Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee joined with protesters to interrupt Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee chairman, during his opening statement, and the first hour of the hearing was quickly swallowed up by crosstalk.

The "mob rule" vibe, as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called it at one point, led to some noteworthy whispered quips, as lawmakers kept reacting off-camera to the proceedings with their microphones still turned on. In the midst of some lively protests, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) can be overheard encouraging Grassley to "demand order," while at one point Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) noted reporting from NBC News' Kasie Hunt that the Democrats' disruption had been coordinated via a phone call Monday. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was not impressed with Tillis' point, muttering, "This is outrageous."