McConnell accuses Dems of trying to ‘bork’ Kavanaugh

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blasted congressional Democrats on Thursday, accusing them of trying to “bork” Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

McConnell called the attacks on Kavanaugh an “extreme” distortion of his record and compared it to the successful effort to block Robert Bork, who was nominated by President Reagan to the Supreme Court in 1987.

{mosads}”We have a word for blatantly misrepresenting the record and character of a judicial nominee in order to achieve a political objective. We call it an attempt to bork the nominee,” McConnell said from the Senate floor.

The Senate GOP leader then read the definition of bork from the Senate floor, noting that “Judge Bork’s last name is in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a verb.”

Republicans have blasted Democrats for quickly attacking Kavanaugh, with some senators announcing their opposition as soon as or even before he was announced as the nominee.

McConnell also mocked a Washington Post report about Kavanaugh’s debt, saying it was an example of the “silliness” that Republicans believe surrounds reporting on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

“In a breaking news bombshell report just last night, we learned that Judge Kavanaugh enjoys America’s past time. Investigative reporters scoured his financial disclosures and learned that he and his friends buy tickets to baseball games and that he pays his bills,” McConnell said.

Kavanaugh has reported having up to $200,000 in credit card debt during the past 10 years, according to the Post’s report.

Last year, Kavanaugh’s credit card debts and loan appeared to be paid off or fell below the year’s reporting requirements.

White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told the Post that Kavanaugh incurred his debt because he bought Washington Nationals season tickets and tickets for playoff games for himself and a “handful” of friends, as well as for home improvements.

Shah added that the judge’s friends reimbursed him for their share of the tickets and that Kavanaugh no longer buys season tickets.