Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Thursday called out his Republican colleagues for their racist treatment of President Joe Bidens court picks, saying their word choice and unusual hostility toward nominees of color has been demeaning and offensive.

Its not lost on me that nominees of color have been treated differently in our hearings, Padilla said during a Judiciary Committee hearing. Whether its insinuations of a rap sheet or hostility about their qualifications or views, or undue scrutiny of their personal religious faith.

The California senator made his comments as the committee was preparing to vote on advancing an African American nominee, Andre Mathis, who is Bidens pick for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in Tennessee.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who opposes Mathis and has complained that the White House didnt consult with her enough on his nomination to a court seat in her state, raised eyebrows last month when she said she had concerns with Mathis and referenced his rap sheet of old speeding tickets, a suggestion of a criminal record when there is none.

He has a rap sheet with a laundry list of citations, including multiple failures to appear in court, Blackburn said at the time. In Tennessee, we expect our judges to respect the law.

In fact, Mathis rap sheet a term for a persons criminal history that stems from the acronym for Record of Arrests and Prosecutions was related to three speeding tickets he got more than 10 years ago, one of which was for going 5 miles over the speed limit. His drivers license was temporarily suspended when he forgot to pay them and subsequently did not show up to court.

Padilla said Thursday that it was particularly troubling to see the way Mathis was treated by Blackburn in last months hearing.

Lets be clear: Mr. Mathis is not a career criminal or a violent felon, as the question implied. He has never been arrested or convicted of a crime, he said, as Blackburn sat feet away from him on the dais. The underlying issue being commented on was traffic violations dating over a decade ago. Whether it was unintentional or intentional, questions and tones like what I heard during his hearing are demeaning, offensive and just plain wrong.

He added that Mathis unfortunately isnt the only nominee to receive this kind of treatment and said his GOP colleagues need to be cognizant of this disparity in the way they treat nominees of color.