, about his views on transgender Americans. A 20 year veteran of the Secret Service, he denies the accusations and insists Bailey "is my child whom I love very much.”
“Never in my entire career spanning over 25 years of service have I demonstrated bias or prejudice against any individual or group of individuals, including those in the LGBT community,” Coffman replied. “If confirmed, I will perform the duties of a United States Marshal in the same manner.”
But Bailey isn't buying it.
“He accused me of being... corrupted by demons and society,” she told Buzzfeed. “He told me you'll never be female, you're not female, and you'll only ever be a freak in a dress.”
If that's how he treats his daughter, she added, "I wonder what he would do with a case involving an LGBT person... I worry about the bigotry he would bring to this job—if he would be fair.”
Also under scrutiny is Frank Coffman's twitter account, comprised mostly of retweets of police groups and right-wing pundits. One such retweet claimed pro sports franchises “lost their moral compass” by supporting transgender rights, while another called President Obama's lifting the ban on transgender service members “immoral garbage.”
“I often re-tweet tweets from a variety of individuals on a variety of issues to elicit conversation," Coffman replied, insisting they weren't "endorsements.”
A branch of the Justice System, the U.S. Marshal Service dates back to the presidency of George Washington and is responsible for holding suspects in custody, executing warrants and overseeing the Witness Protection Program. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Coffman's confirmation within the next few months.
