During a round of remarks before the questioning kicked off, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said he was going to release an email titled “racial profiling,†which the senator referenced Wednesday, that had been designated committee confidential.
Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had complained that Democrats had been asking Kavanaugh about confidential documents without going through the process he laid out of getting permission to make them public.
“I come from a long line, as of all us do as Americans, of understanding of what that kind of civil disobedience is and I understand the consequences, so I am, before your process is finished, I’m going to release the email about racial profiling,†Booker said. “And I understand that the penalty comes with potential ousting from the Senate.â€
Also:
After Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he was willing to violate Senate rules and release confidential documents, Senate Democrats on the committee appeared in open revolt as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) read aloud from the rules on expulsion. Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, also tweeted the rules on Thursday morning.
Cornyn read aloud from rules stating that a senator who discloses “the secret or confidential business†of the Senate could be “liable … to suffer expulsion.â€
Booker responded by saying: “Bring the charges.†His comment was echoed by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who said: “Apply the rule, bring the charges. All of us are ready to face that rule.â€
“This is about the closest I’ll ever have in my life to an ‘I am Spartacus’ moment,†Booker said.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) also joined in, saying: “If there’s going to be some retribution against the senator from New Jersey, count me in.â€
Their comments were echoed by Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who tweeted during the debate: “I stand w/ Judiciary Committee Democrats who are well within their rights to release these very important documents that a former Kavanaugh deputy designed as ‘committee confidential.’ The American ppl deserve to know the truth about Judge Kavanaugh’s record. #WhatAreTheyHiding?â€
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have been protesting the extraordinary secrecy and changes from standard procedure surrounding Kavanaugh’s paper trail. Republicans clearly are determined to railroad Kavanaugh’s approval, apparently believing he wouldn’t survive an open and deliberate process even with a Republican majority in the Senate.
One leaked letter has made headlines for casting doubt on Kavanaugh’s claim about Roe v. Wade being “settled law,” but I think this is even more interesting.
In another document, Judge Kavanaugh expressed a critical view about some Department of Transportation affirmative action regulations, writing:
“The fundamental problem in this case is that these DOT regulations use a lot of legalisms and disguises to mask what is a naked racial set-aside,†he wrote, adding that he thought the court’s four conservative justices at the time would probably “realize as much in short order and rule accordingly.â€
Still another includes language about Native Hawaiians that could prove problematic not only to Hawaii’s two Democratic senators but to Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, a key swing vote who guards the interests of Native Alaskans. In the email, Mr. Kavanaugh questions Native Hawaiians as a protected group like Indian tribes. He wrote that prepared testimony “needs to make clear that any program targeting Native Hawaiians as a group is subject to strict scrutiny and of questionable validity under the Constitution.â€
Anyway, I would like to see Chuck Grassley expel all the Democrats on the committee. There isn’t anything democratic about this nomination, and they might as well admit it.
"There isn’t anything democratic about this nomination, and they might as well admit it"
I agree it's a big fucking joke. I tried to watch again today, I caught Miss Lindsey reading something about how the nomination process had been soured, the man has less shame than his golf buddy tRump? I'm struck by how simple minded and dull Kavanaugh comes across. You would think someone with his legal pedigree would project a little more of a scholarly attitude. I guess he's just another neoconsuperfratboy wingnut, another fair haired frat boy from the club!
Example! Here he had to rely on a lifeline from from his fellow GOP thug Sen Lee!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=203&v=Tsm1GPnlqmU
Not sure why but my link above starts in the middle, rewind to the beginning it's pretty good stuff!
A "Spartacus" moment?
No, sorry, Corey. I don't think so.
More like "Cool Hand" Luke.
We are ALL Cool Hand Luke!
We are controlled by redneck crackers in expensive suits; There is a massive "failure to communicate; and after some futile protests, we all die.
Twitted again, I guess…
gulag — there’s nothing in the spam filter.
I hear Raj spent all of last night practicing techniques through mirror therapy for building his courage to speak directly to Donald Trump. He was like the little engine that could…"I know I can, I know I can!"
I don't know whether Kamala Harris has some real damaging information on Kavanaugh or whether she's just psyching him out, but if she does some information she's set him up for a big fall if she has documentation what she's alluding to. Kavanaugh didn't look too good in his exchange with Harris… he had a very childish demeanor in not want to reveal something that he knows would get him in trouble.
Harris really got him on the Kasowitz question. Mostly he is just Sgt Schultz. And that President is king stuff, he was just thinking of 9/11 and national security. Yea right.
Total Farce
Burck gets to decide what the Senate will see? And Grassley only lets you ask preapproved questions.
Total Farce
takeover of the 3rd branch of government. Rs know they will lose elections, but are stacking the courts with guys who have never tried a case, total political animals.
I'M Not Sparticus! (WH staff)
I'm not sure if the resistance is a lost cause, but protesters (over 200 arrested) and the Democratic Senators on the committee are swinging for the fences. It may be they were strategic enough to lay the groundwork for Kavanaugh's impeachment in the future.
I don't think impeachment is impossible if Kavanaugh did perjure himself and if the GOP splits in half, radicals vs conservatives. IF that dynamic developed after Trump is removed or loses in 2020, the non-Trump faction is crippled unless they can capture the independent voters – bigly and they became accepted by conservative Hispanics.
If Cavanaugh is the poster-child for radical decisions embracing racisms and slashing women's rights, the conservative faction might see removing Cavanaugh as a way of getting back in the political game despite the existence of a sizable radical Trumpian fringe.
I don't claim to be Cassandra, but the tendency to get hung up in the headline for today without looking at trends does handicap long-term strategizing.
Regarding the likelihood of the split in the GOP I suggest, the 'thing' the new Deep Throat seems to be suggesting is that conservatism has to free itself of Trumpism because Trump is in the process of crashing.
Trump claims to have fell asleep listening to Obama's speech..I guess we can now add narcolepsy as another reason to invoke the 25th amendment on Trump. He's a big bag of shit!