Republican lawmakers’ rush to go forward with a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before gathering more witnesses is an act of bad faith, a lawyer representing the woman accusing him of sexual assault said Wednesday.
In her statement, Lisa Banks, the lawyer for Christine Blasey Ford, denounced pressure from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to move forward with a hearing involving testimony from Blasey and Kavanaugh without first conducting a formal investigation.
“The Committee’s stated plan to move forward with a hearing that has only two witnesses is not a fair or good faith investigation; there are multiple witnesses whose names have appeared publicly and should be included in any proceeding,” Banks said. “The rush to a hearing is unnecessary, and contrary to the Committee discovering the truth.”
While Blasey (the psychology professor uses the name Christine Blasey professionally) has called on the committee to lead an FBI investigation into her claim before she testifies, Republicans have pushed back in the last day. Among them are Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
Blasey’s lawyer also stressed that the extraordinary circumstances make it necessary for her client to have more time before she gives her testimony, which is scheduled for Monday.
“Dr. Ford was reluctantly thrust into the public spotlight only two days ago,” Banks said. “She is currently unable to go home and is receiving ongoing threats to her and her family’s safety. Fairness and respect for her situation dictate that she should have time to deal with this.”
Though the Justice Department has alluded that it won’t reopen any background investigations into Kavanaugh, Democrats on the committee continue to sound support for Blasey’s request.
“I support Dr. Blasey Ford’s request for an FBI background investigation before a hearing,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Tuesday on Twitter. “She should not be bullied into participating in a biased process and we should not rush forward before facts are gathered.”