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.
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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
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