A former colleague of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said she was praying for him and one of his sexual assault accusers during his contentious confirmation process last year.
D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett said there were “many layers” to the controversy, which became a televised spectacle when both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified at the same congressional hearing about her allegation of sexual misconduct.
“As a woman, I think like many women, it brought forth memories … of our own experiences with sexual assault, and that was hard,” Millett told the Heritage Foundation’s “SCOTUS 101” podcast while stressing that she was not making a judgment about the claims against Kavanaugh.
“But also I’m a woman of Christian faith,” Millett added. “There’s nothing I can do about this process other than to pray. And I told Brett I was praying for him and his family. I was praying for Dr. Ford and her family and praying for our nation. I didn’t feel like there was anything more constructive I could do.”
President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the high court to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. Ford, who was one of a few women to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, was brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on her allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her during a high school party in the 1980s. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.
Kavanuagh’s eventual accession to the highest court followed a close Senate confirmation vote that fell mainly along party lines.
Millett was nominated to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by former President Barack Obama in 2013 and has been talked about as a potential pick to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.
Millett said Kavanaugh was “incredibly collegial to work with” during their shared time on the D.C. Circuit and praised him for being able to disagree “agreeably” with her on law. She also said he “kindly” reached out after she was confirmed and “had breakfast with me and talked a little about the courts and [was] welcoming in that regard.”
