Mitch McConnell says Brett Kavanaugh will get vote before election

Judge Brett Kavanaugh will get a vote on the Senate floor before this year’s congressional elections, the chamber’s top Republican vowed Tuesday, insisting there’s a limit to how long Democrats will be allowed to delay.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they’re trying to reach an agreement with Democrats over access to documents from Judge Kavanaugh’s extensive government service. Mr. McConnell said they’re willing to wait for “reasonable and relevant” documents.

But he said he won’t allow the feud to derail the nomination.

“We’re going to finish this nomination this fall, and so let there be no misunderstanding that there would be any kind of delaying tactic that would take us past the first Tuesday in November,” he said.

Democrats are determined to drag out the confirmation process as long as possible, hoping to keep it a live issue at least through the election and, if possible, into the new year, when Democrats hope to control the Senate and be able to defeat President Trump’s court pick.

But Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said the demand for documents is about fairness and vetting, not about delays.

Mr. Schumer said Republicans demanded the same kinds of documents for President Obama’s second high court nominee, the eventual Justice Elena Kagan, and Democrats complied.

“What are Judge Kavanaugh and the Republicans hiding? Why are they so adverse to documents when they were so eager for them with Elena Kagan?” Mr. Schumer said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said he suspects Judge Kavanaugh may have misled Congress in his previous testimony when he won his appeals court judgeship. Mr. Leahy said getting a look at 1 million documents from Judge Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush White House would settle those concerns.