Sen. Murray: Brett Kavanaugh should withdraw immediately

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 28, 2018) — On Thursday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“This morning I was one of the many people across the country watching with tears in my eyes as Dr. Ford so bravely and eloquently shared her experience of being sexually assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh with the United States Senate and her fellow Americans. And when she said that she was ‘100% sure’ that Judge Kavanaugh was the one who attacked her all those years ago, I believed her.

“I’m glad Judge Kavanaugh came before the Senate to address the allegations made by one of the women accusing him of serious misconduct. But like so many, I was left to wonder why, if he truly has nothing to hide and truly wanted all the facts to come out, he would not give a simple yes or no regarding whether he wanted the FBI, with its resources and experience, to investigate and question witnesses and potentially help him clear his name. Rather, the country watched Judge Kavanaugh ask senators to give him a promotion to the highest court in the land, then fail to demonstrate the honesty, integrity, character, or temperament to deserve that.

“At the same time, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, who were clearly able to sympathize with Judge Kavanaugh’s experiences over the past two weeks, were too scared to do their jobs for themselves and ask Dr. Ford about her experiences or pain over the past three decades. Instead, Republicans directed their hired prosecutor to interrogate and cross-examine Dr. Ford and treat her like a criminal on trial. Anyone who went through anything like what Dr. Ford went through understands how difficult it is to relive these worst moments of your life, how you wish you could remember some details that escape you, and how you can never forget those moments that have been seared into your memory.

“Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw immediately. If he won’t, then President Trump should pull his nomination. And if he won’t do that, then all eyes will turn to Senate Republicans in the hopes that just a few of them will do the right thing.

“If this nomination isn’t withdrawn, then Senate Republicans must stop this mad dash to the finish line, must allow a full investigation into the allegations of all three women who have shared their experiences so far, and must hold additional hearings with Mark Judge and all other relevant witnesses to make sure that the United States Senate has the information it needs to do its job.

“If Republican leaders continue with their plan to rush this nomination through in the coming days after seeing what we all saw this morning, and with so much that still needs to be investigated and heard, women and men across the country are going to stand up and fight back. The United States Senate failed Anita Hill and all women in 1991, and 27 years later we must do better.”