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Chuck Schumer calls on supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to withdraw Republicans rally round Kavanaugh as Democrats urge him to withdraw
(about 3 hours later)
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and has called on US supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to withdraw in light of the multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him, and said if he does not, an FBI investigation is needed before any Senate vote. Republicans continued to express confidence in supreme court pick Brett Kavanaugh as he faced fresh allegations of sexual misconduct and calls to withdraw one day before he is scheduled to testify in an extraordinary public hearing that could determine the fate of his nomination.
Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault when they were teenagers in high school, are scheduled to appear before the Senate judiciary committee on Thursday morning, as the panel grapples with new claims brought by a third accuser, Julie Swetnick.
In a sworn declaration released through her lawyer, Swetnick says she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others “to cause girls to become inebriated … so they could then be gang-raped”. Republicans said staff on the Senate judiciary committee have asked to interview Swetnick, who is being represented by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who rose to national prominence by representing Stormy Daniels in her legal tangles with the president.
Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House: “This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened.”
In light of the third allegation, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and all the Democrats on the Senate panel called for Donald Trump to withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination – a demand the president will almost certainly ignore.
“I strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration. If he will not, at the very least, the hearing and vote should be postponed while the FBI investigates all of these allegations,” Schumer said in a statement.“I strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration. If he will not, at the very least, the hearing and vote should be postponed while the FBI investigates all of these allegations,” Schumer said in a statement.
“If our Republican colleagues proceed without an investigation, it would be a travesty for the honor of the supreme court and our country.”“If our Republican colleagues proceed without an investigation, it would be a travesty for the honor of the supreme court and our country.”
Schumer’s statement was released shortly after a third woman went public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. In a sworn declaration released through her lawyer, Julie Swetnick says she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others “to cause girls to become inebriated … so they could then be gang-raped”. Trump has forcefully defended Kavanaugh and has cast doubt on the accusers and their motives. In remarks to reporters , Trump said Republicans have been “nice” and “respectful” in their treatment of Ford. He described Kavanaugh as “a real gem” and said he probably would have preferred to push for faster confirmation rather than waiting for Ford’s testimony.
“This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened,” the White House said in a statement from Kavanaugh. The White House on Wednesday released a letter signed by 60 of Kavanaugh’s classmates at Georgetown prep and sister schools attesting to his good character. Later on Twitter, Trump called Avenatti a “third-rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations”.
Following the fresh allegations, the 10 Democrats on the judicial committee sent a letter to Trump imploring him to withdraw the judge’s nomination. Republicans have seized on Avenatti’s presidential ambitions and crusading style to raise questions about Swetnick’s allegations.
“Judge Kavanaugh is being considered for a promotion. He is asking for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court where he will have the opportunity to rule on matters that will impact Americans for decades,” the letter said. Senator John Kennedy, Louisiana’s second Republican senator, described the dramatic two-week process leading to the Thursday’s hearing as “surreal, hijacked by theatrics, political as hell”.
“The standard of character and fitness for a position on the nation’s highest court must be higher than this. Judge Kavanaugh has staunchly declared his respect for women and issued blanket denials of any possible misconduct, but those declarations are in serious doubt.” On Thursday, Republicans will defer their questions to an outside counsel, Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell. Democrats say they plan to use their allotted time to ask questions of Ford and Kavanaugh.
In a dramatic week, Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford are scheduled to testify to the Senate judiciary committee on Thursday, in a fraught public hearing that could either sink or facilitate his nomination.
At the hearing, Kavanaugh will acknowledge drinking in high school with his friends in sworn testimony, but will say he’s never done anything “remotely resembling” the sexual misconduct alleged by Ford, who was the first woman to come forward earlier this month.At the hearing, Kavanaugh will acknowledge drinking in high school with his friends in sworn testimony, but will say he’s never done anything “remotely resembling” the sexual misconduct alleged by Ford, who was the first woman to come forward earlier this month.
“I am innocent of this charge,” Kavanaugh will say, according to written testimony released Wednesday by the committee. Kavanaugh says he has “never sexually assaulted anyone not in high school, not in college, not ever”.“I am innocent of this charge,” Kavanaugh will say, according to written testimony released Wednesday by the committee. Kavanaugh says he has “never sexually assaulted anyone not in high school, not in college, not ever”.
Donald Trump on Wednesday morning said Republicans have been “nice” and “respectful” in their treatment of Ford. He described Kavanaugh as “a real gem” and said he probably would have preferred to push for faster confirmation rather than waiting for Ford’s testimony.
In a speech on the chamber floor later in the day, senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Judicary Committee and a key Republican vote, said sexual assault is a serious allegation and questioned what message it sends to young women if they are dismissed without equally serious consideration.
The senator lamented the coarsening of American politics and revealed that he received a death threat against his family after he called for a hearing to allow Ford to testify. 
“These past two years we have tested the limits of how low we can go and my colleagues, I say to you, that winning at all cost is too high a cost,” he said. 
Flake said he is undecided on how he will vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, and will be guided by Thursday’s hearing. He acknowledged, however, that whether Kavanaugh is confirmed or not, he is certain the vote will “forever be steeped in doubt”. 
Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to halt the confirmation process. In the suit, the senator alleges that the White House has obstructed his constitutional duty to advise and consent on supreme court nominees by refusing to release thousands of documents  relating to the judge’s service working in the Bush administration
“We have seen something that we have not seen in the history of the United States in terms of the executive branch reaching out in direct and extensive and substantial ways to interfere with the function of the Senate’s advise and consent responsibility,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “This is uncharted territory,” he added. 
He shrugged when asked about the timing of the lawsuit, filed just two days before the committee is scheduled to vote: “It’s ready now.”
The move comes as Senate Republicans vow to push ahead with Kavanaugh’s nomination in light of fresh accusations of sexual misconduct. If successful, the suit would stop the chamber from taking a final vote on his nomination, which could happen as early as next week. 
Ford’s lawyers said on Wednesday they have given the US Senate sworn affidavits from four people who say she told them – well before Brett Kavanaugh’s supreme court nomination – that she had been sexually assaulted when she was much younger.Ford’s lawyers said on Wednesday they have given the US Senate sworn affidavits from four people who say she told them – well before Brett Kavanaugh’s supreme court nomination – that she had been sexually assaulted when she was much younger.
And according to all four, she either named Kavanaugh as the assailant or described the attacker as a “federal judge”.And according to all four, she either named Kavanaugh as the assailant or described the attacker as a “federal judge”.
Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to halt the confirmation process. In the suit, the senator alleges that the White House has obstructed his constitutional duty to advise and consent on supreme court nominees by refusing to release thousands of documents relating to the judge’s service working in the Bush administration.
If successful, the suit would stop the chamber from taking a final vote on his nomination, which could happen as early as next week.
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Deborah Ramirez became the second woman to identify herself earlier this week, alleging that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her as a student at a party, amid the boozy culture of Yale University.Deborah Ramirez became the second woman to identify herself earlier this week, alleging that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her as a student at a party, amid the boozy culture of Yale University.
The judiciary committee has scheduled its own vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation for Friday morning. Republican leaders could keep the full Senate in session this weekend, producing a final showdown vote before 1 October, when the supreme court’s autumn term begins. The judiciary committee has scheduled its own vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation for Friday morning. Republican leaders could keep the full Senate in session this weekend, setting the stage for a final showdown early next week.
The judiciary committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, said an Arizona sex crimes prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell, will handle the questioning on behalf of Republican senators at the hearing. Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate and cannot afford to lose more than one vote. This places Kavanaugh’s fate in the hands of a few undecided Republican senators: Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
On Wednesday, Collins told reporters she is taking the third allegation “very seriously” and believes that the claim deserves to be investigated by the committee. Her decision, she said, will be informed by the hearing on Thursday.
In a speech on the chamber floor on Wednesday, Flake, a member of the judiciary committee and a key Republican vote, said sexual assault is a serious allegation and questioned what message it sends to young women if they are dismissed without equally serious consideration.
“These past two years we have tested the limits of how low we can go, and, my colleagues, I say to you, that winning at all cost is too high a cost,” he said.
Flake said he is undecided on how he will vote. He acknowledged, however, that whether Kavanaugh is confirmed or not, he is certain the vote will “forever be steeped in doubt”.
As Republican senators scurried away from reporters in a chaotic scene on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Senator John Thune, a member of GOP leadership, briefly stopped for a question: was anyone from his caucus wavering on Kavanaugh?
He paused for several seconds before replying: “No.”
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