Republicans in Congress continue to rally behind Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a second woman has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
Deborah Ramirez attended Yale University with Kavanaugh in the 1980s, and she told The New Yorker that at a college dorm room party, the Supreme Court nominee thrust his penis in her face against her wishes.
“Brett was laughing,” Ramirez told The New Yorker. “I can still see his face, and his hips coming forward, like when you pull up your pants.”
Congressional Republicans, however, have essentially responded to the newest allegations with a giant shruggie emoji, echoing the same rhetoric used by President Trump, who called the attacks against Kavanaugh “totally political” Monday morning.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted Sunday night after news about Ramirez was made public that without evidence, it would be “partisan” to believe the women who have come forward.
Only a partisan would claim these credible without evidence. https://t.co/5AbysRg8cS
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) September 24, 2018
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) retweeted a post that called the Ramirez allegations “embarrassingly flimsy,” and blamed her for being inebriated at the party.
“The Democrats are engaged in a campaign of delay and character assassination against Judge Kavanaugh,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tweeted Monday morning. “It’s time to vote this week.”
The Democrats are engaged in a campaign of delay and character assassination against Judge Kavanaugh. It’s time to vote this week.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) September 24, 2018
Republicans have agreed to delay a committee vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation until after the first woman who came forward, Christine Blasey Ford, testifies. She is currently scheduled to testify at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), however, has called for another delay in the vote after Ramirez came forward.
Other Senate Judiciary Democrats have joined Feinstein in calling for a full investigation.
“This is another serious, credible, and disturbing allegation against Brett Kavanaugh. It should be fully investigated,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) told The Washington Post Sunday. An aide in another Senate office added, “These allegations seem credible, and we’re taking them very seriously. If established, they’re clearly disqualifying.”
Republicans, for their part, have made no effort to hide their disregard for what these two women have to say. They just want the process over and done with.
On Friday Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) confidently told a group of conservative activists that, “in the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court.”
That position does not appeared to have changed after a second woman has come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.
Republicans have launched a campaign to protect Kavanaugh no matter the cost ever since Ford’s allegations were made public last week.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) even went as far as saying that Ford’s account was a “false allegation” because she couldn’t entirely remember all the details of what happened 35 years ago.
“I’m thinking, is there any man in this room that wouldn’t be subjected to such an allegation? A false allegation?,” King said at an Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition event on Saturday. “How can you disprove something like that? Which means, if that’s the new standard, no man will ever qualify for the Supreme Court again.”