Capitol Police arrest a Democrat protester at Tuesday’s hearing.

If the American people want anarchy, they know which party to vote for:

Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday vowed to be a “a neutral and impartial arbiter” if confirmed to the Supreme Court, after a chaotic first day of hearings on Capitol Hill amid political theatrics and protests from Democrats. . . .

[P]rotests from Democratic lawmakers and demonstrators delayed the formal start of proceedings by more than an hour. Within moments of Tuesday’s confirmation hearing kickoff, top Democrats tried to sideline the session with a rapid-fire string of objections concerning access to the nominee’s records.

The spectacle underscored the political nature of the confirmation hearings, coming two months before the midterms and as some senators gear up for a possible 2020 presidential run against President Trump. Several of those senators led the charge Tuesday in objecting to Kavanaugh.

When Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley first tried to deliver opening remarks, Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris raised objections to the committee just receiving a batch of 42,000 documents relating to the nominee’s work with past administrations.

“We cannot possibly move forward,” Harris, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential contender, said.

Grassley told her she was “out of order,” but other Democrats chimed in to back up Harris, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who moved to adjourn.

This prompted applause from some in the audience, and touched off protests and shouting. Then, after New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker added his voice complaining of a “rush,” Grassley countered: “I think you are taking advantage of my decency and my integrity.”

The chaos led Republican Sen. John Cornyn to remark, “This is the first confirmation hearing subject to mob rule.” The Texas senator suggested Democrats would be “held in contempt of court” if they behaved that way in a court of law.

More than an hour and 15 minutes after the hearing began, Grassley moved past Democratic attempts to delay and finally delivered his opening statement, over the sustained shouts of protesters who were being escorted out of the room.

“Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most qualified nominees — if not the most qualified nominee — I have seen,” Grassley said.

The disruptions continued as lawmakers attempted to make opening statements. There were 63 interruptions before the break for lunch.

Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch struggled to deliver his prepared remarks, as protesters audibly shouted over him.

“I think we ought to have this loudmouth removed,” a frustrated Hatch said. “We shouldn’t have to put up with this kind of stuff.”

Grassley acknowledged it was one of the most unruly openings of any Supreme Court hearing, saying “this is something I’ve never gone through before in 15 Supreme Court nominations.”

The Capitol Police said they arrested 70 people on Tuesday.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin defended the outbursts.

“What we’ve heard is the noise of democracy,” Durbin said. “This is what happens in a free country when people can stand up and speak and not be jailed, imprisoned, tortured or killed because of it.”

The Noise of Democracy™ — excellent campaign slogan! Go for it!

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

More from The Daily Signal: “Fox News’ Shannon Bream reported that Kavanaugh’s daughters were escorted out of the hearing room as the interruptions continued.” Imagine that — Democrats turned a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into such a frightening experience that it was not safe for children.

As was confirmed during the hearings, Democrats planned these disruptions during a conference call over Labor Day weekend led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and, furthermore, witnesses saw people being paid to stand in line to enter the hearings. In other words, Democrats spent money to make sure dozens of hecklers got into the Senate hearing room to stage these planned disruptions during the proceedings. This was thuggery — a hired mob using protests as a terroristic intimidation tactic. This is not “democracy,” it’s an invitation to chaos.







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