Tulsi Gabbard slams Biden's race-based picks, says 'identity politics is destroying' US

Political firebrand Tulsi Gabbard blasted President Joe Biden's affirmative action-aligned promise to nominate a black woman to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Gabbard also slammed Vice President Kamala Harris, stating she was chosen based on the same diversity-hire standard.

The former Democratic presidential candidate, who faced off with Biden and Harris on the 2020 campaign trail, took aim at the presidential pair Monday.

Gabbard said that Harris was chosen by Biden for the coveted vice presidential position based on "skin [color]" and "sex" alone, "not qualification."

"Biden chose Harris as his VP because of the color of her skin and sex—not qualification," Gabbard tweeted Monday, calling Harris "a disaster."

"Now he promises to choose Supreme Court nominee on the same criteria. Identity politics is destroying our country," Gabbard declared on Twitter.

The former Democrat congresswoman, a frequent party critic, served as the US representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district as the first Hindu member to serve in Congress and the first Samoan-American to have a vote in Congress.

Gabbard and Harris sparred several times on the presidential debate stage, with the former besting the now-vice president on several occasions.

Harris was later chosen as Biden's running mate in the presidential election, although during the primary campaign, she highlighted Biden's previous rhetoric, poor record on race relations, and opposition to busing in the 1970s.

Last year, Biden had handed off oversight of the ongoing crisis at the United States-Mexico border to Harris, who's the designated point person on migration.

Droves of illegal immigrants have since continued to overwhelm America's embattled southern border as migrants are being released from federal custody into the United States—just hours after apprehension—and flown across country.

During the spring 2020 primaries, days before Super Tuesday, Biden pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court, if elected.

"The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court," Biden said during remarks on Breyer's retirement, telling reporters he is going to to honor the promise.

"It's long overdue in my view. I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment," continued the commander-in-chief at a ceremony last week honoring the retiring Supreme Court justice.

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows that most Americans want President Joe Biden to consider all qualified candidates for the SCOTUS vacancy.

Over three-quarters of Americans, 76 percent, want Biden to consider "all possible nominees" for the role based on merit, according to the poll's findings.