WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding Thursday’s Judiciary Committee hearing.

“I listened carefully as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the allegations of sexual assault she has levied against Judge Brett Kavanaugh. I found her to be both deeply compelling and credible. Dr. Ford was sincere, open and forthcoming in her accounting.

“Likewise, I listened carefully to Judge Kavanaugh. He had a right to defend himself. But he was openly hostile and antagonistic in the most unprecedented way for any judicial nominee. Moreover, his belligerent attacks on the Democratic members of the committee compel me to question whether he is truly the impartial, apolitical jurist he claims.

“It was a difficult day for the Senate and our country. In all the uproar, it is easy to forget the purpose of these hearings: to determine whether Judge Kavanaugh has the integrity to serve on the highest court in our nation. The U.S. Senate is not a court of law.  It is a deliberative body designed to provide advice and consent on who should serve a lifetime appointment on the United States Supreme Court – the ultimate authority to interpret the Constitution and laws of the United States. This is not a process that should be rushed – that was, of course the Republican rationale for never holding a hearing for Judge Merrick Garland.

“Republicans’ righteous indignation over Democrats’ handling of the process fails to address the key question relevant to today’s proceedings: whether Dr. Ford was telling the truth. For my part, I believe Dr. Ford, and I believe she showed remarkable courage in sharing her experience with the American people. I call on my Republican colleagues to now meet her courage with their own. Chairman Grassley should specifically ask President Trump to direct the FBI to fully investigate the incidents brought forward to the Judiciary Committee. The committee vote should be postponed until that investigation is completed. Failing a complete accounting of what happened and when, Judge Kavanaugh’s name should be withdrawn from consideration for the Supreme Court.”

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