WaPo: Senate GOP has treated Jackson ‘worse’ than Democrats treated Kavanaugh

The editorial board of The Washington Post said Thursday that the Senate Republicans have treated President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Kentanji Brown Jackson worse than Senate Democrats treated then-nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

“During the hearings, Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) have congratulated themselves for declining to treat Judge Jackson the way Democrats handled the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh,” the Post’s editorial board wrote on Wednesday. “In fact, by the most relevant measures, Mr. Graham and a handful of other Judiciary Committee Republicans have handled themselves worse.” 

During the past two days of questioning from lawmakers, Republicans grilled Jackson about her handling of cases involving child pornography and other legal topics related to race and gender. Democrats have dismissed these as distracting and unrelated to her qualifications for the job. 

Days before his confirmation hearings were set to begin in 2018, Kavanaugh was accused of sexual misconduct by a Christine Blasey Ford, claiming he had attacked her while they were in high school together. 

Kavanaugh was grilled by Democrats which often resulted in heated exchanges between the then-nominee and lawmakers on the panel. However, he was ultimately confirmed by the GOP-controlled upper chamber. 

“A woman credibly accused Mr. Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Democrats rightly asked the committee to investigate. After a superficial FBI review, Republicans pressed forward his nomination,” the Post wrote. “In the end, it was Mr. Kavanaugh who behaved intemperately, personally attacking Democratic senators and revealing partisan instincts that raised questions about his commitment to impartiality.” 

Graham, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have repeatedly questioned Jackson over her sentencing of people convicted on child pornography charges. 

Some Republicans have doubted those lines of questioning. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called it “off course” and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) accused members in the chamber of “jackassery.” 

The Post referred to statements Senate Republicans have made about Jackson as “smears,” and an “obvious distortions of her record and the law.”