Brett Kavanaugh unloads on Senate Democrats: "A national disgrace"
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Brett Kavanaugh swears before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Photo: Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, following Christine Blasey Ford's hearing.
One big quote: "My family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed," Kavanaugh said in his opening remarks. "This confirmation process has become a national disgrace … you have replaced advice and consent with search and destroy."
Brett Kavanaugh
3:19 PM In his opening statement, Kavanaugh said he will not be intimidated. "You may defeat me in the final vote, but I will not quit. I have never sexually assaulted anyone."
3:45 PM Looking back at high school, Kavanaugh said he cringed at a few things, "for one thing, our yearbook was a disaster." He added that the "Renate alumnus" line from his yearbook entries was a term of endearment, and was meant as a reference to her being "one of us," not anything related to sex.
4:03 PM Ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked why Kavanaugh did not ask the FBI to investigate. He replied: "The FBI doesn’t reach a conclusion. It’s an outrage that I was not allowed to come [before the committee] and immediately defend my name."
4:05 PM Kavanaugh calls the Julie Swetnick allegation a joke and a farce.
4:07 PM When asked what number he considers as "too many beers." Kavanaugh said the figure is whatever "the chart" defines as too many. He repeatedly stated he had never drank to the point of "blacking out" while in high school.
4:11 PM Short recess.
4:30 PM Kavanaugh discredited the drunken "Bart O'Kavanaugh" described by Mark Judge in his book. He said that was a fictitious character, someone Judge made up to cope with his own addiction.
4:40 PM Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he wants to suspend Kavanaugh's confirmation process until the FBI completes an investigation. Kavanaugh called Durbin's question "phony," then said he'd cooperate with whatever the committee wants to do. However, he did not say he'd ask for an FBI investigation.
4:47 PM Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the hearing "is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics." He added that Kavanaugh is as much a victim as Ford is.
- Graham to Durbin: "If you wanted an FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat hostage and hope you win in 2020."
5:30 PM Kavanaugh apologized to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for asking her to answer her own question: "Did you ever black out from drinking too much alcohol?" His question came after she told him her father had been an alcoholic.
5:33 PM Kavanaugh said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) did not bring up any of the allegations when she interviewed him on the Hill over the summer.
6:36 PM Kavanaugh said he has not taken a polygraph test because they are not admissible in court, but will do if asked.
6:41 PM On if he watched Ford’s testimony: “I did not. I plan to, but I did not. I was preparing mine.”
