Posted on 09/06/2018 9:13:08 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Thursday released emails from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's time as a White House counsel, escalating a heated fight over his documents.
Booker released approximately 12 pages of emails tied to discussions Kavanaugh had on racial inequality including one email thread titled "racial profiling."
The documents are marked "committee confidential," meaning they are not supposed to be discussed or released publicly.
But the move comes after Booker said during a heated debate on Kavanaugh's third day before the Judiciary Committee that he would release the email thread.
"I am right now, before your process is finished, I am going to release the email about racial profiling, and I understand the penalty comes with potential ousting from the Senate," Booker said at the hearing.
Booker acknowledged that he would be "knowingly violating the rules."
Booker questioned Kavanaugh on Wednesday night about his stances on racial inequality, referring to emails from his time as a White House counsel for President George W. Bush. But, Republicans later pointed out, one of the emails he was referring to was labeled as "committee confidential."
In one of the emails, Kavanaugh questioned Department of Transportation (DOT) affirmative action regulations.
"The fundamental problem in this case is that these DOT regulations use a lot of legalisms and disguises to mask what in reality is a naked racial set-aside," Kavanaugh writes in one of the emails from 2001.
He adds that he believes four Republican justices will "realize as much in short order and rule accordingly."
Tens of thousands of documents have been given to the committee under the label of committee confidential.
Shortly after Booker released the documents, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) staff released a bulk of new emails, previously marked "committee confidential," that had been cleared for public release. Booker's emails were included in the document tranche.
Booker's announcement immediately sparked a rhetorical firefight between Judiciary Committee members, with both sides accusing the other of bad behavior.
Democrats on the committee argued that the process wasn't fair. Democrats have taken issue with Bill Burck, Bush's lawyer, being able to sort through the documents. Burck is a former GOP staffer and colleague of Kavanaugh's.
"I have not made a big fight about this ... but again, lest silence imply consent, I think that rule is as ineffectual as if the chair had unilaterally repealed the law of gravity," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said. "It simply isn't so. I haven't agreed to this rule. I haven't voted on this rule."
Other Democrats quickly backed up Booker.
Sen. (D-Hawaii) followed Booker's lead, tweeting screenshots of documents from Kavanaugh's time in the Bush White House that are stamped "committee confidential."
Hirono's tweet included two pages of an email thread from 2002 about "Treasury testimony on Capital Investment in Indian Country."
"I think the testimony needs to make clear that any program targeting Native Hawaiians as a group is subject to strict scrutiny and of questionable validity under the constitution," Kavanaugh wrote in the email thread.
“I would defy anyone reading this document to conclude this document should be deemed confidential in any way shape or form,” Hirono said prior to releasing the tweets.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) added that there was "no basis for the rules" and said Democrats are "here under protest."
"I hereby reserve the right to release documents before any confirmation vote, so that my colleagues can see what the truth is. Between now and any vote on confirmation there is the right to release documents that she or he believe are appropriate," Blumenthal said.
The moves rankled Republicans on the committee.
Grassley, growing testy, interrupted Booker to ask: "How many times you going to tell us that?"
Democrats lamented that some documents were committee confidential, and Republicans warned that Booker would be breaking Senate rules.
"Running for president is no excuse for violating the rules of the Senate," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said to Booker. "I'd encourage our colleagues to avoid the temptation to either violate the Senate rules or to treat the witness unfairly."
Cornyn added that: "This is no different from the senator deciding to release classified information. ... That is irresponsible and outrageous."
Oh, so this is showmanship for his base. Gotchya.
Okay, well, that is still sleazy.
Senate Republicans: “Harumph! Harumph! Harumph!”
That depends on which side of the protest line you are on.
Yes, but he got the sound bite and video footage that he can use in his ads targeted to ignorant people who don’t pay attention to politics until a POTUS election year.
Thank you for boiling it all down to the bone.
He already knew he would be safe from prosecution.
Grandstanding and with a phony “Outrage!” speech all ready.
Booker makes himself look more shallow and more lightweight
by the hour.
A sitting Senator breaking a rule of the US Senate cannot be arrested, charged nor jailed as it is only a senate rule. The body of the Senate can only admonish the Senator or remove him/her from of the (any) committee or vote to censure that Senator or to even remove the Senator from the US Senate altogether. But it is not a criminal offense to violate a senate rule.
I agree. He wasn’t the person to officially release it either.
If Mitch doesn’t move on this he’s lost control of the Senate and should be removed from leadership.
They did many years ago. Now its so obvious that even the Normies are starting to notice.
Yes, I agree.
Thanks, and I agree Lee.
These Leftists are so shallow.
Ironic, two Senators grilling a candidate on how he will uphold the Constitution, break it (Senate rules) themselves.
Wonder how “brave” Booker would be if somehow the Republicans would secure a 2/3 majority in the mid-term? I doubt he would be “grandstanding” like he is now.
I am sick and tired of these Democrats using this hearing to advance their political aspirations (Booker and Harris). And equally tired of the Republicans rolling over and playing dead to these clowns.
I wish someone would grow a set and tell Booker that if he or other Dems choose to release confidential documents, then they are removed from the committee and lose their ability to see ANY document. The damn Republicans have the majority and allow the Democrats to run the show. This crap has to stop!
So, if you read between the lines....
Booker CLAIMED to have some bombshell e-mail about Kavanaugh being racist, an e-mail that was “confidential”, and for which he could lose his job, but it was ‘just so important’ he was releasing it.
BUT, the e-mail itself says nothing of the kind, nothning at all racist, nothing about being against blacks. A total nothing.
AND, it turns out the committee, which was tasked with reviewing the “committee confidential” e-mails, had already DECIDED that e-mail could be publicly released. Meaning Booker knew he was not actually going to be “violating the rules”.
But by pretending he was, he gets to paint this false picture that the committee was hiding the e-mail, when in fact the committee RELEASED the e-mail and hundreds of others today, as they intended.
But the major news organizations, who keep acting SHOCKED that we don’t trust them, don’t do their job and report this directly. Any competent journalist could figure this out, and would WANT their readers to know the truth.
OK, well, oust him from the Senate.
We should actually be thanking Sen. Booker.
This antic, along with the hired protestors shouting and hollering, will actually serve to strengthen the support for Mr. Kavanaugh.
Normal Americans will be repulsed at the childish and immature tactics of these typical liberals.
I predict these gimmicks will not only serve to get Kavanaugh approved, but will also carry on to help the Red Wave victory in November.
“Hey Booker. You want some more rope? Here. Have at it.”
And we wonder why our children do not obey the law.
Laws are for the Wipipo.
TSD or TDS?
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