U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, joined a growing group of Republican senators Monday who want to delay the vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until they hear from the woman who has accused him of sexual misconduct when they were in high school.
“Dr. Ford’s voice deserves to be heard,” said Gardner’s spokesperson, Casey Contres. “Senator Gardner believes that the Senate Judiciary Committee needs to interview Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh without delay to gather as many facts as possible.”
Christine Blasey Ford, 51, a professor at Palo Alto University, revealed herself to be the accuser in a to the FBI. In an interview with the Washington Post that published Sunday, Ford described how Kavanaugh allegedly pinned her down in a bedroom, groped her and covered her mouth with his hand during a house party in Maryland in the 1980’s.
“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” Ford told The Washington Post. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”
Kavanaugh said in a statement Monday that the allegations are “completely false,” according to The Associated Press. “I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity.”
The nominee was seen arriving at the White House on Monday, AP said.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he’s “not comfortable” voting yes on the Supreme Court nomination until he hears from Kavanaugh and Ford.
Contres couldn’t say whether Gardner would rescind his support for Kavanaugh’s nomination if the judiciary committee opted not to hold another hearing, but he reiterated that Colorado’s junior senator “absolutely wants her voice to be heard.”
The vote on Kavanuagh’s nomination is still scheduled for Thursday.