A son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia rejected claims that Brett Kavanaugh lacks the appropriate temperament to serve on the Supreme Court after a contentious hearing with senators Thursday.
“It’s really not all that rare for justices to get angry,” public relations professional Christopher Scalia said during a Fox News interview. “You read some of the dissents, they’re mad. They are often called scathing and fiery.”
Scalia, one of nine children of the late conservative justice, said the context of Kavanaugh’s hearing is different than what he would face on the court.
“It’s true that Justice Kavanaugh was perhaps more aggressive than justices would be, but that’s, I think, because the circumstances were a lot different. Justices are talking about points of law. He was defending his good name from uncorroborated allegations,” Scalia said.
During a Thursday hearing, Kavanaugh angrily defended himself from accusations that he sexually assaulted women when he was a teenager. At points, he lashed out at Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who were questioning him about his drinking habits.
“Do you like beer, senator, or not? What do you like to drink? Senator, what do you like to drink?” Kavanaugh said to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
“You’re asking about blackout. I don’t know. Have you?” Kavanaugh said to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. When she asked him to confirm that he had not blacked out from drinking, he said, “Yeah, and I’m curious if you have.”
Kavanaugh apologized to Klobuchar during the hearing, but not to Whitehouse.
Kavanaugh denies that he sexually assaulted California psychology professor Chrstine Blasey Ford when he was 17, and denies that he exposed himself at 18 to Yale University classmate Deborah Ramirez, who said he made her touch his penis without her consent. He also denies gang rape accusations made last week by Julie Swetnick, his third named accuser.
Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday. President Trump authorized an FBI investigation to review allegations before the full Senate votes.
Antonin Scalia died in 2016 after more than 30 years on the court. He was replaced by Neil Gorsuch, who President Trump nominated in 2017, after Senate Republicans refused to consider President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland. The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, historically a key swing vote, led to Kavanaugh’s nomination.
