Kamala Harris: I wouldn’t say there’s no evidence of new Kavanaugh allegations

Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday said she “wouldn’t say there’s no evidence” of new allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and that it’s normal for victims of sexual misconduct to be hazy on details.

Ms. Harris is one of several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who called for Justice Kavanaugh to be impeached after the New York Times published an article over the weekend detailing new allegations that he exposed himself to a woman at a party while in college.

In an appearance on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Ms. Harris, a former attorney general of California, had been asked whether she was troubled by a lack of evidence.

The unnamed woman reportedly declined an interview and doesn’t remember the incident, and Max Stier, a former classmate who apparently saw Justice Kavanaugh with his pants down at a party, has declined to discuss the incident publicly.

“The fact that someone does not remember the details of that incident doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of evidence if there are other witnesses who can establish that the fact occurred,” the California Democrat said.

“And so I wouldn’t say there’s no evidence,” she said. “It is also, I must say, very normal for someone especially someone who has been the subject of this kind of behavior to not be clear on the details.”

Ms. Harris said that Christine Blasey Ford, who alleged that Justice Kavanaugh groped her and tried to force himself on her at a high school party in 1982, was “treated like a criminal” during his confirmation process last year.

“I asked the director of the FBI back then on the stand whether he was able to direct the scope of the investigation himself and it became very clear it was the White House that was directing the scope of the investigation and actually limiting it to an incredible degree,” she said. “So there’s not been a real airing, a real investigation of these allegations and that’s what troubled me so deeply.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in October that the FBI’s reopened background investigation into Justice Kavanaugh was limited in scope, but that the process involved was standard practice.

Justice Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied any and all claims of sexual misconduct.

Ms. Harris agreed with the notion that her calling for impeachment could be seen as political opportunism.

“I feel very strongly about this case … and so I’m willing to take the hit,” she said. “I agree that some would say politically motivated.”