Yesterday Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, went on a crusade to stop President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh from getting a confirmation hearing.
.@SenSchumer: "In my view, the Senate Judiciary Committee should immediately pause the consideration of the Kavanaugh nomination." #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/gGYhwAVzwD
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 22, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who will lead and oversee Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing starting September 4, is having none of it.
"I’m not going to delay Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. There’s no precedent for delaying a hearing in these circumstances," Grassley said in a speech on the Senate floor. "In fact, there’s clear precedent pointing the other way. In 1994, President Clinton nominated Justice Breyer to the Supreme Court. President Clinton was, at the time, under investigation by Independent Counsel Robert Fiske in connection with the Whitewater land deal. Indeed, President Clinton’s own records were under a grand jury subpoena. Yet the Senate confirmed Justice Breyer by a vote of 87-9 during all this."
"They’re trying to latch onto the legal troubles of President Trump’s former associates. But, as I just explained, there’s no precedent or logical reason for the Senate to decline to proceed on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination in these circumstances. It’s just another attempt to block Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation by any means necessary," Grassley continued. "It’s regrettable that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have politicized this process so much, and have such short memories. I yield the floor."
You can watch Grassley's entire floor speech below.
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