Republican senators have had enough.
Even though they celebrated a Thursday report from the FBI that apparently found "no hint of misconduct" from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, GOP leaders are frustrated with the lack of certainty surrounding his confirmation vote.
Speaking at a press conference, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) insisted that Kavanaugh would be one of the most qualified justices of all time. "I don't know that I've ever seen anybody that would exceed Judge Kavanaugh as a judge in the federal court system," he said, denouncing efforts to dismantle his reputation. Hatch pointed out that Kavanaugh was endorsed by the American Bar Association, though he did not include the detail that the ABA later walked it back, calling for further investigation.
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But it was Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) who was the most visibly irked by the ongoing controversy. Grassley said the debate surrounding Kavanaugh's confirmation had reached "almost rock bottom," and scolded the media for its role in eliminating collegiality in the process.
"I would never use the word 'fake news,'" he boomed. "I consider you folks policemen for our Democratic system of government. But I want to show you where some of you have bias." He said members of the press only wanted to report on protesters who opposed Kavanaugh, not those who supported his confirmation. "That's a bias that none of you should be proud of," he said. Watch the moment below, via MSNBC. Summer Meza
