KAVANAUGH PROTESTERS
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s backing of protesters at Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings is drawing fire — including from her Republican rival who says it shows her lack of “decency.”
“There seems there is nothing she wants to do to be a reasonable voice in Washington,” said Geoff Diehl, who won the Republican primary Tuesday and will face Warren in the November general election.
“She should have had the decency to meet with him, as at least a courtesy,” Diehl added last night. “I’m not surprised. She’ll do anything ... to be the lead obstructionist.”
Warren, seen as a candidate for president in 2020, was quoted as saying she’s “glad” the protesters are in D.C. for the Kavanaugh hearings and “exercising their free speech.”
“You bet,” Warren added, according to a Daily Caller video, when asked if the protesters should stay.
A spokeswoman for her campaign did not elaborate further last night.
In a campaign email last night, Warren’s camp lashed out at Diehl, saying the Whitman state rep will “rubber-stamp Trump’s bigoted agenda.”
Warren did tweet last night about Kavanaugh being approached by Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland, Fla., school shooting. The dad attempted to shake the nominee’s hand during a break Tuesday, but security stepped in.
Warren tweeted on how the courts can fight the gun lobby — and included a video of Guttenberg addressing the issue — adding, “Brett Kavanaugh, who wants to sit on the highest court in the land, refused to even shake (Guttenberg’s) hand.”
The hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee have been marred by interruptions inside and outside — including 70 arrests and scores of disruptions on Tuesday. The second day lasted into late last night and was peppered early with outbursts.
Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 abortion ruling, was an early line of questioning. Kavanaugh said that Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to an abortion set an “important precedent” that has “been reaffirmed many times.”
The 53-year-old jurist was also asked about President Trump’s tweets. Kavanaugh said maintaining judicial independence “requires me to avoid commenting on current events.”
He also declined to say whether he would recuse himself from cases involving the civil or criminal liability of President Trump. He also pushed back at Democrats trying to pin him down on pardons.
“I’m not going to answer hypothetical questions of that sort,” Kavanaugh said.
He also refused an invitation from Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut to pledge to step aside from any Supreme Court cases dealing with Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Republicans command a narrow 51-49 Senate majority. Party leaders have said they hope to have Kavanaugh confirmed by a floor vote by early October, when the next Supreme Court term begins. Herald wire services contributed to this report.