Watch Brett Kavanaugh's supremely nasty Senate hearing spat with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
There was no shortage of anger in Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Thursday Senate testimony, in which he refuted a sexual assault allegation by Christine Blasey Ford. And as Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) got his chance to question Kavanaugh, that rage spilled from both sides of the dais.
Durbin sparked an irritated exchange Thursday when he asked Kavanaugh to ask White House Counsel Don McGahn to pursue FBI investigation into the accusations against him. "I welcome whatever the [Senate Judiciary Committee] wants to do because I'm telling the truth," Kavanaugh declared. "I want to know what you want to do," Durbin snapped back — twice.
Kavanaugh then proclaimed his innocence, and Durbin took that to mean that he's "prepared for an FBI investigation." But the FBI "doesn't reach conclusions, you reach the conclusion," Kavanaugh loudly rebutted. Durbin proceeded to speak over the nominee to call for an investigation, and Kavanaugh again declared his innocence over the senator's rising voice. Rinse, repeat, and it all adds up to the contentious exchange you can watch below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Article continues belowThe 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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
