Senate Judiciary Democrats walk out of Kavanaugh meeting to protest the 'tyranny of the majority'
Democrats marched out of a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in protest Friday, calling the entire process "unfair."
Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) stood up and left the room after Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Christine Blasey Ford did not meet the required "burden of proof" during her testimony Thursday and that Republicans planned to move forward as planned.
Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school in the 1980s, which Kavanaugh strongly refuted in his own testimony. Senate Republicans said that they had given Ford sufficient time and respect, and that they would proceed to vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
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.
When voting on a motion to schedule the confirmation vote for 1:30 p.m. ET, Hirono burst out: "I strongly object. This is just totally ridiculous. What a railroad job. My answer is no, no, no!" Harris, along with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) remained silent, while Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called it a "violation" of the committee's customs.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), upon hearing the news that potential GOP swing vote Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) would support Kavanaugh, reportedly choked up and said, "Oh f--k." Speaking outside the hearing room, Harris condemned Republicans as unjustly pushing through, exploiting the "tyranny of the majority" to confirm Kavanaugh through "raw power." Watch the moment below, via The Daily Beast. 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.
-
Political cartoons for January 18Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include cost of living, endless supply of greed, and more
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
