Kellyanne Conway Comes Forward About Kavanaugh's Accuser
The woman who has claimed she was a victim of sexually inappropriate conduct more than 35 years ago at the hands of Supreme Court nominee should get a full hearing from the Senate Judiciary Committee, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Monday.
But offering fairness to the woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh does not mean ignoring weeks of testimony and Kavanaugh’s outstanding record because of a sensational, eleventh-hour allegation, she said, according to Fox News.
Conway appeared on “Fox & Friends” Monday to discuss allegations by Christine Blasey Ford, now a professor at Palo Alto University, that during a high school party in the 1980s, Kavanaugh was drunk and — with a friend — held her against her will in a bedroom, during which time Kavanaugh tried to take off her clothes and at one point tried to lie on top of her.
Ford originally sent a letter to California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein about the alleged incident, and allegedly wanted her name kept from the public, but over the weekend went public in an interview with The Washington Post.
Kavanaugh has denied the incident ever happened.
The allegations were revealed as the Senate Judiciary Committee was planning a Thursday vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Conway said that giving the woman her due, and moving forward with Kavanaugh’s nomination, are not the mutually exclusive events that Democrats portray them to be.
“This woman should not be insulted and she should not be ignored. I think the Senate is headed toward a reasonable approach in that it seems to me — and speaking to a few senators including Sen. Lindsey Graham — that allowing this woman to be heard in sworn testimony, allowing Judge Kavanaugh to be heard in sworn testimony would be added to the very considerable mountain of evidence and consideration that folks would have when they weigh whether or not to vote for Judge Kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court,” she said.
Conway was adamant that no one would deny Ford her say.
“I’ve spoken to the president, I’ve spoken to Senator Graham and others. This woman will be heard,” she said, adding that the form of that testimony would be decided by the committee, which faces the scheduled vote Thursday, one day after not being in session for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which ends Wednesday evening.
Judge Kavanaugh is willing to add to his dozens of hours of sworn testimony.
He categorically denies the allegations and is ready to defend his honor and integrity. https://t.co/g1Uv3VrIsG
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) September 17, 2018
“Let me make it very clear again for those who want to slice and dice what’s being said today on behalf of the president, this woman should not be ignored and should not be insulted, She should be heard,” Conway added.
Conway said that perspective is vital in sorting out what credence to give the disputed allegations.
“This has to be weighed against what we already know — which is that Judge Kavanaugh is a man of good character and integrity who has been through six FBI vettings — which I can tell you firsthand are significant and thorough,” she said.
Conway said that Ford’s recollections will not be the only comments on Kavanaugh from women.
“He has also been lauded by women in every aspect of his life and this is significant. This is very significant for a man of character and integrity to be spoken about so highly by women who maybe didn’t vote for President Trump, maybe don’t call themselves Republicans, in fact many who don’t,” she said, citing past classmates and mothers of girls Kavanaugh coaches in a Washington-area basketball league.
Conway emphasized the political atmosphere surrounding the last-minute attack on Kavanaugh.
“Let’s not fool ourselves–long before this happened there were Democrats saying they would not vote for Judge Kavanaugh or anyone President Trump nominated for the Supreme Court,” Conway said. “Let’s make very clear that these Democratic senators … were not interested in Judge Kavanugh’s significant record, his character and integrity, as testified to by many women.”
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