Kavanaugh: 'I Said a Few Things I Should Not Have Said'

Brett Kavanaugh admits he "might have been too emotional at times" when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week—but he says he will be an impartial judge if confirmed to the Supreme Court. "I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been," he writes in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. "I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said," Kavanaugh writes, explaining that he was "forceful and passionate" because of his "overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused ... of horrible conduct completely contrary to my record and character" and at the "unfairness" of how the sexual assault allegations had been handled.

Kavanaugh, who was criticized for the partisan tone of his testimony and his angry responses to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, among others, says he will be continue to be "hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent, and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good." As a judge, he says, "I have always treated colleagues and litigants with the utmost respect." The Supreme Court "must never be viewed as a partisan institution," he writes, promising to "strive to be a team player" if confirmed. "I revere the Constitution," he writes. "I believe that an independent and impartial judiciary is essential to our constitutional republic." (More than 1,000 law professors signed a letter to the Senate saying Kavanaugh lacks "judicial temperament.")