PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A Maine woman who worked with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has said she stands by the judge, a day after he cited her as a character reference during his testimony.
Yarmouth resident Sarah Day made her statement hours before Maine politicians disagreed over Kavanaugh’s future on Friday.
During Thursday testimony, Kavanaugh referenced Day’s letter that appeared on CentralMaine.com on Sept. 10 and described him as a “thoughtful leader.”
Day released a statement after Kavanaugh’s testimony that said she wants to “reiterate my support for him today.” Day worked with Kavanaugh at the White House under President George W. Bush for about four years ending in 2006.
Day’s statement said Kavanaugh was “a quiet and encouraging force to the female members of the staff.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Friday to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Senate floor. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said the nomination should be on hold so the Federal Bureau of Investigation can investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.
Prior to the committee vote, independent Sen. Angus King also said he felt the FBI should look into the allegations. Christine Blasey Ford has said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers.
King, who caucuses with the Democrats, has said he would vote against confirming Kavanaugh, and he repeated that stance on Friday.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Kavanaugh should be swiftly confirmed. He said he’s “absolutely disgusted with the performance of the United States Senate and the Democrats in it.”
One of the most important votes in the Senate could be cast by moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has not indicated how she would vote. Demonstrators held a sit-in outside Collins’ Portland office on Friday to call for her to vote against confirmation.
Collins tweeted on Friday that she supports the request for an FBI background investigation. The Sentate Judiciary Committee said in a statement that the investigation would be “limited to current credible allegations against the nominee” and must be completed in a week.
Collins calls the decision a “sensible agreement.”
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