Last week Democrats did everything possible to delay, distract and terminate the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Democrat Senator Cory Booker said he would fight the nomination, deliberately broke Senate rules by releasing confidential committee documents and argued the situation was his "Spartacus moment." Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal repeatedly tried to adjorn the hearing, saying he needed more time to read documents (after already saying he was voting against Kavanaugh's nomination).
After failing to "lay a glove" on the nominee during multiple days of open questioning in front of the American people, Democrats are resorting to another tactic: thousands of written questions. The number of questions and which Senators submitted them have been released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley.
-Ranking Member Feinstein (“ready to lead the anti-Kavanaugh brigade”) submitted 241 questions for the record
-Senator Leahy submitted (indicated opposition) 117 questions for the record
-Senator Durbin submitted (indicated opposition) 128 questions for the record
-Senator Whitehouse (announced he’s voting ‘no’) submitted 161 questions for the record
-Senator Klobuchar (indicated opposition) submitted 14 questions for the record
-Senator Coons (indicated opposition) submitted 192 questions for the record
-Senator Blumenthal (announced he’s voting ‘no’) submitted 100 questions for the record
-Senator Hirono (announced she’s voting ‘no’) submitted 122 questions for the record
-Senator Booker (announced he’s voting ‘no’) submitted 90 questions for the record
-Senator Harris (announced she’s voting ‘no’) submitted 113 questions for the record
The number of questions submitted totals more than any other Supreme Court nominee...combined.
“Last week, Judge Kavanaugh sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee for well over 32 hours of statements and questions. In just the same way I handled the Gorsuch hearing, members had the opportunity to ask as many questions they wanted to ask,” Grassley said in a statement. “Submitting this many written questions appears to be just one more effort to gum up the process. It’s unnecessary and dilatory, especially when many have already decided to vote against Judge Kavanaugh. What more do they need to know to vote ‘no’?”
In addition, Democrats contacted the FBI today over a letter from a "mystery woman" about Kavanaugh.
@SenFeinstein releases a cryptic statement revealing she has relayed unspecified information about Judge Kavanaugh to federal investigators. pic.twitter.com/kWkuSKKOOU
— Kevin Daley (@KevinDaleyDC) September 13, 2018
A California woman has reportedly sent a letter to Congress about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that is making waves in Washington. So far, no one seems to know for sure what’s in it, other than it’s enough that Senate Democrats have referred it to the FBI for possible investigation.
The letter was sent by the unidentified woman to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-California), who in turn handed it over to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California). Feinstein and her fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee then made the referral to the FBI.
The White House is pushing back, saying the letter is just another delay tactic being deployed by Democrats in hopes they can stop Kavanaugh's nomination.
“Throughout his confirmation process, Judge Kavanaugh has had 65 meetings with senators—including with Senator Feinstein—sat through over 30 hours of testimony, addressed over 2,000 questions in a public setting and additional questions in a confidential session. Not until the eve of his confirmation has Sen. Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new ‘information’ about him," White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec released in a statement.
"Throughout 25 years of public service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has thoroughly and repeatedly vetted Judge Kavanaugh, dating back to 1993, for some of the most highly sensitive roles. He has served in the Office of Independent Counsel, the White House, and on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, all before his nomination earlier this year to serve as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court," Kupec continued. "Senator Schumer promised to ‘oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have,’ and it appears he is delivering with this 11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation.”
Chairman Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expect Kavanaugh to be confirmed by October.