The White House has cited executive privilege in withholding 100,000 pages of documents from the record of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
But just hours before Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee begins Tuesday, more than 42,000 pages were released.
The Washington Post reports the lawyer for former President George W. Bush handed over the documents to the committee, but they have not been made public. Kavanaugh was a lawyer for the Bush White House.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal will be one of those questioning the nominee. He called the withholding of documents a mockery of tradition.
“This administration and the Republican leadership are concealing and hiding documents,” he said. “The question is, what are they scared of showing the American people?”
Blumenthal, who refused to meet one-on-one with Kavanaugh, called the judge’s views extreme even by conservative standards.
“I’m going to be tough on this nominee,” he said. “I will be asking challenging questions. I can guarantee sparks are going to fly. I hope there is as much light as heat. There is too much at stake to simply rush this nominee to confirmation.”
The White House and the Department of Justice say the documents were withheld because they are protected by constitutional privilege.
