South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham used his time meant to question Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday to air a litany of grievances before storming off in a huff, drawing mockery from attorneys and political figures.
Mr Graham appeared upset that a number of prominent liberal groups had supported Ms Jackson over a South Carolina judge, Michelle Childs, who was also considered for the Supreme Court seat Ms Jackson will fill if confirmed by the Senate.
He also took issue with legal arguments she made while acting as a defence attorney representing accused enemy combatants detained at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Ms Jackson repeatedly denied any knowledge or involvement with what Mr Graham characterised as attacks on Ms Childs, who President Joe Biden has nominated to fill the District of Columbia Circuit Court seat Ms Jackson will vacate upon joining the high court.
Attorney and Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin also weighed in on Graham’s lines of questioning, calling them “simply bizarre”.
“Let's be clear, Sen. Graham knew LAST YEAR WHEN HE VOTED TO CONFIRM HER FOR THE US COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE D.C.
CIRCUIT about Judge Jackson's prior work as a federal public defender, her affiliations, her opinions, her positions on issues, etc,” she wrote. »