John Kennedy on Kavanaugh Nomination: ‘It’s Pretty Much Been an Intergalactic Freak Show’

WALLACE: The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote this week to send the nomination to the Supreme Court of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate floor. But will a letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in high school derail his confirmation?

Joining us now from Louisiana, Senator John Kennedy, a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee.

We should note, we invited all ten committee Democrats to join us today. None of them accepted.

But we’re happy to have you, Senator Kennedy.

What do you make of this allegation against Kavanaugh back when he was a teenager? Do you think it will do anything to derail his nomination, his confirmation?

JOHN KENNEDY, R-LA, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I’m fairly confident that our founding fathers did not intend the process to work this way. So far it’s pretty much been an intergalactic freak show. Senator Grassley, our chairman, did the best he could at the hearing. Senators kept interrupting him. They ignored the rules. We had over 240 protesters who stood up screaming. The only thing missing, I think, was the — the genitalia-shaped headgear. There were wild accusations about Kavanaugh that he’s evil and he hates women, he hates children, he hates little warm puppies. And now we have this recent allegation by Senator Feinstein.

I mean, here’s what we know. She — she’s produced a letter, it’s a secret letter, and we’re — we’re not entitled to see it or know who wrote it. It supposedly was put together with the help of Stanford Law School. The lady in the letter says that 35 years ago, when she was a teenager, and Judge Kavanaugh was a teenager, he allegedly made sexual advances against her at a party.

Now, Kavanaugh denies it. The only other person in the room denies it. Senator Feinstein has had the letter since July. For three months she’s said nothing. Nothing. Zero. Nada. Zilch. She didn’t say anything in the confirmation hearing. She didn’t say anything in our — in our confidential session with Judge Kavanaugh when the senators and the nominee met privately. And now, after it’s all over, she produces the letter.

I think, Chris, in my opinion, most Americans are looking at this — most mainstream Americans — and they’re thinking that Congress has hit rock bottom and started to dig. And — and I have been embarrassed by the whole process. And, frankly, I’m — no disrespect to Senator Feinstein or to Stanford Law School, but I’m a little bit offended. I sit on Judiciary Committee. They’ve had this — this stuff for — for three months. If they were serious about it, they — they — they should have told us about it.