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| Brett Kavanaugh: Senate committee to take key vote following Christine Blasey Ford's testimony – live | Brett Kavanaugh: Senate committee to take key vote following Christine Blasey Ford's testimony – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| America Magazine, the only Catholic weekly magazine in North America, has withdrawn its previous endorsement of Kavanaugh. | |
| “While we previously endorsed the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh on the basis of his legal credentials and his reputation as a committed textualist, it is now clear that the nomination should be withdrawn,” the editors wrote. | |
| They continued: | |
| If this were a question of establishing Judge Kavanaugh’s legal or moral responsibility for the assault described by Dr Blasey, then far more stringent standards of proof would apply. His presumption of innocence might settle the matter in his favor, absent further investigation and new evidence. But the question is not solely about Judge Kavanaugh’s responsibility, nor is it any longer primarily about his qualifications. Rather it is about the prudence of his nomination and potential confirmation. In addition to being a fight over policy issues, which it already was, his nomination has also become a referendum on how to address allegations of sexual assault. | |
| The American Bar Association (ABA), which sets the legal standard for US law schools, has urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to slow down the confirmation process after yesterday’s hearing. | |
| Kavanaugh cited the ABA during his testimony yesterday, and told the committee: “For 12 years, everyone who has appeared before me on the DC Circuit has praised my judicial temperament. That’s why I have the unanimous, well qualified rating from the American Bar Association.” | |
| In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, ABA president Robert Carlson said the confirmation process should be slowed because of the ABA’s “respect for the rule of law and due process.” | |
| “The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI,” Carlson said. | |
| Richard Wolffe says that Kavanaugh’s credibility did not survive yesterday’s hearing, and that Republicans were left trying to calculate the political cost of the nomination: | |
| What was larger? The number of votes they were losing among women versus the number of votes they would lose among Trump fanatics by putting this flatlining nomination out of its misery. | |
| Wolffe says that the questions posed to Ford were “tone deaf”, “uncaring” and “self-defeating”. And that, for his part, the more Kavanaugh was grilled about sex and alcohol, the worse he sounded. | |
| More than anyone else in Washington, Brett Kavanaugh should know that he stumbled badly just as he believed he was striding towards his rightful place on the supreme court. | |
| Jill Abramson has written about how yesterday’s proceedings reminded her of when she watched Anita Hill testifying about Clarence Thomas in 1991, and will trigger a similar backlash. She says: | Jill Abramson has written about how yesterday’s proceedings reminded her of when she watched Anita Hill testifying about Clarence Thomas in 1991, and will trigger a similar backlash. She says: |
| In some ways, Thursday’s hearing was worse than Hill-Thomas. Although the Republicans were careful not to attack Dr Ford directly and hid behind the skirts of the so-called ‘female assistant’ they hired to do their questioning, they hurled the big lie at Dr Ford. They built a false case that Dr Ford was part of a Democratic conspiracy to bring down a conservative nominee. It was a shameful, baseless charge, almost as bad as when Republicans in 1991 tried to paint Hill as an erotomaniac who made up her charges. The truth is that Dr Ford came forward only reluctantly and with no partisan aim. | |
| Abramson thinks that yesterday’s hearing could ultimately have a huge impact on the shape of US politics. | Abramson thinks that yesterday’s hearing could ultimately have a huge impact on the shape of US politics. |
| Republicans say they will push on with a confirmation vote in the coming days. They risk a tidal wave of backlash from voters, especially women, who know Dr Ford is the truth-teller. In 1991, residual anger over the way Hill was treated by the Senate judiciary committee helped elect a group of women to the senate who called themselves the Anita Hill class. The Christine Blasey Ford class will likely be much bigger. | |
| “Women everywhere are listening to Christine Blasey Ford’s voice cracking and feeling their own hearts break, just a little bit more, at the world we’ve all inherited,” tweeted the New York Times’ Sheera Frenkel yesterday, as huge numbers of women in the US and worldwide watched the university professor give her testimony. | “Women everywhere are listening to Christine Blasey Ford’s voice cracking and feeling their own hearts break, just a little bit more, at the world we’ve all inherited,” tweeted the New York Times’ Sheera Frenkel yesterday, as huge numbers of women in the US and worldwide watched the university professor give her testimony. |
| For many it bought back painful memories, and there were scenes around the US of women huddled around their phones to hear Ford speak. Many used social media to express how they felt as the hearing unfolded in Washington DC. | For many it bought back painful memories, and there were scenes around the US of women huddled around their phones to hear Ford speak. Many used social media to express how they felt as the hearing unfolded in Washington DC. |
| Republicans have said the Senate judiciary committee will vote on the supreme court nomination as scheduled, just a day after after the extraordinary Capitol Hill testimony. The committee is due to meet at 9:30am ET (2.30pm BST), and the vote is expected later. It isn’t clear whether Republicans will have enough support to carry the nomination forward to a full vote of the Senate next week. | Republicans have said the Senate judiciary committee will vote on the supreme court nomination as scheduled, just a day after after the extraordinary Capitol Hill testimony. The committee is due to meet at 9:30am ET (2.30pm BST), and the vote is expected later. It isn’t clear whether Republicans will have enough support to carry the nomination forward to a full vote of the Senate next week. |
| Republicans are under pressure to get Kavanaugh in place before mid-term elections in November, when Democrats are hoping to take control of the Senate, which might allow them to halt the process. | Republicans are under pressure to get Kavanaugh in place before mid-term elections in November, when Democrats are hoping to take control of the Senate, which might allow them to halt the process. |
| Last night the American Bar Association called on the committee to delay the vote, to allow more time for investigation. | Last night the American Bar Association called on the committee to delay the vote, to allow more time for investigation. |
| In his response to the accusations, Kavanaugh was defiant and combative in front of the senators. He defended himself in a furious and emotional speech, saying the process had become a “national disgrace”. | In his response to the accusations, Kavanaugh was defiant and combative in front of the senators. He defended himself in a furious and emotional speech, saying the process had become a “national disgrace”. |
| “The constitution gives the Senate an important role in the confirmation process, but you have replaced advice and consent with search and destroy,” he stated, hitting out at the Democrats who have been insisting that a series of allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh must be investigated. He suggested a “frenzy” on the left was trying to destroy his career. | “The constitution gives the Senate an important role in the confirmation process, but you have replaced advice and consent with search and destroy,” he stated, hitting out at the Democrats who have been insisting that a series of allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh must be investigated. He suggested a “frenzy” on the left was trying to destroy his career. |
| Yesterday’s hearing focused first on testimony from Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who said of Trump’s pick for the supreme court: “I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling.” | Yesterday’s hearing focused first on testimony from Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who said of Trump’s pick for the supreme court: “I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling.” |
| She spoke about the long-term effects the incident has had on her life, including inducing “anxiety, phobia and PTSD-like symptoms”. | She spoke about the long-term effects the incident has had on her life, including inducing “anxiety, phobia and PTSD-like symptoms”. |
| Kavanaugh denies all of the allegations. | Kavanaugh denies all of the allegations. |
| You can read Christine Blasey Ford’s opening statement in full. | You can read Christine Blasey Ford’s opening statement in full. |
| Hello and welcome | Hello and welcome |
| Good morning and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crucial Senate judiciary committee hearing in Washington DC. After yesterday’s testimony from both US supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and university professor Dr Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of sexual assault, today we are expecting senators to hold a vote. | Good morning and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crucial Senate judiciary committee hearing in Washington DC. After yesterday’s testimony from both US supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and university professor Dr Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of sexual assault, today we are expecting senators to hold a vote. |
| The committee currently comprises 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, leaving little margin for error for Republicans – if just one of them breaks ranks, the nomination will be left in limbo. | The committee currently comprises 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, leaving little margin for error for Republicans – if just one of them breaks ranks, the nomination will be left in limbo. |
| At least one of the Republicans on the committee, Jeff Flake of Arizona, has expressed reservations about Kavanaugh, but is yet to signal how he might vote. | At least one of the Republicans on the committee, Jeff Flake of Arizona, has expressed reservations about Kavanaugh, but is yet to signal how he might vote. |
| Last night, though, US president Donald Trump made his feelings clear with a tweet, saying that Kavanaugh’s testimony was “powerful, honest, and riveting”: | Last night, though, US president Donald Trump made his feelings clear with a tweet, saying that Kavanaugh’s testimony was “powerful, honest, and riveting”: |
| Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats’ search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote! | Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats’ search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote! |
| We will be covering events as they unfold during the day. | We will be covering events as they unfold during the day. |