ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has written an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal defending his independence and impartiality. He says he was, quote, "subjected to wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations" and that he, quote, "might have been too emotional at times" during his Senate hearing. It's a highly unusual move for a nominee, but then this process has been anything but typical.
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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Say it loud. Say it clear. Kavanaugh's not welcome here. Say it loud. Say it clear. Kavanaugh's not welcome here.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The sound of protesters, some victims of sexual assault, outside the U.S. Capitol today. Inside, the Senate moved closer to a vote on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
SHAPIRO: Since first thing this morning, senators from both parties have been taking hour-long turns in a secure underground room in the Capitol Visitor Center. Inside that room - one copy of the FBI's report on Kavanaugh's expanded background check. The report is confidential and has not been made public. So all we know is what we've heard from senators and people at the White House who have seen it or been briefed on it.
KELLY: In the wee hours of this morning, the White House released a statement saying it had received the report from the FBI and that, quote, "with this additional information, the White House is fully confident the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court."
SHAPIRO: By late morning, Democrats responded.
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DIANNE FEINSTEIN: The most notable part of this report is what's not in it.
SHAPIRO: Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, appeared alongside Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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CHUCK SCHUMER: We had many fears that this was a very limited process that would constrain the FBI from getting all the facts. Having received a thorough briefing on the documents, those fears have been realized. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.