Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) on Thursday released copies of emails from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that Republicans had previously refused to make public.

Holy shit



Cornyn reads a rule saying "any senator...who discloses the secret or confidential business or proceedings of the senate" shall be expelled or dismissed from the senate



Booker looks him dead in the eye and says, "Bring it." pic.twitter.com/eOdx2Z1RST — Melanie Schmitz (@MelsLien) September 6, 2018

The documents were released shortly after a heated confrontation between Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. The move came despite threats from Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) to expel the senators from the body.

“Bring it,” Booker replied.

It doesn’t appear that Booker and Hirono actually violated any Senate rules in posting the documents. A spokesman for Bill Burck, the Republican lawyer who is overseeing the approvals, told The Washington Post that the emails Booker released were cleared last night.

A spokesman for Hirono told HuffPost that she was not aware whether the emails had been approved before she posted them.

Read the emails below:

Now Mazie Hirono releases this committee confidential document where Kavanaugh wrote that government programs targeting Native Hawaiians “as a group” is “of questionable validity under the Constitution” and would be “subject to strict scrutiny” pic.twitter.com/laHJYk7dsX — Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 6, 2018

This article has been updated to reflect that Republicans say the emails were cleared to be released before Booker and Hirono made them public.