Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaughtestified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday after multiple women accused him of engaging in sexual misconduct as a teenager and young adult.
Kavanaugh — at times crying — addressed the committee following anemotional three-hour testimonyfrom Christine Blasey Ford, the 51-year-old research psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University, who claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the 1980s. Ford claims Kavanaugh, 53, allegedly pinned her down to a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothes.
Kavanaugh continued to deny the allegations in his opening statement — a version of which was released ahead of his high-stakes hearing — saying, “This is a circus.”
“Less than two weeks ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a wrongdoing at an event more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, categorically and unequivocally. All four people allegedly at the event including Ford’s longtime friend Ms. Kaiser, have said they recall no such event. Her longtime friend Ms. Kaiser said under penalty of felony that she does not know me and does not believe she ever saw me at a party ever,” said Kavanaugh.
“Here is the quote from Ms. Kaiser’s attorney’s letter: ‘Simply put Ms. Kaiser does not know Kavanaugh. She has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present with or without Dr. Ford.’ Think about that fact,” he continued.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty
Kavanaugh said, “This confirmation process has become a national disgrace. The Constitution gives the Senate an important role in the confirmation process. But you have replaced advise and consent, with search and destroy. Since my nomination in July, this has been a frenzy on the left to come up with something, anything, to block my confirmation. Shortly after I was nominated, the Democratic Senate Leader said he would ‘oppose me with everything’ he’s got.”
“A Democratic senator on this committee publicly referred to me as evil,” he told the committee. “Evil. Think about that word. And said those who supported me were ‘complicit and evil.’ Another Democratic senator on this committee said ‘Judge Kavanaugh is your worst nightmare.’ ”
“These two weeks of calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election,” said Kavanaugh. He added, “This is a circus. The consequences will extend long past my nomination. The consequences will long be with us for decades. This grotesque character assassination will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country. And as we all know the United States political system in the early 2000s, what goes around comes around.”
MICHAEL REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty
Kavanaugh added, “Sexual assault is horrific. One of my closest friends to this day is a woman who was sexually abused who in the 1990s, when we’re in our 30s, confided in me and she sought my advice. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. At the same time, the person who is the subject of the allegations also deserves to be heard.”
“My motivation in coming forward was to be helpful and to provide the facts about how Mr. Kavanaugh’s actions have damaged my life, so that you can take that into a serious consideration as you make your decision about how to proceed,” Ford said. “It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell you the truth.”
Ford’s voice shook when she told the committee, “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified.”
She also recalled how she thought her life was going to end during the alleged sexual assault. “I believed he was going to rape me,” said Ford. “I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.”
CNP/REX/Shutterstock; Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty
Ford was also asked to share her strongest memory of the incident. She said that Kavanaugh and his friendMark Judge‘slaughterstands out in her recollections of the alleged attack.
“Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two and their having fun at my expense,” she said. “They were laughing with each other. I was underneath one of them [Kavanaugh] while the two [Kavanaugh and Judge] laughed. Two friends having a really good time with one another.”
Kavanaughhas denied all allegations of sexual assault. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he said, “I never sexually assaulted anyone. I did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter. The girls from the schools I went to and I were friends.”
Kavanaugh denied Swetnick’s allegations in astatement on Wednesday, saying, “This is ridiculous and fromThe Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened.”
Also on Wednesday, it was revealed that the Senate Judiciary Committee is inquiring about two allegations of misconduct against Kavanaugh, according to aninterview transcript.
“This is crazy town. It’s a smear campaign. [The allegations] are just absurd and outrageous, coordinated perhaps. I don’t know. Twilight zone. And I don’t — you know, it’s just outrageous,” he said. “It’s trying to take me down, trying to take down my family. It’s bad — it’s doing damage to the Supreme Court. It’s doing damage to the country. It’s doing damage to this process. It’s become a total feeding frenzy, you know? Just unbelievable.”
source: people.com
