U.S. Sen. Cory Booker says that he is willing to be expelled from the Senate after releasing emails deemed "committee confidential” related to U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Booker says that it's the closest he'll ever come to having an 'I Am Spartacus' moment.

"I will stand up and do what is right. I broke no Senate law. But if somebody wants to make that charge and they're not just empty threats from a bully - if it's a real substantive charge, bring it,” Booker said.

The emails were related to Kavanaugh’s views on racial profiling. Kavanaugh, who worked under the Bush administration, had written in part that he was in favor of adopting a "race-neutral" system for airports post 9/11.

When Booker said that he would release those emails Thursday, it led to this response from Texas Sen. John Cornyn: “Running for president is no excuse for violating the rules of the Senate or of the confidentiality of the documents that we are privy to."

Republicans say that the emails were already cleared for release Thursday. The Bush attorney reviewing those records called Booker's actions "histrionics."  The senator said that only happened because he publicly shamed them.

"Yesterday I broke these sham committee confidential rules. I accept full responsibility for what I'm doing,” Booker said.

The last time a senator was expelled from the U.S. Senate was in 1862.

Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy who retired earlier this year. Booker and other Democrats in Congress have been trying to stop Kavanaugh’s confirmation because they say that they believe that he will be too conservative for the Supreme Court.