Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, on Thursday accused Republicans of wanting the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault to stay quiet, and not testify in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Schiff said on MSNBC that he wants Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, to tell the Senate her story about how Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were both in high school.
“I hope that she does, because I’m afraid that what the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee really want is, they want her to go away,” Schiff said.
Rep. Adam Schiff: GOP Signaling They’re ‘OK Putting Someone Who Committed Attempted Rape’ on SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/Gk9jDz8DML
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 20, 2018
“They don’t want the country to hear from her, and they certainly don’t want the country to hear from her live and on television,” Schiff added.
Schiff made those comments despite Republican attempts to get her to testify Monday, either in public or private or over the phone. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has said he is still trying to get her to tell her story, even though her lawyers have said they will only testify after a formal FBI investigation into her allegations.
Kavanaugh has said he was not at the party Ford has described and has no memory of it. But Schiff accused the GOP nonetheless of pushing a nominee who may be someone who tried to rape Ford.
“I think they realize they have a very imperfect candidate, in fact, they may have a candidate who has committed attempted rape,” he said.
