Sen. Cruz: Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford’s Treatment by Democrats and the Media is One of the Most Shameful Chapters in the History of the Senate
Questions Senate Judiciary Democrats’ tactics during confirmation hearing process for Judge Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today participated in a hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. There, he expressed his concerns over Senate Judiciary Democrats’ inaction and delay in handling the allegations presented before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and especially how this delay harmed Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, their families, their reputations, and their personal lives.
“Judge Kavanaugh, you and your family have been treated incredibly poorly by Senate Democrats and by the media,” Sen. Cruz said. “Let me say also, I think Dr. Ford and her family have been treated incredibly poorly by Senate Democrats and the media. You have both seen your good names dragged through the mud. This has been sadly one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the United States Senate.”
Watch Sen. Cruz’s full statement here. Excerpts are below:
“What do we know? We know that her testimony and your testimony are in conflict. A fair-minded assessor of facts would then look to what else do we know when you have conflicting testimony.
“Well, we know that Dr. Ford identified three fact witnesses who she said observed what occurred. All three of those fact witnesses have stated on the record, under penalty of perjury, that they do not recall what she is alleging happening. They have not only not corroborated her charges, they have explicitly refuted her charges. That’s significant to a fair-minded fact finder.
“In addition, you’ve walked through before this committee your calendars from the time. Now, I will say you were a much more organized teenager than I was -- and than many of us were. But, it was a compelling recitation of night by night by night where you were in the summer of 1982. That is yet another contemporaneous piece of fact to assess what happened.
“And, we also know that the Democrats on this committee engaged in a profoundly unfair process.
“The Ranking Member had these allegations on July 30th. And for 60 days -- that was 60 days ago -- the Ranking Member did not refer it to the FBI for an investigation. The Ranking Member did not refer it to the full committee for an investigation. The Ranking Member -- this committee could have investigated those claims in a confidential way that respected Dr. Ford’s privacy.
“And, some of the most significant testimony we heard this morning as that Dr. Ford told this committee that the only people to whom she gave her letter were her attorneys, the Ranking Member, and her Member of Congress. And she stated that she and her attorneys did not release the letter. Which means the only people that could have released that letter were either the Ranking Member and her staff or the Democratic Member of Congress. Because Dr. Ford told this committee those are the only people who had it.
“That is not a fair process. We should look to the facts, not anonymous innuendo and slander.”
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