American Bar Association calls on Senate to delay Kavanaugh vote until FBI can investigate

The American Bar Association (ABA) on Thursday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone a vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court until the FBI can investigate accusations of sexual assault against him.

{mosads}ABA President Robert Carlson sent a letter to committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) just hours after Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the panel on Thursday

“We make this request because of ABA’s respect for the rule of law and due process under law,” Carlson’s letter obtained by the media reads. “The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI.”

Here’s the letter: pic.twitter.com/I1au9CbCWJ

— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) September 27, 2018

Senate Republicans announced Thursday night that they were planning to move forward with a Friday morning committee vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

This vote would pave the way for a vote to end debate on his nomination on Monday in the full Senate and a final vote on Tuesday.

“Each appointment to our nation’s Highest Court (as with all others) is simply too important to rush to a vote,” Carlson wrote.

Pushing through a vote without having the FBI probe Ford’s claims against Kavanaugh “would not only have a lasting impact on the Senate’s reputation, but it will also negatively affect the great trust necessary for the American people to have in the Supreme Court.”

The letter came after a day of gripping testimony from Ford as she described in detail how Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted her at a party in the 1980s while they were both high school students.

Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations in a subsequent hearing.

The letter also comes after the ABA previously evaluated Kavanaugh’s professional accomplishments for the Supreme Court and found him “well qualified for the position.”

ABA’s standing committee sent a letter to Grassley and Feinstein on Aug. 31 after evaluating the nominee’s “integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament” and voted unanimously to support his qualifications.

Kavanaugh touted the ABA’s stance during his Thursday testimony.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) described the ABA as the “gold standard” during the hearing.

ABA is the legal profession’s largest organization and has more than 400,000 members.