I am calling on Senate Republicans to delay next week’s Judiciary Committee vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
This is the most important Supreme Court vacancy in a generation, and President Trump has chosen Judge Kavanaugh to be the decisive vote on the health, privacy, and rights of all Americans, and whether our Constitution will protect everyone or just the wealthy and powerful.
The American people deserve to know who Judge Kavanaugh is, but Republicans are trying to rush through this nomination while concealing critical parts of the nominee’s record. There are far too many questions swirling around this nomination. #WhatAreTheyHiding
Kavanaugh provided misleading or inaccurate answers to many questions. And Republicans are hiding documents for 35 months when he was a top advisor to President Bush and worked on controversial issues like abortion, torture, warrantless wiretapping, and banning same-sex marriage.
Let me add - it is up to survivors of sexual assault alone to decide whether to come forward. It is completely unacceptable to attack anyone who alleges she has been assaulted.
If the #MeToo movement has taught us anything, it is that we must respect and listen to survivors of sexual assault, regardless of the age of those involved or when the alleged attack took place.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The White House and Senate Republicans must choose: either immediately call for the FBI to conduct an investigation into the multiple allegations of sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh or withdraw his nomination.
These women had every reason to stay silent to avoid harassment and death threats. They have shown that they have nothing to hide by calling for a nonpartisan FBI investigation and sworn testimony from other witnesses.
Yet, Senate Republicans and the White House have blocked an FBI investigation and refuse to call other relevant witnesses.
“Plow right through.” That’s what Republican leaders want to do with Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, even though serious and credible allegations of sexual misconduct have been brought forward. Republicans want to rush this vote through ASAP.
Despite all the calls for fairness over and over again by Senator McConnell, fairness would dictate that the FBI do an impartial investigation of the sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavanaugh and present their conclusions, whatever they may be.
No nominee is entitled to a seat on the Supreme Court. It’s a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. The person who fills that seat can make decisions which swing history one way or the other. Decisions that affect justice, privacy & fairness in everyone's life.
Today I sat down with leaders at @YWCAChicago for an important discussion about the challenges faced by sexual assault survivors—and the need to listen to, support, and believe survivors when they choose to come forward with their stories.
At a time when Dr. Blasey Ford is experiencing death threats and vicious attacks, Republicans are trying to rush a rigged hearing, refusing to call all of the relevant witnesses, and denying her request to hold off on a hearing until the FBI conducts an independent investigation.
I commend Dr. Blasey Ford for her bravery in coming forward. I hope my Republican colleagues will think carefully about this moment and what’s at stake. We must treat Dr. Blasey Ford’s allegations with the seriousness and dignity that survivors of sexual assault deserve.
Rs are rushing a hearing within a week after a serious, credible allegation of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh. No FBI background investigation has been completed, no witnesses beyond the Judge & Dr. Blasey Ford have been asked to testify. Rs are trying to rig the hearing.
We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. The FBI should be asked to run its investigation, and the Judiciary Committee should ask other relevant witnesses to testify, like Mark Judge and others the FBI identifies in an investigation.
Along with my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Commitee, I'm urging a FBI investigation and asking Chairman Grassley to allow the Committee to perform its due diligence and find a fair path forward that treats these allegations with the respect that is required.
We continue to find more evidence that Judge Kavanaugh misled me and the Judiciary Committee under oath. I’m posting important documents that Senate Republicans didn’t want the American people to see. We deserve transparency about this nominee.
In 2006, I asked Judge Kavanaugh about his role in the 4th Circuit nomination of Jim Haynes – a key figure in crafting the Bush White House detention & interrogation policies. Under oath, he said, "I’ve—I know Jim Haynes, but it was not one of the nominations that I handled.”
However, these emails from 2002 and 2003 show that then-Associate White House Counsel Brett Kavanaugh played a substantial role in the decision to nominate Haynes, including examining whether Haynes “would be an across-the-board judicial conservative”.
In my opening statement at Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing, I predicted that he wouldn’t tell the Judiciary Committee much. I was right. He refused to discuss his views on many critical issues facing our country in this perilous moment.
Instead, Judge Kavanaugh wants us to trust his word that he would be an independent justice who would approach cases with an open mind and no agenda. As President Reagan used to say, trust but verify.
However, an unprecedented amount of Judge Kavanaugh’s record is being concealed & he refused to delay his hearing in the name of transparency so his full White House record could be released. The Senate is being denied information that we need to evaluate his views & credibility.