Cory Booker and Kristjen Nielsen

The attempts to utilize the #MeToo movement against Cory Booker is not only disgusting, they’re coded.

Earlier today, Senator Cory Booker became impassioned while questioning Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen about President Trump’s infamous sh*thole comments. Nielsen took a page from Beuregard’s book and claimed she “didn’t recall” Trump’s comments, defended his praise of Norway, and blamed everyone else in the room for using “tough language.”

Booker, in turn, delivered a Sterling K. Brown-esque speech about his disgust at Nielsen’s “silence” and “amnesia,” calling her complicit in the president’s racist and bigoted behavior. He said the he was “hurt” when Senator Durbin told him what Trump says, and that many Americans are hurting as well. He talked about the death threats people like himself and Kamala Harris receive, and that black and brown people receive on a daily basis. He questioned what she’s doing about white supremacy and said that he found her silence “unacceptable.”

Alyssa Milano tweeted a clip of the speech. I know they say never read the comments, but I couldn’t resist. And spoiler alert — it’s bad. People on both sides are accusing Booker of “assaulting” Kristjen Nielsen.

This is a dog whistle.

The position of Secretary of Homeland Security was created by the Homeland Security Act following 9/11. It’s comparable to the Ministry of the Interior in Europe. The main duties are protecting Americans from domestic and international terror attacks.

The classification of white supremacist groups as terrorist organizations is a topic for a whole other article. But the fact is, Nielsen should have been brought up when Charlottesville happened. She should have been present for conversations around the rise of hate crimes following the election of Donald Trump. She is responsible for the security of American citizens on our own soil, and she has been ignoring the fears and needs of black and brown citizens since her tenure began. Booker was right — her silence is completely unacceptable.

But here’s the other thing: Booker is not the first Senator to raise his voice. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions raised his voice during his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing last summer. Elizabeth Warren rightfully raised her voice during her silencing during the aforementioned Beauregard’s confirmation hearing. But Booker is different. Booker is a black man, and when a black man raises his voice toward a white woman, it’s assault.

At no point whatsoever did Booker attack Nielsen personally. He attacked her silence, the way she runs her department, and her behavior in the hearing. He did not comment on her appearance. He did not call her a bad person. He did not threaten violence against her. On the contrary, most of what he said was about himself and those he represents. He spoke about his own feelings with regards to her silence and lack of memory. He spoke about Kamala Harris and dark-skinned people in America who were offended by Trump’s comments (again.) He spoke about the danger of ignorance and bigotry allied with power.

Cory Booker did not grope Kristjen Nielsen. He did not expose himself to her or masturbate in front of her. He did not coerce her into performing a sexual act. He did not dock her pay or deny her a promotion. He did not sexually harass her. He did not threaten to physically harm or sexually assault her. He did not attack her personhood or family. He did not belittle her or question her qualifications. He did not even talk down to her. He spoke to her like a black person would speak to any other person — male, female, black, white, or anything else in between — complicit in the backwards practices of a blatantly racist leader. These people who use #MeToo against Booker are not only knowingly or unknowingly participating in this institutionalized racism, they lack an understanding of what #MeToo is. It’s about equality.

And guess what — female racists deserve the same treatment as male racists.