Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) ripped her Republican colleagues over their handling of the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, calling GOP claims that they have done everything they can to reach out to the accuser “bullshit.”
“That is such bullshit I can hardly stand it,” Hirono said on ABC News Wednesday, in response to a letter from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to Senate Democrats.
Grassley said in the letter that committee leaders have done everything they can to contact Christine Blasey Ford and implore her to testify in a hearing on Monday about her allegations against Kavanaugh.
Grassley’s spokesman fired back at Hirono on Twitter, saying: “This is such nonsense. The Committee has sent 9 emails and left 2 voicemails.”
{mosads}Republicans have invited both Ford and Kavanaugh to testify, but Ford has asked for the FBI to look into her allegation first. The FBI has not opened a criminal investigation into Ford’s accusations, because the allegation does not involve a federal crime. The White House has not asked the FBI to reopen the background investigation into the nominee.
Grassley said Tuesday that he saw “no reason” to delay the hearing, and a number of GOP senators have since pleaded with Ford to testify Monday.
Hirono has been outspoken since the allegation came to light, and in a press conference earlier this week called on “the men of this country” to “shut up and step up for once.”
Ford’s accusation that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bid and tried to remove her clothing at a party when the two were in high school has derailed the confirmation process for President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, and drawn countless comparisons to the Anita Hill hearings.
The White House and Kavanaugh have repeatedly denied Ford’s accusations.
Ford says she has been forced to move out of her home and has faced death threats over the accusation.