WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal again sought to delay the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, complaining that the Judiciary Committee is failing to do a proper job of vetting as Republicans rush to approve President Trump’s nominee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote next Thursday — at 1:45 p.m. sharp — to recommend the full Senate confirm Kavanaugh’s nomination.
At a committee meeting on Thursday, Democrats complained they needed more time to review Kavanaugh’s record and sought to have additional documents and witnesses brought to them before any vote.
Requests from Blumenthal and Democrats Dianne Feinstein of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Chris Coons of Delaware to subpoena documents and witnesses were all turned down on similar 11-10 roll calls.
“This nomination is going to be tainted. It will be stained by a badly broken process that has shattered the norms and broken the traditions of this committee. It has been rushed through to judgement in a highly partisan and unfortunately failed way,” Blumenthal said.
A motion by Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to set the time of the vote for 1:45 p.m. on September 20, also was approved 11-10.
Blumenthal is opposed to Kavanaugh serving on the high court and has been highly critical of the confirmation process. Democrats have called for a delay in confirming Kavanaugh until after the midterm elections.
Following next week’s committee vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will likely seek a confirmation vote in the full Senate by the end of this month. If approved, that would allow Kavanaugh to be seated in time for the U.S. Supreme Court’s next session in October.
Kavanaugh would succeed retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.