McConnell To Trump: ‘The Full Senate Will Begin Considering Judge Kavanaugh’s Nomination Today’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

McCONNELL: "Shortly move to proceed to the Kavanaugh nomination and I’m pleased to announce that all 51 Republican members of the Senate support the motion to proceed to the nomination. 100 percent of the Republican conference supports proceeding to the Kavanaugh nomination. Now, in committee, they reviewed the most pages of documents ever produced pertaining to any supreme Court nomination. Literally hundreds of judicial opinions from his tenure on the court of appeals for the D.C. Circuit. And five days of hearings during which Judge Kavanaugh testified for nearly 40 hours. Judge Kavanaugh testified on every topic from complicated legal subjects, to sensitive personal matters. And there was testimony and statements from countless personal friends, classmates, co-workers, former clerks, and other associates. So the picture that emerged from all of this is clear, Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most qualified and most impressive Supreme Court nominees in the history of our country. He has excelled at the highest level of legal scholarship, he holds two degrees from Yale and for years has lectured at the Harvard law school. He has issued more than 300 legal opinions from what is widely considered the second highest court in the nation. Several have subsequently been cited in the supreme Court’s own majority opinions. Along the way he has build an outstanding reputation within the legal community for his clear, thoughtful writing, his exemplary fair minded judicial temperament. Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications have been affirmed by his peers and renowned legal scholars? Across the ideological spectrum. One Democrat who advised him at Yale said that judge Kavanaugh, quote, demands wide and deep respect among scholars, lawyers, and jurists. And this praise has been echoed by hundreds of character witnesses who testified before the Senate or written us letters to praise Judge Kavanaugh’s personal character and his integrity in the strongest terms. The committee has also thoroughly investigated the last-minute allegations that have been brought forward, the evidence that has been produced either fails, fails to corroborate these accusations, or, in fact, supports Judge Kavanaugh’s unequivocal denial. And in some cases, the accusers have been — have even recanted their baseless allegations. All in all, this is a nominee who has received what many considered the gold standard of judicial qualification. A rating of unanimously well-qualified from the American bar association. So, this is a nomination that deserves to move forward. And that is precisely, Mr. President, what is happening. I commend our colleagues on the committee for sending this impressive nominee here to the floor with favorable recommendation, now we will keep the process moving, the full Senate will begin considering judge Kavanaugh’s nomination today."