Kavanaugh Hearing Day 3: D’s Revolt

On the eve of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a lawyer for former President George W. Bush, William A Burck, released “5,148 documents,” which totaled, “42,390 pages,” the documents were released from the “National Archivist,” for more on the document release @ The News Blender. These documents were “deemed committee confidential.” 

Prior to the start of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing day 3, which can be found @ The News Blender, The New York Times published several of these “deemed committee confidential,” emails. The emails range from discussions on whether Roe v Wade is “settled law,” and “affirmative action.” 

During the opening of Thursday’s hearing, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) told the committee and gathered audience that he was “willing to violate Senate rules and release the confidential documents,” the Washington Post reported, that after his statement, Senator John Cornyn, “read aloud,” the Senate rules on expulsion.” Booker in his opening remarks acknowledged the consequences of his actions, after Cornyn read the rules, Booker replied, “Bring the charges.”

After his announcement several other democrat Senate members joined in with Booker, “Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.),” Mazie Hirono (D-HI). 

It should be noted that in his statement Booker questioned two things, why was a lawyer for the former president in charge of marking things as “committee confidential,” and he asks, why “national security,” was used as a reason when the emails have nothing to do with “national security.” 

NBC News reports that shortly after the exchange between Democrats about the release of the documents to the public, an aide for Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) that the “email in question was now eligible for release, and no longer considered committee confidential.” 

The emails that Booker released are available here.

Booker’s remarks can be found here via NBC news Twitter feed, if you follow the link, they threaded the other democrat Senators remarks as well as Chairman Grassley explaining that these documents needed the DOJ to redact personal information before they were made public. 

For What it’s Worth: Senate Democrats on Tuesday called for a postponement for the hearings stating that they were unable to scan the newly released documents to the Committee, Senator Grassley explained that was not an issue.  

Update 

William Burck former attorney for President Bush has issued a statement. 

Fox News is reporting that Senator Booker was made aware last night that the emails in question would be released this morning to the public, “Apparently, some just wanted to break the rules and make a scene, but didn’t check their email,” a spokesman for committee Republicans said in a statement. The committee posted the same documents.”