Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was interrupted Tuesday by raucous protesters as he tried to read his opening statement ahead of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s highly anticipated confirmation hearing.
“The American people don’t want their judges to pick sides before they hear a case,” Grassley said. “They want a judge who rules based upon what the law commands. This is the reason why all Supreme Court nominees since [Justice Ruth] Ginsburg have declined to offer their personal opinions on the correctness of precedent.”
Several protesters arrested during Kavanaugh hearing https://t.co/ZwPBC5rbqm pic.twitter.com/pZexjuodGy
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 4, 2018
But the Iowa Republican struggled to be heard over incessant shouts from demonstrators. One female protester continued to yell as she was removed from the room by U.S. Capitol Police.
Capitol Police told the Washington Examiner 22 people were arrested Tuesday within an hour of the session starting.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing was also waylaid by Senate Democrats on the panel urging Grassley to postpone the proceedings, citing the late release of 42,000 pages of documents from the federal appeals court judge’s tenure in the George W. Bush White House.
