just as expected with Trump running the FBI. Justice is starting to look like a nostalgic idea.

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Advise and consent on executive appointments. It's literally the U.S. Senate's job to thoroughly review nominees.

Instead, Republicans are rushing ahead with deeply-flawed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who should have been disqualified long ago. And they're refusing any serious investigations into the allegations against him and a deep review of his record.

I've seen the recent, supplementary FBI report on the into Brett Kavanaugh. This secretive "investigation" was a sham.

The White House prevented the FBI from interviewing at least 28 witnesses with the potential to corroborate stories of Kavanaugh's abuse. They hid hundreds of thousands of pages of records from his work for President Bush from the Senate and the public.

The White House has gone to unprecedented lengths to hide Brett Kavanaugh from scrutiny. And, despite those efforts, it's clear why: he fails nearly every test for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

• Of sterling character. Several women, including Dr. Blasey Ford in her searing testimony, have credibly accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. This is someone who chose to join organizations with reputations for mistreating women. He and his friends used their yearbook pages to humiliate a girl with claims of sexual conquest. There are only nine people out of over 300 million Americans who serve as Supreme Court justices. It's not asking too much for them to be above reproach.
  
• Truthful. Brett Kavanaugh has repeatedly lied under oath to the Senate and the American people -- about his drinking, about other witnesses' statements, about his own involvement in important issues when he worked at the White House. He even said of Donald Trump -- who literally limited his search for a justice to a handful of names on a list prepared by a far-right legal group -- "No president has ever consulted more widely or talked with more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination."
  
• Above partisan politics. Brett Kavanaugh's partisan tantrum, where he ranted at Democrats and concocted conspiracy theories and hinted at retribution, was unlike anything I've witnessed. Nobody could watch that and expect a fair hearing on any politically charged issue.
  
• Independent. Brett Kavanaugh was hand-picked by Trump because he has said that he doesn't believe the President should be subject to prosecution, or even investigation. That may be a vision fit for a king, but it has no place in a democratic republic where no person is above the law.
  
• For a government of, by, and for the People. Brett Kavanaugh has cast serious doubt on the right to safe and legal abortion and birth control. He would endanger coverage for pre-existing conditions. He's repeatedly ruled for the rich and powerful and against workers and consumers.

Brett Kavanaugh fails every test of what we look for in a Supreme Court justice. That's why I'm voting ABSOLUTELY NOT on his nomination, and why I'm suing Donald Trump to stop a Senate vote before a full, real investigation is completed.

This is a railroaded confirmation of a deeply flawed nominee after a process of unprecedented obstruction and obfuscation. America deserves better.

Authors Website: http://jeffmerkley.com

Authors Bio:

US Senator from Oregon