Pres. Obama's nominee to head the Labor Dept. refused to affirm the security of First Amendment rights when he testified in a 2012 House hearing as an assistant attorney general for the Justice Dept.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) questioned Thomas Perez, who is the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice - and now President Obama's nominee for Labor secretary - at a July 25, 2012 Constitution Subcommittee hearing

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Perez would not answer Rep. Franks, who repeatedly asked Perez if the administration would "never entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion." Perez steadfastly dodged the question.

Franks was referring to an article published stating Perez embraced the proposals of Islamist advocates at a 2011 meeting at George Washington University including a proposal for "a legal declaration that U.S. citizens' criticism of Islam constitutes racial discrimination."

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