- Sen. Leahy sharply criticized Sen. Graham over his line of questioning of Ketanji Brown Jackson.
- Leahy said Graham's conduct was "beyond the pale," adding that the Republican was "badgering" Jackson.
- Graham has used the Jackson hearings to air grievances about past judicial confirmations.
Sen. Patrick Leahy on Wednesday criticized Sen. Lindsey Graham over his line of questioning of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearings, describing the South Carolina Republican's behavior as "beyond the pale."
After the Vermont Democrat left the Judiciary Committee hearing, NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali described him as "livid" at Jackson's treatment. The veteran lawmaker proceeded to criticize Graham, who in the past voted to confirm the two Supreme Court justices nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama — Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
"As the Dean of the Senate … I'm just distressed to see this kind of a complete breakdown of what's normally the way the Senate's handled," Leahy told Vitali.
The veteran Democratic lawmaker said that Graham was "badgering" Jackson, who is currently a judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Despite the sharp line of questioning from Judiciary Republicans, Leahy expressed confidence in Jackson's confirmation, reaffirming his desire for her to join the high court.
"She'll be confirmed," he told Vitali. "It'll be a tremendous improvement to the Supreme Court but it's been a sad day for the US Senate."
During his opening statements on Monday, Leahy was highly complimentary of Jackson's background and said that she was "writing a new page in the history of America" simply with her presence in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Judge Jackson's nomination is a reflection of the arc of our democracy — the arc that bends toward justice, as Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] once said. ... Judge Jackson's story, and her nomination today, is part of the evolving story of America."
Graham, who has generally been one of the few Republicans to back some lower court judicial nominees nominated by Democratic presidents – including his support of Jackson when she was tapped for the District of Columbia appeals court last year — has so far delivered sharp questioning for the judge.
In recent days, Graham has aired grievances over President Joe Biden's selection of Jackson over J. Michelle Childs, a judge on the US District Court for the District of South Carolina that the Republican had openly praised as a potential Supreme Court nominee who would have garnered significant bipartisan support.
Graham also used his time to pick apart Jackson's record on sentencing for child pornography offenders, as well as relitigate the confirmation hearings of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had been accused of sexual assault.
The Republican lawmaker continued to accuse Democrats of withholding information regarding the allegations against Kavanaugh as a way to undercut his pending confirmation. Democrats — with the exception of Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California — said that they were as unaware of the Kavanaugh allegations as their GOP colleagues.
"He [Kavanaugh] was ambushed. How would you feel if we did that to you?" Graham asked Jackson.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois quickly responded to Graham's line of questioning.
"She's had nothing to do with the Kavanaugh hearings," he told the Republican.