Day Three: More bickering and protests at Kavanaugh hearing

WASHINGTON—During Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s lengthy third day of his confirmation hearing, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee bickered about confidential documents and later sought to pick his brain on controversial political events.

In a dispute that dominated the first hour of Thursday’s hearing, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he would risk expulsion from the committee by releasing to the public confidential documents available to the committee. He then published emails related to Kavanaugh’s thoughts on racial-profiling cases. But staffers of Republican committee members told reporters the documents had already been cleared for public release early that morning, after a last-minute request by Booker, which called into question the true boldness of his move before the cameras.

Despite being hard-pressed by Democrats to comment on a variety of political issues, mostly involving President Donald Trump, Kavanaugh maintained the importance of separating the judiciary from current political events, citing the tradition of past Supreme Court nominees. He also refused to promise to recuse himself in advance if a case involving the president and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election came before the Supreme Court. “I will do everything I can to maintain the confidence of all the American people in the independence of the judiciary,” he said.

Protesters again on Thursday sought to disrupt the hearing, starting by chanting outside the office of committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, before the proceedings began.

The mood of the room lightened shortly before the dinner break, when Kavanaugh’s two daughters, along with several members of the girls basketball team Kavanaugh coached, trooped in wearing school uniforms to join him in the hearing room.

On Friday, the committee will hear from 28 outside witnesses. The Judiciary Committee and the full senate are scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation later this month.