Republicans accuse Democrats of disrupting Brett Kavanaugh's hearing by 'mob rule'


As Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing kicked off Tuesday, Democrats were quick to jump in and dispute whether or not the process should continue, given the number of withheld documents from the judge's time working in the White House under President George W. Bush.
The repeated protests drew some applause from the audience, but Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were less impressed. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that "if this were a court of law," Democrats "would be held in contempt of court" for all the interruptions. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) piped in to remark, "Oh, come on," but Cornyn continued. "I suggest we get on with the hearing," he said.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) cited an NBC News report that said Democrats had convened in a phone call over the weekend and "plotted a coordinated protest strategy" to "disrupt and protest the hearing," asking whether the Democrats present had participated in the call. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called the comment "outrageous," and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) responded by acknowledging the phone call, arguing that it was necessary given the lack of "access to basic information about his public record."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The chaos continued as the lawmakers debated whether or not to vote on a motion to adjourn the hearing until after the committee could review recently-released documents. Cornyn took another swipe at his Democratic colleagues, saying he couldn't take their complaints "seriously" and accusing them of trying to dismantle the hearing by "mob rule." Watch the moment below, via CNN. Summer Meza
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warming
Under the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants