Dems Walk Out Of Federal Judge Nomination After Cory Booker Meltdown

Senator Cory Booker went on an eight-minute rant Thursday as the Senate considered one of President Donald Trump’s nominees to the federal bench, going so far as to accuse a colleague of violating Senate rules.

The New Jersey Democrat exploded during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Emil Bove, whom Trump tapped to serve on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. When Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) moved to bring Bove’s nomination to a full Senate vote, Booker jumped in, citing a rule he said gave senators the right to debate the nomination. Grassley called Booker to order while continuing to call for the vote to proceed.

Booker has campaigned against Bove since Trump tapped him for the position, writing a letter accusing Bove of hiding information related to the Epstein files, which have been under heavy scrutiny recently.

In response to Grassley’s call for a vote, Booker objected, asking, “What are you afraid of even debating this? Putting things on the record, hearing from every Senator, dear God, that’s what our obligations are.”

Grassley attempted to call Booker to order, but Booker continued, his voice cracking, “You could call me out of order, because this is out of order.”

While Booker railed at Grassley, the chairman continued to call for votes for the nominations of other potential appointees.

“This is a kangaroo court,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said before she stood up to leave with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).

“You are a good man,” Booker said. “You are a decent man. Why are you doing this? What is Donald Trump saying to you that are [sic] making you do something which is violating the decorum of this committee, the rules of this committee, the decency and the respect that we have [sic] each other to at least hear each other out?”

Democrats have argued that Bove is a controversial nominee based on past whistleblower allegations that, in his position as an attorney at the Department of Justice, he “stated that DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘f**k you'” and ignore orders to stop the deportation of illegal aliens.

Democrats also criticized Bove for dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and investigating officials who worked on cases related to January 6.

Booker recognized in his speech that the committee had the right to deny his request after a vote and continued to berate Grassley’s indifference to his request.

“Sir, this is just wrong in every way,” Booker said before leaving and joining the other Democrats who had stormed out.

In a follow-up post on X, Booker asked, “What are Republicans afraid of? Why won’t they hear the truth about Trump’s unfit nominee, Emil Bove? Americans deserve the truth.”