Ohio Republican Senate nominee Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) blasted incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) Thursday for his role in the Democrat obstructionist attempts to stop the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Speaking to reporters Thursday morning on a conference call, Renacci said Kavanaugh was highly qualified for the Supreme Court and should be confirmed by the full Senate.
He noted that Kavanaugh has served on the U.S. District of Columbia Court of Appeals for 12 years and has ruled in 300 decisions. The Supreme Court, Renacci said, has already endorsed his position in 13 of those decisions.
“In a recent poll of Ohioans, 56 percent believe he should be confirmed,” Renacci pointed out.
But the Democrats in the Senate, including Brown, his November opponent, have engaged in unprecedented obstructionism to oppose the nomination.
“Every one of the Democrats on the panel [the Senate Judiciary Committee holding the hearings] have already decided they are going to vote no. They interrupted the hearings 76 times,” Renacci noted.
“It’s something the people of Ohio are fed up with. The people of Ohio are saying enough with the theatrics!” he added.
Renacci noted that Brown announced his opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination even before the Judiciary Committee hearings began on Tuesday.
“He only met with Kavanaugh [prior to the hearings] after he received permission from Senate Minority Leader Schumer,” Renacci said.
Ohio Republican Party chairman Jane Timken began the press call by praising Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court.
“Judge Kavanaugh is an extremely qualified nominee,” she said, noting that he is a graduate of Yale and Yale Law School.
“He was hired by Supreme Court Justice Kagan to teach at Harvard Law School,” Timken pointed out.
“The Democrats are playing politics with this confirmation hearing,” she added.
The third day of confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court before the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled for Thursday.