House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Wednesday accused Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee of assaulting Christine Blasey Ford with their “cowardice,” which she said included having a “hired woman” ask Ford questions at Thursday’s morning’s hearing.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Ford, the first person to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault, are set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning.
Pelosi said Republicans are acting like the hearing is “not in the interest of the truth” and added that “in an act of cowardice,” the “Republican—no offense, all-male committee has decided that they would have what they call what, a hired woman, is that what the expression they used? A hired woman to ask the questions.”
Pelosi later said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) “term of art” was “female assistant,” which refers to Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona prosecutor Senate Republicans hired to ask some questions on Thursday morning.
Pelosi also said that women who have come forward with allegations of sexual assault/misconduct against Kavanaugh have been “violated” many different times throughout the process.
Pelosi said that the first violation is the “physical violation that happened” and the second “is the invasion of privacy and assault on the person who comes forward.”
“Dr. Blasey Ford has had two two assaults—one personal and an assault on her family’s privacy,” Pelosi said. “This has a chilling effect on people coming forward… it took great courage for her to come forward.”
Pelosi then claimed that the “third assault is the assault by the cowardice of the Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee to act in the manner,” which she said “does not serve justice, does not serve seeking the truth, does not serve the integrity of the court, and does not serve the respect for women in this country.
“Three attacks,” she reiterated.
Pelosi then briefly referred to Kavanaugh as “Justice Kavanaugh” before quickly correcting herself and calling on “Judge Kavanaugh” to “withdraw his name.”
She said she hoped that “Justice Kavanaugh—judge, not to be iustice—Judge Kavanauigh… will withdraw his name.”
Pelosi added that “because unless he goes before the committee and tells the truth… he not only jeopardizes his appointment to the Supreme Court, he jeopardizes by lying to Congress the position he holds now.”
Pelosi continued: “Do the right thing for our country and for the Republicans, quite frankly: End this thing.”
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