Throughout the hearings, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Sen.
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President Trump has ordered the FBI to conduct a limited “supplemental investigation” into his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, to update the judge’s background check, following a deal struck by Senate Republicans to move the nomination forward.
Casting aside the norms of decorum that have traditionally characterized such Senate hearings – norms that Kavanaugh had largely adhered to during his earlier appearances – the nominee appeared unconstrained as he expressed clear hostility toward Democratic members.
Testifying less than an hour after one of his accusers, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, concluded her account of a drunken Kavanaugh holding her against her will at a high school party and sexually assaulting her, he began his defiant testimony in an emphatic voice that crackled with anger before giving way to tears. Dianne Feinstein of California, asked how she could be sure that Kavanaugh was the attacker, Ford said, “The same way I’m sure I’m talking to you right now”. “I worry about every one of these votes”. “Where is the burden?”
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The controversy over sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh spilled into governor’s races across the country as the woman at the center of the claims told her story to a riveted nation.
Asked whether more time or investigating would help, as Democrats suggested repeatedly on Thursday, Flake seemed to reject the idea.
By all appearances, Senate Republicans are about as interested in concerns from the ABA – the “gold standard”, according to Lindsey Graham – as they are in Kavanaugh’s accusers.
There were indications late Thursday that other crucial senators remained undecided. Trump also said Kavanaugh’s testimony had been “incredible”.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, told CNN on Thursday: “As soon as Democrats get gavels we’re going to want to get to the bottom of this”.
“I am nobody’s pawn”, she said.
Testifying first, Ford described to the members of the committee what happened to her at that party in 1982 with Kavanaugh – “the boy who sexually assaulted me”.
Murkowksi was photographed huddling with Sen.
The hearing brought Capitol Hill to a standstill.
Kavanaugh’s testimony could raise questions about his temperament and whether, if he is confirmed, he can ever be seen as a neutral figure on the Supreme Court. Instead, he opted to give a general statement without committing firmly one way or the other on his nomination.
“In the absence of a complete and thorough investigation, and hearing from all parties involved, moving this nomination forward would be a mistake”, Kasich, who has not ruled out a 2020 run, said in a statement.
“This confirmation process has become a national disgrace”, he said.
Rauner’s spokesman said the governor was traveling Thursday and did not watch Ford’s testimony.
“You have replaced “advice and consent” with “search and destroy,” he said, referring to the Constitution’s charge to senators” duties in confirming high officials.
Graham alleged the Democrats’ handling was all about politics. Shortly after I was nominated the Democratic Senate leader said he would “oppose me with everything” he’s got. “And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy”.
Ms Feinstein criticised Republicans who have rejected Democratic demands to slow Mr Kavanaugh’s confirmation process and let the FBI investigate all the allegations, saying: “What I don’t understand is the rush to judgment”. They’ve accused Ford and the other women of making unproven allegations and have questioned why they’d not publicly revealed them for decades. Deborah Ramirez, who came forward with sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, has been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a statement from her attorney, John Clune. Neither did her staff, she maintained. Julie Swetnick said in a document released by lawyer Michael Avenatti that she was at multiple parties with Kavanaugh where “disoriented” girls were drugged and then raped by a “train” of men, while Deborah Ramirez said in an interview with The New Yorker that the judge exposed his genitals at a party.
“Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes”, an emotional Ford told senators and millions of viewers watching on television.
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Asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont for her strongest memory of the alleged incident, Ford mentioned the two boys’ “laughter – the uproarious laughter between the two and they’re having fun at my expense”.
