While emphasizing several times that “we need to vote” on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation — even while the FBI has not yet released the results of its days-long background investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh — Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) accused Democrats on Wednesday of not having an “open mind” about Kavanaugh.
“This isn’t exactly what I’d call a fair process where people have an open mind,” Cornyn told Fox News’ Sandra Smith, falsely accusing “about half the Senate” of having made up their minds “before the nominee was even named.” (Cornyn, the second-ranking Senate Republican, refused to consider Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland’s nomination.)
“We exhausted the attempts to try to corroborate, or not, what Dr. Ford had said, and what others have said,” Cornyn said separately, referring to the FBI background investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.
Before Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) forced Republicans’ hand, Cornyn was against requesting that the White House order the FBI to look into the allegations against Kavanaugh. After Thursday’s hearing where both Kavanaugh and Blasey Ford testified, Cornyn asserted: “It’s time to vote. The longer that the nomination remains open, we know that more and more of these scurrilous, anonymous and uncorroborated allegations will be made.”
Democrats, Cornyn said Wednesday, “won’t accept the FBI investigation because they continue to add additional things, throw them against the wall hoping they will stick.”
