OH-Sen: Brown won’t back Kavanaugh, says ‘special interests already have armies of lobbyists’
Days after meeting with President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown announced that he would not vote in favor of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment.
Brown made the announcement as his opponent, Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) was criticizing the senator for taking so long to meet with Kavanaugh and accusing him of bowing to party over the people of Ohio.
Here is Brown’s statement about his decision:
“After thoroughly reviewing his record, meeting with him face-to-face, and listening to Ohioans, I am convinced Judge Kavanaugh would side with special interests over working people and threaten the rights of Ohioans,” Brown said. “Special interests already have armies of lobbyists and lawyers on their side. Working people need Justices who will put their rights first, not Justices who will side with insurance companies over cancer survivors, financial scammers over customers, or massive corporations over American workers.”
Brown, considered one of the more liberal senators in Congress, was expected to vote against Kavanaugh. Renacci’s campaign has accused Brown of only pretending to give the nominee a fair shot because it is an election year.
Renacci responds to the announcement
Renacci issued a statement after Brown’s Friday evening announcement, once again hitting the attack that Brown will choose Democratic leadership over Ohio if reelected.
“No one is surprised that one of the most liberal senators who votes in lock-step with Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer would vote against yet another of President Trump’s Supreme Court justices. After voting for 100 percent of President Obama’s judicial nominees, Brown is now putting party loyalty ahead of doing what’s right. Judge Kavanaugh is a thoughtful, experienced jurist who will make an excellent Supreme Court justice. Once again, Sherrod Brown is proving he’s completely out of touch with Ohioans and far too liberal to represent Ohio in the Senate.”
The Republican National Committee echoed that attack in its statement, calling Brown a “knee-jerk obstructionist who blindly obeys party leaders.”
https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/08/27/oh-sen-brown-wont-back-kavanaugh-says-special-interests-already-have-armies-of-lobbyists