From the outset of Brett Kavanaugh s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Democrats have hammered home this message: The Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are making it impossible for committee members to probe the views of President Donald Trump s nominee on the issues he will ultimately rule on by shrouding the nominee in secrecy.

Kavanaugh has held multiple high-profile roles in both the judiciary and the political world, but Republicans have severely restricted the release of records documenting his discussions about major legal issues while holding those positions. Republicans requested only a sliver of Kavanaughs record and then labeled 40 percent of what they did receive confidential.

Rushing to judgment on the nominee amid this lack of transparency is wrong, Democrats argue. Kavanaughs confirmation hearings could wait until the records are released and lawmakers have had time to examine them.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) set the tone on Tuesday by calling the confirmation hearings a charade and a mockery of our norms. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) added that the Judiciary Committee cannot possibly proceed without all of the documents. And every other Democrat on the panel has agreed since that the committee should delay its proceedings because of the lack of disclosure. But the committee did not.