All 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday formally requested Chairman Charles E. Grassley delay the vote on Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
The Democrats sent a letter to Mr. Grassley with their request in light of the sexual assault allegations against him.
“All Senators, regardless of party, should insist the FBI perform its due diligence and fully investigate the allegations as part of its review of Judge Kavanaugh’s background,” the letter read. “Once the FBI has completed its independent work, we hope that we can work together in a bipartisan manner to decide on next steps.”
College professor Christine Blasey Ford had sent a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein about sexual-assault allegations regarding Judge Kavanagh.
Ms. Ford then came forward in an interview with The Washington Post on Sunday. She claims that Judge Kavanaugh assaulted her during a party while they were both in high school, to the point where she thought he would “inadvertently kill me.”
Both Judge Kavanaugh and Ms. Ford, through her lawyer, confirmed Monday they are willing to talk to Congress about the allegations.
“I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the Committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago and defend my integrity,” the judge said in a statement.
Mr. Kavanaugh also noted that “because this never happened” he had no idea Ms. Ford was the one to accuse him until she revealed herself in The Washington Post.
“This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” Mr. Kavanaugh said.
Sens. Jeff Flake and Bob Corker both told Politico the vote should wait until they hear from Ms. Ford.
Sen. Lindsay Graham supported hearing Ms. Ford’s testimony but said it shouldn’t impact the schedule.
“If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled,” he said in a statement.
Ms. Feinstein revealed the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday when she asked Mr. Grassley to delay the vote. Her letter did not give details about the complaint at the time and said she referred the issue to the FBI.
The FBI did not pursue an investigation but updated Judge Kavanaugh’s file.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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