Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah asked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about the pen he has been using to take notes, in a lighthearted exchange Thursday during an otherwise tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
“I do however have a very important question for you: I notice that you take a lot of notes, and I respect that because I can tell you’re paying close attention,” Lee said during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. “You use a Sharpie — and it’s not a fine tip Sharpie, it’s a regular Sharpie that might smudge — why do you prefer that pen?”
WATCH:
.@SenMikeLee asks Judge #Kavanaugh why he uses a @sharpie to take notes.
“So I can see it. It’s nothing scientific.” pic.twitter.com/4yoLU5dUls
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 7, 2018
“Uh, so I can see it,” Kavanaugh replied to a round of laughter throughout the room. “It’s nothing scientific.” (RELATED: Ted Cruz Writes Piece Urging President Trump To Nominate Mike Lee To SCOTUS)
Some praised the moment for allowing the judge to appear more relatable, however, others mocked the exchange.
“A nice thing about taking notes in Sharpie is you can fit about four words per page and they bleed through to the next page too, so you’re pretty much constantly having to flip pages, and this gives the impression of taking meticulous notes even if you’re barely paying attention,” tweeted James Hamblin, a writer at The Atlantic.
“That is the perfect mic drop moment,” Lee responded to Kavanaugh’s answer. “And with that, Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”
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