>>>>>>>As he was questioning Alito about his membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton, Kennedy's staff handed out copies of a December 22, 2005, letter to Specter in which Kennedy demanded that the committee review documents related to CAP in the papers of William Rusher (the longtime National Review publisher) at the Library of Congress. "Do you have any hesitancy or reason for us not to look at those documents?" Kennedy asked Alito.
"They're not my documents, Senator," Alito said, "and I have no opinion about it whatsoever."
"Do you think they'd be helpful?"
"Senator, I don't believe I had any active involvement with this group."
At that point, Kennedy moved that the committee take a vote — which requires that it go into something called executive session — to issue a subpoena for the papers. Specter, clearly caught by surprise, didn't know what was going on. "Well, we'll consider that, Senator Kennedy," he said. "There are many, many requests which are coming to me and many quarters. And, quite candidly, I view the request — if it's really a matter of importance, you and I see each other all the time and you have never mentioned it to me."
But you got a letter from me, Kennedy said. No, I didn't, Specter answered. The two men began to bicker. "If I'm going to be denied, then I'd appeal the decision of the chair," Kennedy said. "I think we are entitled to this information. It deals with the fundamental issues of equality and discrimination."
I'm not denying anything, Specter answered, saying it was time to move on. No, said Kennedy, I want a vote. "And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution."
"Well, Senator Kennedy," Specter said, "I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it. And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session."
As the two men fought, word began to circulate among reporters that the papers had already been seen, by New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick, who had done a story back in November on Alito and CAP.<<<<<
Additional commentary by Byron York, NRO.
Link:
http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200601120909.asp