Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina cast Brett Kavanaugh as the "slut whore drunk" victim of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who alleged to have been sexually assaulted by President Donald Trump's second Supreme Court nominee more than three decades ago.
When asked whether he thought sexual assault survivors would be less likely to come forward with their stories because Kavanaugh was confirmed to the nation's highest court despite facing allegations of sexual misconduct by three women, Graham said he didn't think so because Ford was "treated well" by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"I think the roles were reversed: The slut whore drunk was Kavanaugh," Graham said as he was leaving Capitol Hill after the Senate voted to confirm the judge to the Supreme Court on Saturday, NBC News reported.
He dismissed certain claims against Kavanaugh as "outrageous," "anonymous" and making "no sense," and said he treated Ford's allegations differently. But, he told reporters, it would have been "unjust" for Kavanaugh to "have his life ruined based on the allegations that were presented.
"Dr. Ford, I think, is the victim of a process," he said. "But we've got to have some verifications, some sense of balance, because if that's enough, just the mere accusation, then you're going to unleash Pandora's Box here. Because those of us in public service, you should be scrutinized but you don't want to set a standard where you just take anybody out by accusing them."
Ford accused the judge of attempted rape in the 1980s. She testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27 that she was "100 percent" certain that Kavanaugh had assaulted her. Ford alleged that a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her down at a party in suburban Maryland in 1982 and attempted to remove her clothes, covering her mouth when she tried to scream — a moment she said made it hard for her to breathe, as she thought he might accidentally kill her.
Shorty after the Senate voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the bench, Graham tweeted, "I'm not tired of winning ... Victory!" — a reference to President Donald Trump's vow that his supporters would eventually become "sick and tired" of winning so much — along with a picture of him and Kavanaugh with the word "confirmed" printed in capital letters.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also celebrated Kavanaugh's confirmation to the bench by sharing a photo of a glass of champagne to Twitter along with the caption, "Not quite #Beers4Brett but #Bubbly4Brett instead." The #Beers4Brett hashtag appears to be a reference to Kavanaugh's heated testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, during which he admitted his fondness for the gold yeast fermented beverage. Kavanaugh appeared before the panel to respond to Ford's allegations.
Kavanaugh's drinking habits in high school and college came under intense scrutiny during his testimony. The three women who have accused him of sexual misconduct all claimed he had been drinking at the time of the alleged incidents.
Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday as the 114th justice of the Supreme Court. The final tally was 50-48 in favor of confirmation and broke almost entirely along party lines.
Kavanaugh was sworn in during a "private ceremony" in the Supreme Court building mere hours after his Senate confirmation. He could start hearing arguments as soon as Tuesday. Justices are hearing 4 cases this week, 6 cases the last week of Oct. and 6 cases the first week of November. Their schedule is not set beyond the first week of November.
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