Every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to postpone Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, partly over the possibility of legal action against President Trump after this week’s conviction of President Trump’s former campaign chairman and guilty plea from his ex-lawyer.
“[T]here is no legitimate reason for the Senate to rush this nomination and fail to perform its constitutional duty,” the panel’s 10 Democrats wrote in a letter to Grassley, R-Iowa, on Friday. “This is especially true, when the president, who faces significant legal jeopardy, chose the one candidate who has consistently and clearly expressed doubt as to whether a sitting president can be investigated or indicted for criminal wrongdoing.”
Democrats called for a special meeting to discuss the process underway for considering Kavanaugh’s nomination and document requests.
The Judiciary Committee members criticized Trump for demonstrating a “lack of due diligence” in selecting his advisers and judicial nominees, and referenced the resignations, firings, or withdrawals of more than a dozen of his Cabinet members or senior aides “as a result of corruption, scandal and allegations of criminal misconduct.”
Paul Manafort, Trump’s ex-campaign chairman, was found guilty this week of eight counts of tax and bank fraud, and Michael Cohen, his former lawyer, pleaded guilty to eight counts, including two campaign finance violations. The campaign finance charges relate to Cohen’s hush-money payments to two women, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had affairs with Trump, and Cohen admitted he made the payments at Trump’s direction.
Though Trump was not named in court documents related to Cohen’s case, the charging document refers to “Individual-1,” who began his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015 and became president in January 2017.
Senate Democrats have labeled the president as an “indicted co-conspirator” and are citing his alleged involvement with the payments in attacks on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Given the possibility of criminal wrongdoing by the president, doubts that Judge Kavanaugh believes a president can even be investigated, and the unprecedented lack of transparency regarding the nominee’s record, we should not move forward with hearings on September 4th,” the Democrats wrote in their letter.
But George Hartmann, a spokesman for Grassley, said the hearing will occur Sept. 4 as planned.
“Justice Breyer’s confirmation occurred when President Clinton’s records had been subpoenaed by a grand jury. Obviously, we are nowhere close to that situation today,” he said in an email. “Calls to delay the hearing are just the latest stunt from opponents who decided to vote ‘no’ weeks ago, frantically looking for anything that sticks.”
Several Senate Democrats called this week for Grassley to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, which is expected to span four days, but Grassley rejected their request Thursday.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also rebuked Democrats’ calls for consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination to be put on hold, calling them “desperate and pathetic” attempts to obstruct the president’s Supreme Court nominee.
Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court last month after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement.
