Kavanaugh confirmed to U.S. Supreme Court, Sen. Cotton says ‘left-wing mob rule’ failed

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the “crazed, hysterical” actions by Senate Democrats “rightfully” failed to block Judge Brett Kavanaugh from a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said following the 50-48 vote in favor of Kavanaugh that all members of the U.S. Senate must seek a higher standard.

President Donald Trump on July 9 nominated Kavanaugh to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh, 53, is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He is a former law clerk for Justice Kennedy and was a senior associate counsel to President George W. Bush. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in 2006. He worked as staff secretary in the executive office of President George W. Bush, and also worked on the Bush campaign during the Florida recount vote in 2000.

Although he was behind the scenes at the time, his more well-known work was with Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr during what begin as the Whitewater investigation, but later included the Vincent Foster suicide and the Monica Lewinsky affair. Kavanaugh is credited as being a principal author of the voluminous “Starr Report.”

His nomination was initially seen as a done deal for Republicans, but allegations of sexual assault emerged. Dr. Christine Ford was allowed to testify Sept. 27 before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her claims of assault against Kavanaugh. Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick have also accused Kavanaugh of assault. Still, the Judiciary Committee was set Friday to vote Sept. 28 on sending Kavanuagh’s nomination to the Senate floor.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., cobbled together a last-minute deal to push for a minimum one-week delay and call for an FBI investigation into the sexual assault claims made against Judge Kavanaugh. The FBI investigation found no corroborating evidence of Ford’s allegation, with Senate Democrats claiming the investigation was limited and did not interview those with such evidence.

Sen. Boozman issued this statement after the confirmation vote.
“I voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on our nation’s highest court. He is eminently qualified and has earned the respect of the legal community by virtue of his distinguished record on the bench. I am confident Judge Kavanaugh will continue to be the fair and thoughtful jurist he’s demonstrated himself to be over the past 12 years on the D.C. Circuit Court.

“The process by which Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination was considered in the Senate makes clear that this institution has been damaged considerably. This body has a constitutional duty to offer its advice and consent to the President of the United States on nominations to the federal judiciary. When that obligation is so overcome by partisanship and political gamesmanship – as this nomination has been – we must recognize how detrimental that is and commit to hold ourselves to a standard worthy of this institution and to the vision of the founders. Clearly, we have missed the mark in this instance.

“I remain hopeful that the Senate, and our country as a whole, can elevate our political discourse and actions in order to live up to the ideals that define us. One of those ideals is fidelity to the constitution and the rule of law. I look forward to Judge Kavanaugh’s tenure on the Supreme Court where I believe he will champion those principles universally. Our nation will be the better for it.”

Sen. Cotton issued this statement.
“Judge Kavanaugh was a distinguished jurist who respects our Constitution and the judiciary’s vital but limited role in our system of government. I expect Justice Kavanaugh will continue to interpret the Constitution and the laws as written, rather than asserting his own preferences as law. Sadly, because Democrats have long depended on activist judges to impose their unpopular ideas on an unwilling people, the Democrats waged a scorched-earth campaign of character assassination against him. But the Democrats’ crazed, hysterical attempt at left-wing mob rule has failed, and rightfully so. Today is a victory not only for Justice Kavanaugh and his family, but also for the rule of law, due process, fair play, and basic decency.”