Who could forget the televised “trial” of then-Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh? It was a deja vu moment for all who remember the controversy surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas’ nomination process. Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee with their written statements before the committee voted on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Although eventually approved, America watched as Kavanaugh gave an emotional statement before a bitterly divided committee.

A recent excerpt from “Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court,” written by Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino, revealed the moment leading up to his statement. The book, set for release Tuesday, details Kavanaugh’s nomination process and how Leftist hostility will play into future nomination processes.

Fox News has the excerpt:

So shortly before noon on Wednesday, the team submitted to the committee an early draft that they knew would need more work. It consisted of seven fairly dry, biographical paragraphs but ended with the promise of more: “Additional testimony to follow.” Ford submitted her testimony, a close approximation of the statement she would deliver the following day, at around 5 p.m.

Less than two hours later, the Avenatti allegations of gang rape broke. A White House aide suggested to Chris Michel, the former clerk and Bush speechwriter helping Kavanaugh prepare his remarks, that he tear up what he had and start over. The campaign to keep him from being seated had just escalated to accusations of serial gang rape.

It was time to get angry. Kavanaugh had already taken that advice. Michel had presented him earlier in the day with his rough draft of the speech, timed to last about 10 minutes. The judge retreated into his office and spent the next several hours rewriting and dramatically expanding the draft. The White House kept asking to see it and he kept declining. Finally, he told them they weren’t going to see a draft. McGahn never insisted that he share it, choosing to trust him.

Ford may have been the one who insisted on unlimited time for opening statements, but it was Kavanaugh who took advantage of that opportunity, with a statement that stretched for nearly 45 minutes. He knew that it would be his one opportunity to make his case directly to the American people, and he would take all the time he needed.

Kavanaugh finished writing his remarks the night before, the authors wrote, but made one addition the day of the testimony – adding a story about his daughter Liza saying they should pray for Blasey Ford.

Kavanaugh’s hearing before a partisan-driven committee felt more like a witch trial. Emotions were high as even more outlandish accusations came out, but Kavanaugh showed the American people that he would not back down to the lies of a politically motivated mob. More importantly, he showed he belonged on the bench.