Dem Senators Dramatically Walk Out Of Hearing As Cory Booker Rips Grassley Over Emil Bove Vote

Forbes Breaking News

Democratic Senators storm out of the Senate Judiciary Committee as Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) rails against Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for advancing the confirmation of controversial judicial nominee Emil Bove.

Transcript

00:00stamp. Neither the committee nor the judiciary is well served by our learned and servile

00:06helplessness. I yield back. I will now go to voting because we have competing markups and

00:15other committees and people have to leave here soon. We'll go to Bovee's nomination. The clerk

00:21will call the roll. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, point of personal privilege. Mr. Chairman,

00:27according to rule four of the committee, we have the right to continue to debate this nomination.

00:34I'm invoking rule four of the committee. We have the right to debate this nomination.

00:38You're out of order. I'm seconding Senator Booker's demand for a vote on his request to hear from the

00:44whistleblower. Mr. Chairman, you should at least acknowledge my rule four point of order. I don't

00:51understand this. What are you afraid of about even debating this, putting things on the record

00:57hearing from every senator? Dear God, that's what our obligations are. It's to state our reasons for

01:04debate. At least address the rule four point of order that we're calling. There's no needs to rush

01:10this. What are we afraid of? We're not pressing for the two-hour rule like you all did when you

01:15were in the minority. We're simply asking for a credible amount of time to air our concerns before

01:21the vote. We respect each other in this committee. We respect the understanding that we have things

01:27to say. But yet we're doing this in a way that makes no sense to me. And it makes no sense to me

01:33because we're not trying to do things like force the committee to close or force a two-hour rule.

01:38This is about understanding that people on this side have a responsibility to state their issues.

01:45Mr. Sir, you could call me out of order because this is out of order. This undermines the basic

01:51decency of this committee. Yes, maybe overrule a rule four, but at least address the rule four point

01:57of order that senators were elected to debate issues and debate nominees. This is absolutely insane.

02:05What is the rush? Sir, I am interrupting because you're interrupting a regular point of order.

02:12At least address my point of order. I have the right to do that by the rules of this committee.

02:17If you want to overrule the rules of committee, then do so. But this is not in any way in order.

02:23You are obligated to address a point of order according to the rules of this committee. You

02:29could overrule me by a Senate vote. You're violating your own rules. The parliamentarian has

02:34been clear about this. The parliamentarian has been clear. You could overrule the point of order

02:41I'm doing. But you have to follow the precedents and procedures of this committee. This is

02:47outrageous that you're not allowing senators to have their fair say before a controversial

02:52nominee is being done. This is unbelievable. This is unjust. This is wrong. It is the further

03:00deterioration of this committee's integrity. With a person like this, what are you afraid of?

03:04Are you afraid of hearing from Chris Coons? From hearing from one of my colleagues? From hearing

03:10from Adam Schiff? What is the fear here? Have at least the decency to have a vote on my point of

03:16order regarding rule four. I have respect for you, Mr. Chairman. We've served together for more than a

03:22decade. But this is outrageous. This is unacceptable. This is wrong. It is wrong. And why? Why?

03:32What is the rush to take another half hour to listen to people? What is the rush? What are we afraid of,

03:39Mr. Chairman? What are we afraid of? I do not understand why senators can't debate a nominee as

03:46we've done when both sides have been in the majority to take the time. What is the thing that you are so

03:52afraid of from hearing from my Senate colleagues? This is a violation of the precedents of this committee.

03:59We're not trying some stunt here to try to force a two-hour rule like you all did when you were in the

04:05minority. We just want to be heard before a controversial vote. Sir, this is wrong. And you know it. You are a

04:14person of integrity. How could you be doing this? At least have a vote on my point of order. Sir, with all

04:20appeals to your decency, with all appeals to your integrity, with all appeals to past jurisdiction and past

04:27president, why are you doing this? This is outrageous. This is a kangaroo court. That's what

04:33we have here, Mr. Chairman. This is wrong to violate your own rules without going by the mandates of the

04:40parliamentarian. This is unbelievable. There's a way to do this. If you want to force this through,

04:47if you want to ram this through, there's a way to do it in accordance to the rules as spelled out

04:53by the parliamentarian. It is simple. It is clear. There's a pathway to achieve what you're trying to

05:00achieve. But sir, this lacks decency. It lacks decorum. It shows that you do not want to simply

05:08hear from your colleagues. This is absolutely wrong. And sir, this is to me one of those moments

05:16where we are not showing common respect for each other on both sides. I have sat here when we were in

05:22the majority and listened to my colleagues' arguments, listened to their passionate statements,

05:26and then we voted. This is not that. This is us simply trying to rush through one of the most

05:33controversial nominees we've had under this presidential administration. Sir, God bless America.

05:39You are a good man. You are a decent man. Why are you doing this? What is Donald Trump saying to you

05:45that are making you do something which is violating the decorum of this committee, the rules of this

05:51committee, the decency and the respect that we have each other, to at least hear each other out?

05:57I've sat through so many long speeches of my colleagues, heard their objections,

06:03listened with sincerity to try to see what their arguments are. But we are not doing that. Sir,

06:09this is wrong. And you know it. There are some people on this committee who are the least firebrand

06:14people, and they've walked out. Some of the least controversial people in the Senate, some of the

06:20people that worked the hardest to find bipartisan common ground, have just walked out of this committee.

06:25And you don't even seem to care, but I know you do. I know your heart, Senator Grassley. This is wrong.

06:32I know the kind of person you are, and you know this is wrong. There's no, this is not necessary.

06:37What is another half an hour to allow senators to be heard? It's what the Constitution mandates.

06:43It's the ideals of the United States Senate. The world's most deliberative body should take

06:48a decent amount of time to deliberate. But here we're not doing that. Here we are jamming this

06:54through with some sense of false urgency. It's one thing not to hear from whistleblowers. It's

07:00another thing not to hold another hearing. But to not even allow my colleagues to have their moment

07:06to speak against this justice, it's just wrong. And I know you know this. I know you know this.

07:12The only time this rule has ever been overturned by both parties was done when one minority was

07:19trying to pull some stunt to stop the committee from hearing. This is not that. This is not the

07:25two-hour rule. This is a basic element of the ideals of this committee, sir. It is the basic

07:31understanding of having debate and deliberation. It's a basic understanding of we can listen to each

07:38other even if we disagree. That we should have time and space and a forum to listen. Sir, this is just

07:45wrong in every way. It is wrong in every single way. This is an abuse of power. It's an undermining of

07:54the well-being and the integrity of this Senate and this committee that for so long I've been so

08:00honored to be a part of. This is wrong, sir, and I join with my colleagues in leaving. This is a sham.

08:06Majority vote. This is wrong. We'll report. We're better than this.

08:09Pratt to the floor. Now we'll have to vote on these nominees for U.S. Attorney because

08:17we don't have enough people on the other side so we can't do it by voice vote. So the clerk will call

08:23the roll on Kurt Olmey.

08:25Mr. Grant. Aye.

08:27Mr. Hornet. Aye.

08:29Mr. Lee. Aye.

08:30Mr. Cruz.

08:31Confused by the sense of quiet. Aye.

08:34Mr. Hawley. Aye.

08:36Mr. Tillich. Aye.

08:38Mr. Kennedy. Aye.

08:39Aye, by proxy.

08:40Mr. Blackburn. Aye.

08:42Mr. Schmidt. Aye.

08:44Mr. Britt. Aye.

08:46Mr. Lee. Aye.

08:48Mr. Durbin.

08:49Mr. Whitehouse.

08:51Mr. Pollock.

08:52Mr. Schitt.

08:53Mr. Foots.

08:54Mr. Blumenfeld.

08:55Mr. Morono.

08:56Mr. Fulker.

08:58Mr. Favea.

08:59Mr. Welch.

09:01Mr. Schitt.

09:02Chairman Grassley.

09:03Aye.

09:05Mr. Schitt.

09:06Mr. Bullock.

09:07Mr. Hogan.

09:08Okay, that Kurt Olmey favorably voted, will be reported to the floor.

09:16Now we'll vote on Leslie Woods Murphy.

09:19Call the roll, please.

09:24Mr. Grant.

09:25Aye.

09:25Mr. Cornett.

09:26Aye.

09:27Mr. Leach.

09:28Aye.

09:29Mr. Cruz.

09:30Aye.

09:31Mr. Hawley.

09:31Aye.

09:32Mr. Tillis.

09:33Aye.

09:34Mr. Kennedy.

09:37I bear proxy.

09:39Mrs. Blackburn.

09:40Aye.

09:41Mr. Smith.

09:42Aye.

09:43Mrs. Britt.

09:44Aye.

09:45Mrs. Booney.

09:46Aye.

09:47Mr. Durbin.

09:48Mr. Whitehouse.

09:49Mr. Kovachar.

09:51Mr. Koosh.

09:53Mr. Blumenthal.

09:54Mr. Hirono.

09:55Mr. Booker.

09:57Mr. Padilla.

09:58Mr. Welch.

10:00Mr. Schiff.

10:01Chairman Grassley.

10:03Aye.

10:04On this vote, the ayes are closed.

10:06Yeah, the ayes have it.

10:07Nomination would be favorably reported.

10:10Now we go to nominee for Jean Perreault.

10:14The clerk will call the roll.

10:16Mr. Grant.

10:17Aye.

10:17Mr. Corning.

10:19Aye.

10:19Mr. Lee.

10:20Aye.

10:21Aye.

10:22Mr. Cruz.

10:23Mr. Hawley.

10:25Mr. Tillis.

10:26Aye.

10:27Mr. Kennedy.

10:28Aye, by proxy.

10:29Mrs. Blackburn.

10:30Aye.

10:31Mr. Schmidt.

10:33Aye.

10:33Mrs. Britt.

10:34Aye.

10:35Mrs. Moody.

10:36Aye.

10:37Mr. Durbin.

10:39Mr. Whitehouse.

10:40Mr. Kovachar.

10:42Mr. Foon.

10:43Mr. Blumenthal.

10:45Mr. Romo.

10:45Mr. Booker.

10:47Mr. Foon.

10:48Mr. Foon.

10:48Mr. Welch.

10:49Mr. Schiff.

10:51Chairman Grassley.

10:52Aye.

10:53On this vote, the ayes are 12th.

10:57The nomination will be favorably reported to the floor.

11:01The last one is, no, I'm sorry.

11:04Eric Siebert.

11:08Clerk will call the roll.

11:10Mr. Graham.

11:11Aye.

11:12Mr. Kornick.

11:13Aye.

11:13Mr. Lee.

11:14Aye.

11:15Mr. Cruz.

11:16Aye.

11:17Mr. Hawley.

11:18Aye.

11:19Mr. Tillis.

11:19Aye.

11:20Mr. Kennedy.

11:22Proxy.

11:24Oh, aye, by proxy.

11:26Mrs. Blackburn.

11:27Aye.

11:28Mr. Schmidt.

11:29Aye.

11:30Mrs. Britt.

11:31Aye.

11:32Mrs. Wheatley.

11:32Aye.

11:33Mr. Durbin.

11:35Mr. Whitehouse.

11:37Ms. Klobuchar.

11:38Mr. Coons.

11:39Mr. Blumenthal.

11:41Ms. Rono.

11:42Mr. Booker.

11:43Mr. Padilla.

11:45Mr. Welch.

11:46Mr. Schiff.

11:47Jeremy Grassley.

11:48Aye.

11:50On this vote, the ayes are 12th.

11:52The ayes have it.

11:53The nomination will be favorably reported.

11:55Now, Kurt Wall for Middle District of Louisiana.

11:59Call the roll.

12:02Mr. Grant.

12:03Aye.

12:04Mr. Corning.

12:05Aye.

12:05Mr. Lee.

12:06Aye.

12:07Mr. Cruz.

12:08Aye.

12:09Mr. Hawley.

12:10Aye.

12:11Mr. Tillis.

12:11Aye.

12:12Mr. Kennedy.

12:13I have a proxy.

12:15Mrs. Blackburn.

12:16Aye.

12:17Mr. Schmidt.

12:18Aye.

12:19Mrs. Britt.

12:19Aye.

12:20Mrs. Moody.

12:21Aye.

12:22Mr. Durbin.

12:23Aye.

12:24Mr. Whitehouse.

12:26Mr. Klobuchar.

12:27Mr. Coons.

12:29Mr. Blumenthal.

12:30Mr. Corona.

12:31Mr. Cooker.

12:33Mr. Capilla.

12:35Mr. Welch.

12:36Mr. Schitt.

12:37Chairman Grassley.

12:39Aye.

12:40On this vote, the ayes are 12th.

12:42That will be favorably reported.

12:44Before you disband, I'd like to have everybody that's here know that what happened here today

12:51is no different than when Democrats cut off debate on Judge Kashubi and Judge Lee against Republican

12:59protests to continue to debate in November of 2023.

13:04In that markup, Senator Blackburn and others were not offered an opportunity to speak on those

13:09nominees, and Chairman Durbin ordered the vote, just like the obstruction we saw here, I ordered

13:17the vote this time.

13:18So if you'll spread that word that this is not unprecedented, either the actions of the

13:24minority walking away or what we did here as a majority, it's happened before, and we have

13:33to move things along, and I thank everybody for participating.

13:38Meeting adjourned.

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