Brett Kavanaugh delivered a fiery opening statement to the
Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday afternoon, responding to
accusations of sexual misconduct decades ago: “This confirmation process
has become a national disgrace … You have replaced ‘advice and consent’
with ‘search and destroy.'”
Kavanaugh ripped the Senate — and, by implication, Senate Democrats —
for “false, last-minute smears designed to scare me and drive me out
of the process before any hearing occurred.”
He read from a personal statement that he had appended to his prepared testimony, and written the day before.
In a searing indictment of the politicians before him, he mentioned
some of the comments made by Democrats — including members of the
committee — such as the claim by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that supporting
Kavanaugh meant being “complicit in evil.” Others, he noted, said
that “people will die if I am confirmed.”
The campaign to stop his confirmation, he said, had “destroyed my
good name and my family” through a “calculated and orchestrated
political hit.”
Whatever the reason, — whether fueled by “pent-up anger” over the
election, or for other motives — he decried the damage done to him, to
the Supreme Court, and to the country.
“This is a circus. The consequences will extend long past my nomination. The consequences will be with us for decades,” he said.
However, he vowed:
“Coordinated and well-funded effort to destroy my good name, and destroy my family, will not drive me out.”
“You may defeat me in the final vote, but you’ll never get me to quit. Never.”
Kavanaugh also repeated his denials about any and all allegations of
sexual assault. He seemed to choke up when mentioning his mother, a
judge who inspired him to become a judge. And he teared up and paused
when stating that his ten-year-old daughter had told him that they
should pray for Dr. Ford.
( Pray that she dies)