WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) issued the following statement following the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be on the Supreme Court of the United States:
“Judge Brett Kavanaugh is one of the most eminently qualified individuals to be nominated to serve on the Supreme Court in recent memory. He has spent the last decade serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals, earning a reputation for being a mainstream and fair-minded jurist with excellent judicial temperament. He will be an outstanding Supreme Court justice.
“When the President nominated Judge Kavanaugh, I made a simple request to my Democratic colleagues to keep an open mind and treat him fairly during the confirmation process. Senate Democrats have failed to do so, opposing his confirmation within seconds of his nomination and then using the next several months to malign his character (including calling him and his supporters evil) and employ every tactic at their disposal to delay his confirmation.
“For Democrats, this was never about being fair, conducting proper vetting, or taking their advise and consent duties seriously; it was all about denying a Supreme Court seat to Judge Kavanaugh or any other qualified individual who would have been nominated by the President in order to fire up their base on the eve of an election. That couldn’t have been made more evident after they received Dr. Ford’s letter, took no action for nearly two months, and then shamefully violated her request for privacy by strategically leaking her letter to the media at the 11th hour when it was most politically advantageous for them.
“Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee responded by treating all credible allegations seriously, conducting an extensive, evidence-based investigation that included public hearings, statements from named witnesses, transcribed interviews from those willing to provide them, and evidence both sides submitted to assist senators in reaching a conclusion. Finally, the committee requested that the FBI conduct its seventh background investigation on Judge Kavanaugh.
“This thorough FBI background investigation did not find any contemporaneous information that corroborated the very serious allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh dating back to his years as a high school and college student. Due process and fairness depend on evidence, and after considering everything, including the FBI report, the hearings, and all the facts available, I maintained my support for Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation.”
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