Sen. Chuck Schumer says Kavanaugh demonstrated partisanship, may have lied to Senate

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday sought to characterize Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as overly partisan and at times dishonest.

"Judge Kavanaugh's testimony was better suited for Fox News than a confirmation hearing for the august United States Supreme Court," said Schumer, citing the portion of Kavanaugh's statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee that claimed sexual assault allegations were a Democratic conspiracy designed to get revenge "on behalf of the Clintons."

Schumer pointed out that Kavanaugh's judicial experience is dotted with "the most partisan legal causes" in recent years, like working for Ken Starr, who investigated former President Bill Clinton. "It would be one thing if Judge Kavanaugh discarded his partisan feelings once he donned the black robes of a jurist," said Schumer, but "Thursday's hearing revealed that his bitter partisan resentments still lurk right below the surface."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

The senator additionally called into question whether Kavanaugh lied when he testified that he had never heard of sexual misconduct allegations from Deborah Ramirez before The New Yorker published them last month. Kavanaugh said he knew nothing about them, but NBC News reported Monday that he asked a friend to defend him against the claims before they were made public. "If you say, 'maybe he's telling the truth, and maybe he's not,'" said Schumer, "he doesn't belong on the Supreme Court." Watch the moment below, via ABC News. Summer Meza