In response to release of documents designated “committee confidential” for the confirmation hearing on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker issued the following statement:

“Now that we’ve seen some of the documents that Chairman Grassley and Bill Burck have withheld from the public, two things are apparent. The first is that Brett Kavanaugh’s paper trail continues to underscore all the major concerns that have been raised about his nomination. He plainly challenges the idea that Roe v Wade is settled law. He used conservative buzzwords to disparage programs aimed at ensuring equal justice regardless of race. And it’s clear he repeatedly misled the Senate Judiciary Committee in his testimony during his DC Circuit nomination. Second, and just as important, is how clear it is that Senator Grassley has used the committee confidential designation in order to hide documents from the public. None of the important documents we’ve seen endanger national security or include personal information like Social Security numbers. The only reason to mark these documents as confidential is to hide them form the American people.

“At this point it’s obvious that the public needs to see all of Brett Kavanaugh’s record, including the 100,000 pages of documents requested by Chairman Grassley which even members or the committee have been prevented from reviewing in addition to three years’ worth of documents from Kavanaugh’s time as Staff Secretary. This is a lifetime seat on the federal bench. The idea that the Senate should move forward with only a fraction of Kavanaugh’s record is absurd.”