Harris, Klobuchar, and Blumenthal immediately object to the fact that they just received 42,000 pages of documents about Kavanaugh. Ask for hearing to be postponed.
Chairman Grassley just talks over them and continues his introduction.
Chairman Grassley just talks over them and continues his introduction.
Chuck Grassley says Corey Booker is taking advantage of his "decency and integrity." Very weird.
Sheldon Whitehouse makes a good point. The committee is being denied 100,000 documents on the basis of "executive privilege" but no one has actually asserted executive privilege.
It's just a letter from Kavanaugh's friend Bill on his law firm's stationary.
It's just a letter from Kavanaugh's friend Bill on his law firm's stationary.
Klobuchar objects to proceeding before the 102,000 documents being withheld by the White House are turned over to the committee. She notes that executive privilege has never been used to withhold documents during a Supreme Court nomination. Not for Kagan, not for Roberts.
Blumenthal hits the key question: "What is the administration afraid of showing the American people?"
@JuddLegum Leahy eviscerates Grassley's claims that the process is the same as it was for Kagan. For Kagan, 99% of her White House records were public 12 days before the hearing. For Kavanaugh, the hearing has started and 4% of his White House documents are public.
If you need a primer on these document issues, BTW, I break it all down in today's Popular Information: popular.info/p/supreme-cour…
You can sign up to get tomorrow's edition here: popular.info
You can sign up to get tomorrow's edition here: popular.info
Cornyn says that this is the first nomination hearing he's attended that was being run by "mob rule." Lol.
Durbin hits on the key question: Who is Bill Burck? (He's the GOP lawyer and "close friend" of Kavanaugh who is denying access to over 100K documents.)
Grassley now complaining about the Democrats delaying the hearing: "How long is this going to go on?"
It's been 90 minutes.
Republicans refused to even give Merrick Garland a hearing for 9 MONTHS.
It's been 90 minutes.
Republicans refused to even give Merrick Garland a hearing for 9 MONTHS.
Grassley emphasizing that there is 500K documents. Tens of thousands of these documents are just duplicates of invitations to events. In the meantime, millions are being withheld. popular.info/p/supreme-cour…
Grassley says Clarence Thomas was a victim of "character assassination." Shameful.
Orrin Hatch says Kavanaugh is a "normal person."
Important point from Leahy: Trump promised to appoint Justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade
Durbin calls out Kavanaugh for lying to him during his last confirmation hearing, in 2006. He said he wasn't involved with the policy around "enemy combatants" but he now acknowledges he was.
Documents related to his involvement are likely among those being withheld.
Documents related to his involvement are likely among those being withheld.
