Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Democratic challenger Amy McGrath told the Courier-Journal on Wednesday that she would have voted to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, had she been in the Senate then.
Kavanaugh faced a contentious confirmation hearing after multiple women came forward and accused him of sexual misconduct. He and the first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, both testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the allegations prior to his confirmation.
“I didn’t listen to all of the hearings. I don’t think there was anything, and I’m not a lawyer or a senator on the Judiciary Committee, so I don’t know the criteria,” McGraw stated. “But I was very concerned about Judge Kavanaugh, what I felt like were the far-right stances that he had. However, there was nothing in his record that I think would disqualify him in any way. And the fact is when you have the president and the Senate, this is our system and so I don’t think there was anything that would have disqualified him in my mind.”
She then acknowledged that Ford’s allegations were “credible” but that “given the amount of time that lapsed in between and from a judicial standpoint”, it would not have been disqualifying in her opinion.
McGraw concluded this part of the interview with, “You know, I think that with Judge Kavanaugh, yeah, I probably would have voted for him.”
The congressional hopeful announced her candidacy Tuesday. She unsuccessfully ran for Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District against Republican Rep. Andy Barr in 2018, which Politico‘s Jake Sherman called on Wednesday “the easiest district for a Democrat to win in the best year for Democrats in more than a decade.”
“This is a red, red, red state and you have to assume Donald Trump, even if his margin gets cut in half, you’re going to have to imagine a lot of Donald Trump-Amy McGrath voters, and I don’t know if I see that now.” —@JakeSherman with his take on Kentucky pic.twitter.com/I25FK1NKXZ
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 10, 2019
McGrath later on tweeted Wednesday evening that “I was asked earlier today about Judge Brett Kavanaugh and I answered based upon his qualifications to be on the Supreme Court. But upon further reflection and further understanding of his record, I would have voted no.”
I was asked earlier today about Judge Brett Kavanaugh and I answered based upon his qualifications to be on the Supreme Court. But upon further reflection and further understanding of his record, I would have voted no.
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) July 10, 2019
