Day Two: Deflection and Concealment

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the second day of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing:

“Day two of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing was marked by continued obfuscation, deflection, and concealment. Time and again, Kavanaugh was evasive about his previous statements and dodged direct questions on a range of topics including civil rights, presidential power, reproductive freedom, health care coverage, racial justice, and voting rights. He offered clichés rather than candor and provided no reassurance that he would set aside his extreme ideology that has been on display during his twelve years on the D.C. Circuit and his five years working in the White House.

“Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley continued to defend his outrageous decision to deny the public access to 96 percent of Kavanaugh’s White House files, and to shield the nominee from a complete and meaningful review of his record. This is wrong. And, offered the opportunity to call for the release of his own records, Kavanaugh refused. This is why the American people continue to ask: ‘What are they hiding?’

“While Kavanaugh has been unwilling to answer, we applaud the senators who asked tough questions and exposed Kavanaugh’s misrepresentations and troubling positions. His lack of candor today is just the latest justification for rejecting his nomination.

“Tomorrow, senators will continue to ask Kavanaugh tough questions, and we urge them to explore critical areas including disability rights, LGBTQ rights, and environmental protections. Kavanaugh must answer.”

The Leadership Conference’s website, SaveSCOTUS.org, includes critical information about the importance of the Supreme Court and resources from our partners.

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.