Hearings for Kavanaugh Set Before Senators and Public Have Opportunity to Review His White House Records

WASHINGTON – Ashley Allison, executive vice president, campaigns & programs of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the announcement that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley intends to hold hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh starting September 4, 2018:

“One of the most important roles of the Senate is to consider nominees to the Supreme Court, and this responsibility is even more important right now. The process for considering Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination needs to be independent, guided by transparency, honesty, and rigor, given all that is at stake for our rights and freedoms. The Senate cannot have a legitimate Supreme Court confirmation hearing until the records from all of Kavanaugh’s time as a political operative in the White House are publicly available.

“It’s hypocritical enough that Chairman Grassley has not even requested Kavanaugh’s records from his time as White House Staff Secretary for President George W. Bush. But it is even worse that he won’t wait for the non-partisan National Archives to produce the limited scope he asked for. The Archives has said its review of Kavanaugh’s records from his time in the White House Counsel’s office will take until the end of October. Scheduling a hearing in early September shows that Senate Republicans simply want to ram through Kavanaugh’s nomination before senators and the public have all the information they need to thoroughly examine the nominee and cast a vote that will impact generations. This sham hearing demeans the Senate and undermines the Constitution.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.