WASHINGTON – In a statement released Tuesday, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said he will vote against President Trump’s second nomination to the Supreme Court.
Bennet said he would not vote for Brett Kavanaugh, the 53-year-old appellate judge on the District of Columbia Circuit. Bennet said Kavanaugh’s confirmation would, “threaten women’s reproductive rights, roll back essential environmental regulations, and favor large corporations over workers.”
The rest of Bennet’s statement went on to read:
“As I have said many times, I am deeply discouraged by the Senate’s descent into rank partisanship. Regrettably, the Majority’s accession to the administration’s refusal to disclose Judge Kavanaugh’s full record—including nearly 90% of the documents from his time in the Bush White House—represents a further abdication of the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to advise and consent. The hearing was a sham. The American people would be better served by a transparent, deliberate, and bipartisan confirmation process.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is likely to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Sept. 20 and a vote by the full Senate is expected the following week.
Senate Democrats, in the minority 51-49, hope to appeal to two Republican senators who support abortion rights to break from their party and vote against Kavanaugh. A tie would be decided by Republican Vice President Mike Pence.
Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner signaled he would vote in support of Kavanaugh in July when he released a statement that read in part,
“We had a long conversation about the role of precedent and how a judge should perform on the bench. It’s not about personal opinion, it’s not about personal biases or policy preferences, it’s about looking at the law and ruling on the law and where the law takes you. We had a good conversation about how he would be on the Supreme Court. It was a very good meeting and I think he will make an incredible Supreme Court Justice.”
If confirmed, Kavanaugh would replace Justice Anthony Kennedy’s vote on the high court. Senate Republicans hope to confirm him before the court’s term begins on Oct. 1.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
