US Senate Democrats to Attend, but Protest Kavanaugh Hearings - Sen. Feinstein

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Democratic members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee will attend the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but will do so while staging a silent protest over documents that are being withheld, Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

"The Democratic Caucus has gathered here today to essentially state a silent protest. We will attend meetings, we will question assiduously, but we want to express our concerns," Feinstein told reporters. "I’ve never had a hearing like this, where documents are so difficult to get."

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Feinstein complained that 93 percent of the records from when Kavanaugh worked in the White House of former President George W. Bush were not released to the committee, and 96 percent of those records are not allowed to be seen by the public.

The Democrats have sent a letter to White House Counsel Don McGahn demanding that all documents related to Kavanaugh be turned over to the committee immediately, Feinstein added.

Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings start on Tuesday and are expected to last the rest of the week.

US President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Kavanaugh on July 9 to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who stepped down from the high court.