Grassley calls for Judge Jackson records amid GOP scrutiny over child porn sentencing; White House pushes back

Sen. Chuck Grassley is calling for records related to Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson’s time on the U.S. Sentencing Commission ahead of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing next week, amid Republican claims she was overly lenient to child pornographers -- a charge that the White House is branding a "debunked" and "desperate" conspiracy theory.

"Judge Jackson’s history of sentencing below guidelines, particularly in cases involving child exploitation, raises legitimate questions about her views on penalties for these crimes," Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement on Saturday.

"This is exactly why I asked for her Sentencing Commission records – the same types of records the committee traditionally reviews when vetting a Supreme Court nominee," he said. 

Grassley said the records from the Sentencing Commission were being withheld and said that a full review could not properly be conducted without them.