Feinstein Statement on Kavanaugh Documents

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on Brett Kavanaugh’s documents:

            “Brett Kavanaugh has been nominated to a lifetime appointment on the highest court in the land. For Republicans to suggest that records related to his position as White House staff secretary aren’t relevant to the committee’s review of his nomination is distressing. Once again Republicans are changing the rules because of who sits in the White House.

            “For years, Republicans argued the Senate should see all the documents for a Supreme Court nominee, but now they’re trying to change that standard. All we’re asking for is the same documents from his tenure in the White House that Republicans asked for in the past. No more, no less.

            “What’s more, we’re asking to see the documents that Brett Kavanaugh himself identified as important to evaluating his record. He stated, ‘And your question really goes to how do you assess someone’s record? And I think that’s done through an assessment of going back, in my case … looking at the kinds of things I’ve done in the staff secretary’s office.’

            “Democrats have asked that requests to the National Archives and the Bush Library follow the same standard that Republicans demanded for Justice Elena Kagan when they were in the minority. We’re simply asking for the same treatment.

            “The American people deserve to know who is being nominated and what his record shows. They’re the ones who will be affected for generations if he is confirmed. What are Republicans and the White House trying to hide?

            “Their refusal to cooperate is especially disturbing given questions about Kavanaugh’s record and his candor with Congress when he was nominated to the D.C. Circuit in 2003 and 2006. Democrats will continue to push forward with our work to ensure this nominee is fully vetted and the American people understand what his nomination means for them.”