Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse broke the tension of the long, 11-hour confirmation hearing of Justice Neil Gorsuch with a bit of humanizing humor on Monday.
Having just come away from a grilling by Sen. Al Franken that actually prompted an eye roll from Gorusch at one point, Ben Sasse took his turn. Instead of continuing with a thread of gotcha questions, Sasse — as is in his nature — decided to inject a bit of humor to break the tension.
"My wife also sent me a text a little bit ago and said — and I'm sure she didn't expect me to read it, but — 'How in the world is Gorsuch able to go so many hours at a time without peeing?'" Sasse asked, reading from his phone.
This was enough to send Gorsuch, and the room, into a laughing fit.
"I won't make you answer, but the SCOTUS bladder is something the whole country stands in awe of," Sasse said.
Watch below:
Sen. Ben Sasse asked Gorsuch about the "SCOTUS bladder" https://t.co/dJ8QUqU0yg #GorsuchHearing https://t.co/DJDuu54crj— Washington Examiner (@Washington Examiner) 1490129813.0
This was undoubtedly a welcome change for Gorsuch, who mentioned that this confirmation process has taken a heavy toll on his family, something he says he regrets having to have done.