A group of Democratic senators who are undecided on whether to back Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court are urging further review of a decades-old sexual assault allegation made by a California professor against Kavanaugh.
Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., all said Monday they want to hear more regarding the allegation made by Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University. The three represent states that support President Trump and all three voted for Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. They have so far not said whether they intend to support of oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination.
[Read: Christine Ford’s letter detailing sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh leaked to media]
“Professor Christine Blasey Ford deserves to be heard and Judge Kavanaugh deserves a chance to clear his name. Both have said they are willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and I hope they will be given the opportunity to do that as quickly as possible,” Manchin tweeted Monday.
Heitkamp also said Ford should have the opportunity to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“This is a very serious allegation which should be thoroughly investigated, and it’s up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to do just that,” she said in a statement. “Prof. Ford should be given an opportunity to testify before the committee and she is willing to do so. Judge Kavanaugh has also expressed his willingness to discuss the issue with the committee. It takes courage for any woman to speak up about sexual assault, and we need to respect Prof. Ford by listening to her and hearing her story.”
[Kellyanne Conway: Kavanaugh accuser ‘should not be ignored’]
Donnelly, meanwhile, went a step further than Manchin and Heitkamp and urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, which is scheduled for Thursday.
“The allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh are serious and merit further review,” he said. “Given the nature of these allegations, and the number of outstanding questions, I believe the Judiciary Committee should hold off on Thursday’s scheduled vote.”
Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., who is among the undecided, urged the Senate to halt consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Coming forward is a significant — and brave — step for a victim of assault to take. These disturbing allegations deserve a thorough vetting and the American people deserve answers. We have to hit pause on this process until we have more information,” he tweeted Sunday.
Ford spoke on-the-record with the Washington Post about her alleged encounter with Kavanaugh, which she said occurred during a house party in the early 1980s. Ford claimed Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed, groped her and attempted to remove her clothes.
She said she was able to get away when Kavanaugh’s classmate, who was also in the room, jumped on them.
Kavanaugh denied the allegation, saying in a statement the claim is “completely false.”
“I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said. “Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday.”
Kavanaugh also offered to speak with the Senate Judiciary Committee “in any way the committee deems appropriate.”
Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said Ford is also willing to testify.
The allegation of sexual assault from Ford has thrown Kavanaugh’s confirmation into turmoil as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to vote on his nomination.
Several Republican senators are urging the Judiciary Committee to speak with Ford, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, whose vote is crucial, said both Kavanaugh and Ford should testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement Ford “deserves to be heard,” and vowed to “continue working on a way to hear her out in an appropriate, precedented and respectful manner.”
He said he has been working to schedule follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Ford to evaluate the claims, and would continue to do so.
