“The attempt by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley to hide critical portions of the record amassed by Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his time on the White House staff is an egregious partisan move that taints the confirmation process. Judge Kavanaugh would likely cast the deciding vote on Supreme Court challenges to women’s reproductive rights and access to abortion, issues regarding religious freedom, and even on the ability of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to complete a full investigation of the role of the Trump administration in Russian interference in the American election process.

“By hiding Kavanaugh’s full record, Grassley seeks to shield files that would shed light on Kavanaugh’s views of critical issues at stake then and now. Even worse, it could expose information that would contradict the testimony Kavanaugh gave in his confirmation hearing for the DC Court of Appeals, where he now sits. Senator Grassley made his intentions quite clear by limiting his request to the National Archives to only those files pertaining to Kavanaugh’s role as counsel to President George W. Bush, and leaving the files stemming from Kavanaugh’s role as the president’s staff secretary in the warehouse to which they were consigned on January 20, 2009.

“It was reported before the Supreme Court nomination was made that Sen. Mitch McConnell warned against Kavanaugh because his extensive paper trail stemming from his time on the staff of President Bush — where he played a key role coordinating policy — would cause delays and allow those opposed to Kavanaugh’s appointment to see too much. Senator Grassley has solved that problem for the administration by denying the rest of us access to the full record. If this nomination process is to be fair and transparent to all, this decision must be reversed.”