Brett Kavanaugh Admits He Was ‘Too Emotional’ At Times During His Hearing

In the lead up to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation vote, there’s been a lot of talk about whether Kavanaugh’s temperament is suited for the Supreme Court, primarily due to how he behaved during his hearing last Thursday.

The hearing was a time for the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask Kavanaugh questions about sexual assault allegations against him, and throughout the process, he seethed with rage. He cried multiple times, talked back to senators, and dodged questions. Even one retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice has now come out and said maybe Kavanaugh shouldn’t be on the Supreme Court because of his performance during the testimony.

Kavanaugh responded to these criticisms in a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled, “I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge.” In the piece, he writes about his background, his approach to law, and the recent allegations.

“After all those meetings and after my initial hearing concluded, I was subjected to wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations,” he writes. “My time in high school and college, more than 30 years ago, has been ridiculously distorted. My wife and daughters have faced vile and violent threats.”

He says his testimony at Thursday’s hearing was “forceful and passionate” because he “forcefully and passionately” denies the allegations against him. “At times, my testimony—both in my opening statement and in response to questions—reflected my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused, without corroboration, of horrible conduct completely contrary to my record and character,” he writes.

Admitting that he was “very emotional” at the hearing, he writes that he might have been “too emotional at times” and that he’s aware his tone was sharp and he said some things he shouldn’t have. “I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters.”

The op-ed is Kavanaugh’s last-ditch effort to convince Senators to confirm him. The final vote for his confirmation could happen as early as Saturday.