For the second straight day, Sen. Lindsey Graham is making a circus out of the Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
During his second go-round with Judge Jackson, the South Carolina senator once again used his time to air well-worn right-wing grievances, seemingly holding her responsible for how Democrats treated Justice Brett Kavanaugh and trying to portray her as sympathetic to child pornography defendants.
Graham also lamented that Jackson’s confirmation process has been too “easy” on her, saying that “if you are a person of color, a woman, supported by liberals, it is pretty easy sailing.”
After ranting about Kavanaugh, Graham went down the same misleading road a few other politically-ambitious Republicans have trodden throughout this hearing, berating Jackson over her sentencing in child-porn cases while suggesting she is sympathetic to pedophiles.
However, her sentences were “pretty mainstream” and even conservative legal experts have labeled attacks against her as “disingenuous” and “meritless to the point of demagoguery,” The Daily Beast noted, citing legal experts.
Graham also ranted that Democrats “ambushed” Kavanaugh with allegations of sexual assault, and insisted he wouldn’t treat Jackson that way before asking her to express her feelings about the 2018 hearings.
“How would you feel if I had a letter from somebody accusing you of something, a crime, or misconduct, for weeks, and I give it to Sen. Durbin just before this hearing’s over and not allow you to comment on the accusation? How would you feel about that?” Graham wondered.
“Senator, I’m not sure,” a confused Jackson responded. “I don’t understand the context of the question.”
As Graham continued to grill Jackson on the Kavanaugh hearings, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) told the Republican lawmaker that his time was up.
“Please, Mr. Chairman,” Graham sneered. “She filibustered every question I had and she has the right to give an answer but I’m trying to make a point in 20 minutes.”
After a fiery back-and-forth about Kavanaugh, Jackson said she would like to respond to Graham on her sentencing decisions in child-pornography cases as Graham continued to interrupt her, despite Durbin repeatedly reminding him that his allotted time was over.
Graham then rose from his chair and stormed off the senate floor.
Watch the videos below.
Lindsey Graham, in an absolutely reprehensible smear, says that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson doesn’t believe distributing child pornography on the internet is a “bad thing.” This is the state of the modern GOP https://t.co/MyVHJpaX61
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) March 23, 2022
On Monday, Lindsey Graham vowed Jackson’s hearing wouldn’t be a circus. Each of the next two days he had ugly meltdowns and left in a huff. https://t.co/6MXlYhh55R https://t.co/BcE4jbcF1Q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 23, 2022
