Kavanaugh Defends ‘Emotional’ Hearing Remarks, Says Would Be ‘Even-Keeled’ Judge
Tristan Justice /
In an op-ed published Thursday, Judge Brett Kavanaugh explained his “emotional” testimony delivered to the Senate last week and made a final case for his Supreme Court confirmation, which the Senate is expected to vote on this weekend.
“I testified before the Judiciary Committee last Thursday to defend my family, my good name, and my lifetime of public service,” Kavanaugh wrote in The Wall Street Journal, referring to testimony delivered before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he responded to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s claims of sexual assault and was questioned about his habits in high school and college. He added:
My hearing testimony was forceful and passionate. That is because I forcefully and passionately denied the allegation against me. At times, my testimony—both in my opening statement and in response to questions—reflected my overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused, without corroboration, of horrible conduct completely contrary to my record and character. My statement and answers also reflected my deep distress at the unfairness of how this allegation has been handled.
Kavanaugh said he was “very emotional” Thursday, writing, “I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad.”
On Tuesday, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., seen as a pivotal swing vote, said of Kavanaugh’s hearing, “The interaction with the members was sharp and partisan and that concerns me. And I tell myself you give a little leeway because of what he’s been through. But, on the other hand, we can’t have this on the court. We simply can’t.”
Kavanaugh also stated in the piece that he would “be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good.”
Three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault or misconduct, including Ford, who also offered emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday alleging Kavanaugh groped her at a high school party.
“I’ve had to relive this trauma in front of the world,” Ford stated at the hearing, speaking to an estimated audience of more than 20 million people, according to NBC. “Thousands and thousands of people who have had their lives dramatically altered by sexual violence have reached out to share their experience and have thanked me for coming forward.”
Following the hearings, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted last Friday to move Kavanaugh’s nomination out of committee to the full Senate. Flake requested an additional FBI investigation before the final vote. That investigation concluded earlier this week.
The FBI investigation interviewed 10 out of the 11 people investigators reached out to who had potential knowledge of the alleged sexual misconduct from Kavanaugh, according to an executive summary of the report released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
The FBI supplemental background investigation found no corroboration of sexual assault allegations put forward by Ford or Deborah Ramirez, who told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party while at Yale University.