UPDATE: Schumer and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have come to an agreement to proceed with the hearing.
***Original story***
The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will end earlier than expected Wednesday afternoon. Democrat Chuck Schumer will bring questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee to a halt at 2 p.m. eastern time after arguing the hearing cannot continue while the Senate is in session.
.@SenSchumer: "We will not consent to business as usual on the Senate floor today. This means the Senate will adjourn for the day after my two colleagues finish speaking. So, I object." pic.twitter.com/eJQeGR0cbZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 5, 2018
!! #KavanaughHearing was scheduled to go until roughly 9:30pm https://t.co/3oOecIQnjZ
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) September 5, 2018
Senate Rule XXVI
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 5, 2018
5 (a) When the Senate is in session, no committee of the Senate..may meet..after two o'clock postmeridian unless consent therefor has been obtained from the majority leader and the minority leader
In order to allow the Kavanaugh hrng to continue the Senate will adjourn this pm. The cmte would have to adjourn at 2 pm under the objection by Schumer. Cmtes can meet as long as they like when the Senate is NOT in session. So adjourning permits the committee to forge ahead
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 5, 2018
Senate adjourns until noon on Thursday to accomodate the Kavanaugh hearing
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 5, 2018
Schumer on why he invoked the “2 pm rule.” Says “Republicans are trying to jam through, with as little scrutiny as possible, a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court with the power to affect the lives of Americans for a generation.”
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 5, 2018
Yesterday it was revealed Schumer orchestrated a planned and coordinated protest during the first day of Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.
Democrats plotted coordinated protest strategy over the holiday weekend and all agreed to disrupt and protest the hearing, sources tell me and @frankthorp
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) September 4, 2018
Dem leader @chuckschumer led a phone call and committee members are executing now
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.
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