Sen Amy Klobuchar has revealed she was ‘really stunned’ by how Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh conducted himself during his testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
The Minnesota Democrat shared her reactions to Thursday’s nine-hour senate showdown in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
‘I was really stunned by how he acted at that hearing. This is basically a job interview for the highest court of the land,’ Klobuchar said.
Kavanaugh was described as temperamental at best and unhinged at worst when he testified in front of the committee directly after his accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
One of the most tense moments of his testimony came as he was questioned about his drinking habits by Sen Klobuchar.
Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has said she was ‘really stunned’ by the way Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh conducted himself when he testified in front of her and the rest of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday
Klobuchar reacted to Kavanaugh’s behavior during his testimony in a CNN interview Sunday
When the committee member asked if he’d ever drank so much that he ‘didn’t remember what happened the night before or part of what happened’, the embattled nominee responded: ‘You’re asking about blackout. I don’t know, have you?’
A surprised look washed over Klobuchar’s face before she pressed again: ‘Could you answer the question, judge?’
Kavanaugh answered: ‘Yeah, and I’m curious if you have.’
Sen Klobuchar replied: ‘I have no drinking problem, judge,’ as the time allotted for her line of questioning ran out.
Kavanaugh said: ‘Nor do I,’ just as a recess was called.
When they returned from the break Kavanaugh apologized to the senator, saying: ‘I’m sorry I did that. This is a tough process.’
Klobuchar said she appreciated the apology before adding: ‘When you have a parent that is an alcoholic, you are pretty careful about drinking.’
Kavanaugh was described as temperamental at best and unhinged at worst when he testified in front of the committee directly after his accuser Christine Blasey Ford
The nominee was combative at several points during the hearing as he was questioned by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Pictured (clockwise from top left): Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons and Amy Klobuchar
Recounting the tense exchange on Sunday, Klobuchar explained the motive behind her questions.
‘One idea here is that he simply was drinking more than he was saying over this time period and that he didn’t remember what happened, and so I was just simply trying to get at that and really couching it in the fact that I had alcoholism in my own family,’ she said.
Klobuchar expressed skepticism at Kavanaugh’s denial of ever having forgotten something after a night of drinking.
‘It just doesn’t make sense to me,’ she said, ‘because, first of all, you have these other people from parts of his life who have said that he was belligerent when he was drunk and other things.’
The day after the emotionally-charged hearings on Capitol Hill, President Trump ordered the FBI to reopen its background check into Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by three women.
The federal judge has unequivocally denied those allegations.