Democratic senators expected to mount a challenge to President Trump in 2020 were among the most outspoken on the first day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, demanding the proceeding be postponed amid an ongoing dispute over documents.
Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., considered to be 2020 presidential contenders, were vocally opposed to moving forward with Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing and accused the Judiciary Committee of rushing through the nomination.
“I cannot support your nomination, not just because of the body of your work, but also the perverse process by which this comes forward,” Booker said during opening remarks Tuesday. “We should not vote now. We should wait. And if we’re not waiting, we should object to your nomination.”
The New Jersey Democrat accused the Judiciary Committee of rushing through the nomination process “in a way that is unnecessary.”
Senate Democrats have been battling with their Republican counterparts over access to documents stemming from Kavanaugh’s tenure working as staff secretary for President George W. Bush, which were not requested by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
The document fight came to a head Tuesday when, in the opening minutes of Kavanaugh’s hearing, numerous Senate Democrats raised objections to continuing with consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination.
They specifically cited the release Monday night of 42,000 pages of documents, as well as the White House’s decision to withhold more than 100,000 pages of records, citing executive privilege.
“We cannot possibly move forward, Mr. Chairman, with this hearing,” Harris said.
The hearing eventually moved to opening statements from the Judiciary Committee’s 21 members after more than an hour of protests from both Democrats and demonstrators, more than a dozen of which were removed from the room in the Hart Senate Office Building by Capitol Police.
Kavanaugh was nominated by Trump in July to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, and if he is confirmed by the Senate, the court’s ideological bent is expected to shift to the Right.
Concerns about the future of abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act have dominated the debate surrounding Kavanaugh’s nomination, but his views on executive power have also taken center stage, particularly given special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“Judge Kavanaugh, I am concerned whether you would treat every American equally or instead show allegiance to the political party and the conservative agenda that has shaped and built your career,” Harris said during her opening remarks. “I am concerned your loyalty would be to the president who appointed you and not to the Constitution of the United States.”
Many Democrats, including Harris, escalated their concerns with Kavanaugh’s nomination following the recent legal troubles for two former Trump aides — Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman, and Michael Cohen, his former longtime attorney — and argue Kavanaugh’s nomination was tainted.
Republicans on the panel did not shy away from invoking the presidential aspirations of their Democratic counterparts during their own remarks.
“It is about Democratic senators trying to re-litigate the 2016 election and, just as importantly, working to begin litigating the 2020 presidential election,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.
Cruz ran for president in 2016.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also lamented the partisanship that has accompanied Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Unfortunately, we have all these interest groups screaming from the sidelines and putting pressure on my Democratic colleagues to make this hearing about politics, to make it about pretty much anything except Judge Kavanaugh and his qualifications,” Hatch said. “We have folks who want to run for president, who want their moment in the spotlight, who want that coveted TV clip.”
In addition to Harris and Booker, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, also considered to be mulling a presidential run, has been a vocal opponent of Kavanaugh.
Warren met with activists who protested Kavanaugh’s nomination Tuesday.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will re-convene Wednesday morning, when Kavanaugh will be grilled by Democrats and Republicans on the panel.
A second round of questioning is scheduled for Thursday.
