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Dems Call for Delay of Kavanaugh Vote; GOP Resists

'50 Years, 50 Heroes': Kamala Harris Honors Dianne Feinstein

Democrats say the case for delay is even stronger now that the woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has come forward.

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Reaction is pouring in to the identification of the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Many liberals are supportive of Christine Blasey Ford, who identified herself in a Washington Post interview published today, and calling for a delay of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote, set for Thursday, on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. But committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, is resisting postponement.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, called for the confirmation hearings on Kavanaugh's nomination to be stopped while the FBI investigates Ford's allegations. U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who initially received Ford's letter outlining her accusation that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her, forwarded the letter to Feinstein.

\u201c.\u2066@SenFeinstein\u2069 calls the allegations against Kavanaugh \u201cextremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaugh\u2019s character.\u201c She says FBI investigation \u201cshould happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee.\u201d\u201d
— Jake Tapper (@Jake Tapper) 1537124072

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said the vote should definitely be put off. "To railroad a vote now would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court," Schumer said in a statement.

So did Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and attorney Jill Wine-Banks.

\u201cChristine Blasey Ford courageously stepped forward to tell her story \u2014 it is a credible and serious allegation. The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to scrutinize SCOTUS nominees. A vote on Kavanaugh\u2019s nomination must be delayed until there is a thorough investigation.\u201d
— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1537124459

\u201cRather than outright dismissing this very serious allegation, or releasing a premeditated defense of the allegation via a letter from former classmates, Republicans should postpone the rush to vote on Kavanaugh this week and investigate these allegations in a bipartisan manner.\u201d
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@Kirsten Gillibrand) 1537125588

\u201cThank you Christine Blasey Ford for coming forward. We are all supporting you. Now @ChuckGrassley @SenFeinstein let's #ReopenKavanaughHearing.\u201d
— Jill Wine-Banks (@Jill Wine-Banks) 1537122005

The National Women's Law Center called for a thorough investigation of Ford's accusations. "Christine Blasey Ford never asked to come forward and share her story about the sexual violence she says she experienced at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh," said a statement issued by its president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves. "She was dragged into the spotlight against her will. But now that Ford's story is public, the Senate is obligated to take these allegations seriously and give them the careful consideration they deserve -- while protecting the private citizen who many will now target for personal destruction because she has named her experience. The Senate has an opportunity to get it right this time and not repeat the wrongs that were done to Anita Hill in 1991. Anita Hill's testimony and the witnessing of all who have come after her -- especially over the past year -- have made it indisputable: sexual harassment and sexual violence are behaviors that must never be excused or explained away. If the charges are true, Kavanaugh's behavior makes clear that he is not fit for a seat on the Supreme Court, or any court."