Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Sunday that Brett Kavanaugh’s behavior should be the focus of scrutiny rather than that of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats amid the fallout related to sexual misconduct allegations leveled at the Supreme Court nominee.
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“All of these things do not focus on what we should be focusing on, which is the credibility of Judge Kavanaugh,” Hirono said during an interview with ABC News’ “This Week” when asked whether Democrats leaked Christine Blasey Ford’s confidential letter to her local congresswoman, in which she accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when the two were in high school, to the press. She also deflected a question on whether Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee should have recommended Ford hire a lawyer associated with the party, Debra Katz.
“And all kinds of other studies or investigations can occur, but right now what we need to focus on is our ability as senators to do our advice and consent job to determine whether Judge Kavanaugh is credible, whether he was candid with us,” Hirono continued. “Whether his demeanor, by the way, in accusing Democrats of some kind of conspiracy to do him in, was so bizarre.”
Hirono’s comments follow Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday promising a “wholesale, full scale” probe into the Democrats’ handling of Ford’s claims. Both Hirono and Graham sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
