Sen. John Cornyn blasted Sen. Dick Durbin over what he said was him ‘destroying’ the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing that ended with conservative activists being subpoenaed.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, blasted Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., during a hearing Thursday that ended in Democrats subpoenaing Republican donor Harlan Crow and conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to subpoena Crow and Leo after consideration of several judicial nominees. In his opening remarks, Durbin said the subpoenas are “key pieces of our legislative effort to establish an effective code of conduct” for the Supreme Court.
The hearing contained several contentious moments, with Republican committee members warning of precedents they said Democrats were setting with their actions. Cornyn fired directly at Durbin after allegedly not allowing Republicans to speak.
“Mr. Chairman, you just destroyed one of the most important committees in the United States Senate,” Cornyn said. “And you set a precedent, which will be repeated every time one party or the other takes advantage and takes the low road.
