Bad Blood From Kavanaugh Confirmation May Resurface in US Senate Hearings
The bitter confirmation battle over President Donald Trump’s last Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, looms large for the Senate Judiciary Committee as it prepares for fresh hearings on the Republican’s third…
The bitter confirmation battle over President Donald Trump’s last Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, looms large for the Senate Judiciary Committee as it prepares for fresh hearings on the Republican’s third lifetime appointment to the top court.
Two personalities could stand out in hearings expected in the coming weeks: Republican Committee Chairman Senator Lindsey Graham, who mounted a booming defense of Kavanaugh, and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, running mate to Joe Biden, Trump’s rival in the Nov. 3 election.
Tensions in the Senate are high as the Republican-controlled chamber seeks to vote on the nominee before the election, and cement a 6-3 conservative majority. Trump is expected to name either Amy Coney Barrett or Barbara Lagoa, both conservative appeals court judges, on Saturday.
Graham is a Trump ally who says he’s still “pissed” about Democrats’ 2018 treatment of Kavanaugh over decades-old allegations that he sexually assaulted a high school companion when they were both teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the allegations and was narrowly confirmed.
“What you want to do is destroy this guy’s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020,” Graham thundered at Democrats during a 2018 hearing on Kavanaugh.
Graham said the treatment of Kavanaugh and others made him resolve to press ahead, despite having insisted in 2018 that he would not do such a thing if an opening came up in the last year of Trump’s term. Republicans in 2016 refused to vote on a nominee from Democratic President Barack Obama, saying it was improper to do so in an election year.