Joe Scarborough Rips ‘Grandstander’ Josh Hawley For Slamming Judge Jackson’s Record: ‘He Just Lies, Engages in Demagoguery’

Joe Scarborough laced into Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) over his criticism for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s sentencing record amid her nomination to the Supreme Court.

As Morning Joe discussed Jackson’s first round of confirmation hearings, Scarborough observed that Republicans had a “fixation” in complaining about Brett Kavanuagh’s confirmation saga instead of focusing on the matter at hand.

“Yesterday they seemed transfixed talking about Kavanaugh,” he said. “It’s almost like they didn’t want to talk about the history happening right in front of them.”

Scarborough eventually called out Hawley when he honed in on the senator’s announcement that he will raise his concerns about Jackson’s judicial decisions on child pornography cases. Scarborough called this as typical of Hawley as he noted how Fox News legal analyst and National Review contributing editor Andrew McCarthy just called the senator’s criticisms for Jackson “disingenuous” and “meritless to the point of demagoguery.”

“It’s what Josh Hawley does,” Scarborough said. “He just lies, he engages in demagoguery. While we’re having hearings about the Capitol being ransacked, he’s sitting up there, crossing his legs in the balcony, pretending like he’s not paying attention. He’s a grandstander, he’s not a serious guy.”

Axios’ Jonathan Swan was on the panel, and he predicted the “narrow attack” on Jackson’s sentencing decisions “will probably be restricted to Hawley, maybe a couple of others.” He also suggested that other Republicans might take broader swipes at her by suggesting she has an empathy for criminals.

Watch above, via MSNBC.