Sen. John Kennedy attempted to shame the unknown leaker of Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault accusation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, as well as her attorneys, on Friday, advising them to “hide your head in a bag every day for the rest of your natural life.”
Kennedy, a Republican who said he would support Kavanaugh’s nomination, did not specify that he was speaking about Ford’s attorneys, but the context of his remarks made that clear.
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“To the person who leaked Dr. Ford’s letter, to the person who breached Dr. Ford’s anonymity, and to the person who did not tell her she could have avoided this by testifying privately in her home in California, you know who you are. You should bow your head in shame in my opinion, and you should hide your head in a bag every day for the rest of your natural life,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy made the remarks as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepared to vote along party lines to confirm Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
The committee’s final consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination follows Thursday testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh.
Ford testified on Thursday that she was not aware that it was possible for Senate investigators to visit her in California to question her about the allegations.
Ford also testified that her initial two lawyers, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, were recommended by the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Katz and Banks dealt with Ford’s early negotiations with committee staff on testifying. Attorney Michael Bromwich, who also represents former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, joined her team this weekend.
In negotiations with committee staff, Ford’s legal team had cited her fear of flying from California to Washington as a reason to delay her testimony.
Ford alleged in a July letter to Feinstein that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, attempted to remove her clothes, and covered her mouth when she was 15 and he was 17. She testified Thursday that she did not intend to make her accusation public, but chose to do so after her letter was leaked to the media, and reporters made clear to her that they knew her identity.
Feinstein denied leaking the letter, but Kavanaugh alleged during his Thursday testimony that the accusation was used as a back-up plan to derail his nomination after he appeared likely to be confirmed.
