Hillary Clinton, the first woman to win a major-party presidential primary, stood behind Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, who said she did not want to testify before Congress until the FBI investigated her allegations.
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, saying she did not want to testify before the committee until after the FBI did an investigation.
[More: In fast-moving events, Kavanaugh accuser refuses Monday hearing; nominee appears confident]
“I think that’s a reasonable request,” Clinton told MSNBC Tuesday night, indicating that for the FBI to reopen Kavanaugh’s background investigation there would have to be some direction coming from the White House.
“The White House could answer [Ford’s request] very quickly by asking the FBI to reopen its background check and to take into account the accusation that’s been made and to gather the evidence about what can be known. So far, they haven’t done that,” Clinton said. “And as someone who has watched this process unfold over many years, there does have to be some direction given to the FBI to pursue an investigation.”
Ford’s lawyers insist that the investigation would be more fair and nonpartisan for their client, rather than appearing before Congress to testify.
Clinton said the investigation could likely be done in an “expeditious manner,” without trying “to rush this through.”
“I don’t think it would be a lengthy investigation. I think it could be done in an expeditious manner,” said Clinton. “If they’re still trying to have a vote on this nominee, they could postpone for two weeks and probably get a lot more information than they have now.”
Democrats have been looking to postpone voting on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, likely in hopes that the party would take back the majority in Congress and be able to block the nomination entirely.
Ford came forward with her story to lawmakers and the media earlier this summer, but did not go public with the allegations until right before the committee’s scheduled confirmation vote.
The now 51-year-old professor alleges that a teenage Kavanaugh groped her at a high school party more than three decades ago while he was enrolled in Georgetown Prep.
Kavanaugh denies the allegations.
