One More Effort to 'Gum Up' Kavanaugh Confirmation? Dems Submit Record Number of Follow-up Questions

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have submitted an unprecedented 1,278 written questions for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to answer for the record following his Supreme Court confirmation hearing last week.

According to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), this amounts to more written questions submitted than every prior Supreme Court nominee combined. 

"Last week, Judge Kavanaugh sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee for well over 32 hours of statements and questions. In just the same way I handled the Gorsuch hearing, members had the opportunity to ask as many questions they wanted to ask," Chairman Grassley said in a statement. 

"Submitting this many written questions appears to be just one more effort to gum up the process," he charged. "It's unnecessary and dilatory, especially when many have already decided to vote against Judge Kavanaugh. What more do they need to know to vote 'no'?"

Committee members are allowed to submit written questions for the record (QFRs) after any nomination hearing. Grassley's office says only 1,247 questions for the record have ever been submitted since Supreme Court hearings began:

Kavanaugh QFRs: TOTAL = 1287

Grassley: 8
Coons: 192
Durbin: 128
Feinstein: 241
Flake: 1
Harris: 113
Hirono: 122
Leahy: 117
Klobuchar: 14
Whitehouse: 161
Blumenthal: 100
Booker: 90

Senate Judiciary Committee Press Secretary George Hartmann tells CBN News despite the high volume of questions, they do not expect this to delay their current confirmation timeline.