Murkowski echoes calls for Kavanaugh, accuser to testify

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Monday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexual misconduct, Christine Blasey Ford, should both testify.

“Despite the length of time since the alleged incident, Dr. Ford’s allegations should be heard and she must have an opportunity to present her story before the committee under oath, with Judge Kavanaugh having the opportunity to respond under oath as well,” Murkowski said in a statement Monday.

“Allegations surrounding sexual assault must be taken seriously and the Judiciary Committee must look into this further,” she said.

{mosads}Murkowski echoed Sen. Susan Collins’s (R-Maine) call earlier Monday for both parties to testify about the allegations under oath. 

Murkowski had said Sunday night that the Judiciary Committee “might” have to consider delaying the vote to confirm Kavanaugh, which was set for Thursday afternoon.

The vote’s schedule has become uncertain after Ford went public with allegations that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and attempted to remove her clothes at a party in the early 1980s.

A variety of Republican Senators have suggested that the committee should dig into the allegations before they vote. 

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) was the first to broach the idea from the GOP on Monday.

Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.) also both called for the confirmation hearing not to proceed to a vote until senators talk to Ford.  

Both Kavanaugh and a lawyer for Ford have said the two parties are willing to testify before the committee. 

Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has resisted delaying the vote and is instead attempting to set up a call with Ford and Kavanaugh. 

Grassley has said that Democrats are refusing to take part in the call thus far. 

Republicans have criticized Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) for only bringing the allegations forward one week before the scheduled vote on Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement Monday that the Democrats waited “until the 11th hour.”

“They did not raise it in the closed session, the proper forum where such an allegation could have been addressed with discretion and sensitivity,” McConnell said.

Neither Collins nor Murkowski have said how they will vote regarding Kavanaugh’s confirmation.