Ford & Kavanaugh Testimony Highlight Complete Lack of Senate Investigation

Statement of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

No senator should be pushing for a vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land. A vote tomorrow would be reckless and irresponsible. There is not enough information for any senator to provide informed advice and consent.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s courageous testimony highlights the critical need for an independent FBI investigation, and for the Committee to subpoena other witnesses, including Mark Judge, to shed more light on the events that Dr. Ford detailed. Other women have come forward with serious allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. Those, too, should be investigated and Judge Kavanaugh should provide his responses under oath. When Anita Hill testified 27 years ago, it came after an FBI investigation. Although the hearings included some additional witnesses, others were blocked. That proceeding was a grave injustice to Anita Hill.

This nomination faces other critical deficits that subvert the Senate’s constitutional duty to provide advice and consent. Millions of pages of Judge Kavanaugh’s records have been withheld from the Senate and the eyes of the American people. A cloud hangs over President Trump, with the ongoing Department of Justice investigations into the electoral process and foreign interference. Rushing through with a vote on Judge Kavanaugh under these circumstances threatens to subvert the integrity and independence of the United States Supreme Court, and consequently, the rule of law.