Democrats Decry 'Sham' Kavanaugh Hearing After GOP Refuses Additional Witnesses

Source: Talking Points Memo



By Cameron Joseph
September 18, 2018 2:44 pm

Senate Democrats slammed their GOP counterparts for scheduling what they described as a “sham” hearing on allegations of sexual assault levied against Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday, ripping them for refusing to allow corroborating witnesses.

“We’re calling for an investigation, an assessment of the facts, for other witnesses to be heard from, and then have this hearing,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a member of Democratic leadership, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Facing mounting pressure, Senate Republicans announced Monday evening that they’d hold a hearing next Monday to look into whether California professor Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.

But the GOP didn’t consult Democrats before announcing that day. They didn’t even ask Ford if she’d be available to testify then. And they are refusing to allow any other witnesses besides Ford and Kavanaugh, limiting the committee’s ability to be able to look at other corroborating evidence and more accurately weigh whether she’s telling the truth. And the White House and Justice Department haven’t instructed the FBI to investigate the matter, keeping them from probing the facts of the case. Ford has said she’d testify in front of the Senate, but has yet to respond to Republicans’ demand that

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/democrats-decry-sham-kavanaugh-hearing-after-gop-refuses-additional-witnesses