Minutes after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to forward Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., took to the floor.
Murray spoke to the weight of Thursday’s testimony by Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. “It was gutting,” she said.
Murray said she, like millions across the United States, watched the hearing with tears in her eyes.
“The memories she recounted — the memories she will never forget — were heartbreaking. The living room. The stairs. The bedroom. The music turned up loud. The bed. Brett Kavanaugh — drunk and on top of her. The feeling she had when he covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. The raucous laughter between Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge,” Murray recalled. “Dr. Ford spoke for herself, but she was channeling the voices of millions of women and survivors across the country who are too often ignored, interrupted, bullied, or swept aside.”
The veteran senator implored her colleagues to ask for an investigation into Ford’s allegations and the allegations of at least two other women. A few hours later, President Donald Trump announced that he ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to span no more than one week.
“I’m glad the Senate delayed a vote on Judge Kavanaugh. It’s important that we have an FBI investigation,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. “Even if it takes more than a week, the Senate must get the information it needs. We want the United States Senate to be an institution that takes these accusations seriously and has a nonpartisan way to get to the truth in this matter.”
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, didn’t return a request for comment by press deadline.
“The most striking thing to me was … the fact that Judge Kavanaugh so clearly does not want an investigation,” Murray said. “He doesn’t want the facts to come out.”
Murray contrasted the composure of Ford and Kavanaugh, adding that she was dismayed by Kavanaugh’s demeanor and questioned if that is how an innocent person would present themselves.
“The rage on his face. The sense of entitlement he displayed. Refusing to answer questions — sneering at senators while he demanded that they answer his questions,” she said. “The outrage that he was even being questioned about an issue like this after all he’s done for this country. Not an ounce of contrition. Not a modicum of shame.”
Murray said she understands not all of her colleagues will view Thursday’s events the same way. Some will find Kavanaugh credible. But she offered consolation to women who feel discouraged and indignant.
“I want to say one more thing to women and survivors right now who are angry, who are dispirited, who have reached out to me and told me they are shocked, crying, and in disbelief. To them I say: ‘We all have the right to these tears, but we all have a duty to not give up,’ ” Murray concluded. “I’m not giving up. I’m not giving up this fight to make sure women who bravely come forward are not ignored, swept under the rug, or silenced by powerful men.”
