Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stated definitively Friday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed soon, despite the controversy generated by allegations that the nominee engaged in sexual misconduct.
“You’ve watched the fight, you’ve watched the tactics,” McConnell said at the Values Voter Summit in Washington. “But here is what I want to tell you, in the very near future Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court.”
The fate of Kavanaugh’s nomination was thrown into question Sunday when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward to allege that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s. Ford claimed that Kavanaugh held her on her back on a bed during a house party in Maryland. She accused Kavanaugh of groping her, trying to undress her, and suppressing her mouth with his hand.
Ford’s story caused Democrats and some Republican senators to call for an investigation, or public testimony from both Ford and Kavanaugh, before having a final vote on his confirmation. As the week progressed, Democrats called for the FBI to first investigate Ford’s claims before public or private testimony from Ford or Kavanaugh.
Publicly, McConnell has projected confidence that Kavanaugh will be confirmed. Responding to reporters questions about the fate of Kavanaugh’s nomination Tuesday, the majority leader said he had no concerns about the allegations “tanking the nomination.” Privately, McConnell has reportedly told colleagues they need to get Kavanaugh through the confirmation process, or face backlash from voters in November.
The majority leader, in league with Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, has offered Ford the opportunity to testify in a closed session, without television cameras, about her allegations.
For their part, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have offered to set up a public or private hearing, as well as a public or private staff interview. Grassley has also made it know that he will send committee staff to California or elsewhere to meet with Ford.
There was a scheduled public hearing Monday to discuss the allegations. Ford had until 10 a.m. Friday to agree to publicly testify, per the timeline set out by Grassley.
Ford’s attorneys said Thursday afternoon that she is willing to appear before the Judiciary Committee next Thursday, but that their preference is for an FBI investigation before their client provides any testimony.
The attorneys, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, spoke with Grassley and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on the phone Thursday and indicated their client was “prepared to testify next week.”
“She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety. A hearing on Monday is not possible, and the committee’s insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event,” Katz wrote. “Her strong preference continues to be for the Senate Judiciary Committee to allow for a full investigation prior to her testimony.”
The attorneys said Ford does not want to have an outside lawyer question their client. The potential hearing has yet to be confirmed.
Republicans on the committee had decided Thursday to hire outside counsel to question Ford in an effort to avoid the public appearance of having a panel of male senators questioning her. Ford’s insistence that senators, not an outside attorney, question her could cause Republicans’ plans to go awry.
Meanwhile, eight Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Trump Thursday afternoon urging him to launch an FBI investigation into the allegations.
The president remained quiet following Ford’s interview with The Washington Post until Friday morning, when he called out Ford by name. Trump said if the sexual assault on her 36 years ago was “as bad as she says,” either she or her parents would have filed a report with law enforcement.
“I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!” the president tweeted.
Trump also took aim at Ford’s attorneys, calling them “radical left” lawyers.
“The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW. Why didn’t someone call the FBI 36 years ago?” Trump tweeted.
