Former Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota weighed in on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process, compiling a list of questions that should be asked of the Supreme Court nominee when he goes in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Franken posted a list of 25 questions to his Facebook page Friday, ranging from the standard “would you agree that it’s important for a judge to obtain a full and fair understanding of the facts before making a determination?” to the more combative “I just want to be clear. You are under oath today, correct?”
He also added commentary along the way, making assumptions on what Kavanaugh might say, and which questions to skip depending on his answers. He wrote:
5. And one of the very first things that came out of your mouth as a nominee for the Supreme Court was the following assertion: “No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination.” Did I quote you correctly?
This claim, of course, was not just false, but ridiculous. The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake (a Minnesota native) called it “a thoroughly inauspicious way to begin your application to the nation’s highest court, where you will be deciding the merits of the country’s most important legal and factual claims.”
It would be only fair to give Kavanaugh a chance to retract that weirdly specific bit of bullshit.
6. Do you stand by those words today? Yes or no?
If he says that he doesn’t, I’d skip down to Question 22. But, if he won’t take it back, I’d want to pin him down.
Franken ended the post with a lengthy defense of his line of questioning, which included blaming conservatives for politicizing the judicial courts, accusing right-wing activists of grooming nominees, and alleging that Kavanaugh had lied on behalf of Republicans.
Prior to resigning in January, Franken served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which interviews the Supreme Court nominees. (RELATED: Franken Accused Of Sexual Assault One Day After Lecturing Judicial Nominees About Respect)
Franken got into a heated exchange with then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch in March 2017, during his confirmation hearing. Gorsuch remained calm and collected as Franken relentless sparred with the nominee over his dissent in a court case involving a trucking company.
WATCH:
Franken was also visibly upset in a now-viral exchange after he presented a legal pamphlet in an attempt to stump Gorsuch later during the hearing. Gorsuch, an expert on jurisprudence, ended up explaining to Franken the very terms Franken sought to introduce.
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