Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has made it clear that he’s not going anywhere. The embattled former Court of Appeals judge is facing sexual misconduct allegations that are threatening his long-awaited confirmation vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee is in the process of arranging a public hearing with both his accusers whom are expected to testify to the allegations.
Speaking during a Fox News interview in the company of his wife, Kavanaugh cast a defiant figure saying that he isn’t intimidated by these latest developments. He also insisted that he’s ready to clear his name. A public hearing scheduled for Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee will bring together Kavanaugh and his primary accuser Christine Blasey Ford. Ford claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago when they were both in college. Another woman called Deborah Ramirez has also come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh. However, it’s not clear yet whether Ramirez will be part of the Thursday hearing.
Bret Kavanagh has received support from some Republicans on the Judiciary Committee but others are still torn whether they should move forward with the confirmation or not. The White House also said that it has faith in Kavanagh. In fact, President Trump expressed his confidence on the campaign trail saying that Kavanaugh will be confirmed soon. The same sentiments were echoed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who vowed that the confirmation will not be swayed by “baseless and uncorroborated allegations.”
Nonetheless, most people agree including the president that the two women deserve a chance to be heard. The Thursday hearing could make or break Kavanaugh’s hopes to reach the highest court. But even then, there are still a number of sympathetic Republicans in the Committee who appear to have already made up their minds. The GOP has termed these allegations as nothing but a ploy by Democrats to delay the confirmation. In a tweet sent on Tuesday, President Trump accused Democratic lawmakers of working to “destroy a wonderful man.” Trump also added Kavanaugh has the potential to be the “greatest” Supreme Court justice ever. He termed the accusations by the two women as false.
But Democrats are standing firm. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York called out majority leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell for terming the allegations made by Ford “smear.” Schumer demanded an apology from McConnell. He added that it’s crucial for lawmakers to respect the women and Judge Kavanaugh by handling the matter with the seriousness it deserves.
Kavanaugh said during the Fox News interview that he has never assaulted anyone. The Judge who was sitting side by side with his wife also added that he has never met Christine Ford. Kavanaugh added that he knew nothing of the party that Ford claims was the scene of the assault. The Judiciary Committee in the Senate is largely expected to move forward with a confirmation vote after the Thursday hearing. But Democrats in the Committee have stressed that any confirmation should only be done after this matter has been cleared for everybody.
