Biden’s candidate for HUD Sec. called a judge who beat his wife to near death ‘a good man.’ He later killed her.

Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden is set to tap Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The move is likely to add to his #MeToo problems as Fudge wrote a letter in 2015 in support of a judge who beat his wife so badly she needed reconstructive plastic surgery. According to the Washington Post in 2018 she called him “a good man who made a bad mistake.” That judge stabbed his wife to death three years later.

The incident came to light when Fudge challenged Nancy Pelosi for her seat as House Speaker in 2018. Her background is in stark contrast to the sterling history of current HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

Fudge asked for leniency in sentencing for Lance Mason in a 2015 letter after Mason admitted to brutally beating his then-wife, Aisha Fraser. Mason previously served nine months in prison for beating up Fraser, a sixth-grade teacher, in front of their daughters.

In a statement at the time, Fudge claimed that Mason was not the man she once knew.

“My heart breaks for Aisha Fraser. I pray for Aisha’s family, especially her children, as they attempt to deal with this tragedy,” Fudge said in her statement. “My support of Lance in 2015 was based on the person I knew for almost 30 years — an accomplished lawyer, prosecutor, state legislator, and judge. That’s the Lance Mason I supported. The person who committed these crimes is not the Lance Mason familiar to me. They were horrific crimes, and I condemn them.”

Mason had been working for the city of Cleveland as a minority business development administrator before he was arrested.

In the 2014 case of domestic violence, Mason repeatedly punched Fraser in the head and slammed her face against a car dashboard. Fraser was severely injured and required facial reconstructive surgery.

At the time, Fudge wrote a letter to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office on Mason’s behalf. Fudge served as director of that office before being elected to Congress in 2008.

Joe Biden's pick for HUD Secretary is Rep. Marcia Fudge, who wrote this letter in 2015 in support of a judge who beat his wife so bad she needed reconstructive plastic surgery. She called him "a good man who made a bad mistake."

He stabbed his wife to death three years later. pic.twitter.com/ucWftGteG5

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 8, 2020

In the letter, dated Aug. 9, 2015, Fudge said her view of Mason had been shaped by two decades of friendship.

“The Lance T. Mason that I know is a kind, intelligent man and loyal friend,” Fudge said. “The Lance T. Mason that I know is an advocate for the people of his community. Whether as a Country Prosecutor, State Senator, or Common Pleas Judge. He is well respected and well-liked.”

Fudge added: “Lance Mason is a good man who made a very bad mistake. I can only hope you can see in Lance what I and others see.”

Fudge has a strong hatred for President Trump and a heavy disdain for his supporters as well.

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) on the House floor: “many who support [Trump] are either racist, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant, or as my mother used to say, just plain dumb. … [Trump's victory] measures the declining patriotic and moral values of the many citizens of America” pic.twitter.com/RzQNqDcNmL

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 12, 2019

If Fudge, 68, is confirmed as secretary, she’ll be the first Black woman to lead HUD in decades. The first was Patricia R. Harris under President Carter. Her selection to lead the roughly $50 billion housing agency comes after weeks in which Fudge launched a bid to become the first Black female Agriculture secretary.

Fudge lamented just last month in an interview with POLITICO that Black policymakers have traditionally been relegated to just a handful of Cabinet positions — including HUD secretary.

“As this country becomes more and more diverse, we’re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in,” she said. “You know, it’s always ‘we want to put the Black person in Labor or HUD.’”

However, she seems to have had a sudden change of heart and claimed to be thrilled with taking the position.

Fudge told NBC News on Tuesday that she would gladly accept the post.

“It is something that probably in my wildest dreams I would have never thought about, so if I can help this president in any way possible, I am more than happy to do it,” she said. “It is a great honor and a privilege to be a part of something so good.

She added, “If it were to happen, I would happily accept it.”