Hatch Statement on Brett Kavanaugh

Statement

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in response to reports of accusations made against Brett Kavanaugh, nominee for the United States Supreme Court:

"Brett Kavanaugh has done everything that's been asked of him. He's complied with six background checks over the last 25 years that have included interviews with friends, families, and even acquaintances, none of which have ever revealed an issue with his character. After over 30 hours of public hearing, his judicial record, qualifications, and understanding of the law stood unimpeachable. He participated in a closed hearing where Judiciary Committee members could ask any question they wanted. He answered more written questions than every previous Supreme Court nominee combined.

Judge Kavanaugh has had his words distorted and manipulated. He has been accused of having gambling problems, having financial problems, being hostile towards groups that he has actively fought for, and having bad taste in food. And he has answered questions fully and professionally, in a confirmation timeframe well within the norm for Supreme Court nominations.

I do not intend to allow Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation to be stalled because of an 11th hour accusation that Democrats did not see fit to raise for over a month. The Senator in the best position to determine the credibility of these accusations made the conscious decision not to take action on them, and the authorities to whom the accusations have been referred have decided not to take action either. Judge Kavanaugh has denied these accusations categorically, the only other potential witness has no recollection of the alleged event, and now 65 women who knew Brett in high school have come forward as witnesses of his strong character.

Every accuser deserves to be heard. But a process of verification is also necessary. In this case, the accusations were made in a private letter, which has been misrepresented in a number of media stories, from an accuser who has declined to go public and has asked for privacy. The letter sent to investigators has had her name redacted, meaning no further investigation could take place. The claims are wholly unverifiable, and come at the tail-end of a process that was already marred by ugly innuendo, dishonesty, and the nastiest form of our politics. The American people deserve much better from the Senate as an institution."

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