WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa led a press conference today to discuss the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Video of the press conference can be found here and a transcription of Grassley’s remarks can be found below.
Thank you, Mr. Leader. Before I say a few words, so I won’t have to announce each person after me, in this order will be Hatch, Cornyn, Lee and Tillis, so please just come to the podium and say whatever you want to say and then we’ll take questions.
This is the 87th day. That’s three weeks longer than the average of the last three or four nominees to the Supreme Court. So don’t tell me we haven’t spent enough time. Also I feel very good about where this nomination is right now. Now I don’t say that from the standpoint of counting votes. I say that from the standpoint of the qualifications of this candidate and the fact that those qualifications to be a Supreme Court justice based upon his 12 years on the D.C. Circuit without anybody finding any fault with his qualifications to serve there. But that hasn’t been talked about much, everything else.
This person is very well qualified. A person that believes in the principles of due process, the presumption of innocence and readiness to serve are recognized. So, Judge Kavanaugh should be confirmed on Saturday.
Now, this started downhill very quickly. On about July the 10th, when Schumer said that we’re going to do everything we can to stop this nomination. And you can look back 87 days and you can see that everything but whether he’s qualified to serve has been brought up.
I’ve tried to commit and I think I’ve carried out what I promised immediately, that we were going to have a fair and thorough process. We have had a fair and thorough process and I think that’s best demonstrated by the fact that the minute I read about who the person was in the Feinstein letter, Dr. Ford, I read about her name in the paper and we got on it right away to provide the forum she wanted. And in turn, we provided the same forum for Kavanaugh.
But, what I’ve been dealing with since July the 10th, the downhill slope that Schumer has put us on, is really dealing with a demolition derby. They just about destroyed a good person to be on the Supreme Court. So, hopefully we’re 48 hours away from having a new person on the Supreme Court.
-30-