As Alabama Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) faces surging pressure to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Democratic Senator on Tuesday complained that the process is “not fair” and that the confirmation hearing should have been postponed indefinitely.
In previous weeks, Jones pointed to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as a reason to delay the hearings, as well as wanting more documents about the nominee – even though the Senate has already reviewed far more documents than for any other nominee to the Supreme Court in history.
This led Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance to tell Yellowhammer News that Jones’ “stall tactic” was nothing more than a “desperate attempt to get out of making a decision.”
Now, with the hearing underway, Jones is again publicly longing for a reprieve, saying, “This hearing should have been delayed.”
“This hearing should have been delayed in order to gather and review all of the facts — rather than hide them — and approach this process with the thoroughness and transparency that it demands,” Jones said, per WHNT.
He continued, “This is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our land; it is not a decision that should be rushed.”
Utah Senator Orrin Hatch’s office on Tuesday released facts contradicting Jones’ assertion that the process has been “rushed.” In a tweet, Hatch’s office also called Jones’ claim a “myth” and “nonsense,” adding “this has been an appropriately paced, deliberate process.”
Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing began 64 days after his nomination, while Justice Sotomayor was confirmed in 66 days, Chief Justice Roberts in 23 days, Justice Kennedy in 65 days and Justice Ginsburg in 42 days.
It should also be understood that Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote will not be held until sometime in October.
However, for Jones, “The process as it is playing out right now is not fair to the nominee, the Court, the Senate, or the American people.”
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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