Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) on Wednesday chastised Republican senators for their treatment of Christine Blasey Ford, suggesting they have rushed her to testify after she came forward to publicly accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
“I think it’s appalling, and I am totally disappointed that all these people who have come forward to say ‘we should hear from her,’ and now that she’s expecting a modicum of fairness so she’s not re-victimized are now saying ‘well if she doesn’t want to testify we should just go ahead,’ ” Hirono said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“That is additional callousness from my colleagues that I am totally appalled by,” she added.
{mosads}Ford alleged in an interview with The Washington Post published Sunday that Kavanaugh pinned her down and attempted to remove her clothes during a high school party in the 1980s, and then put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream for help.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegations and has expressed a willingness to testify about them.
The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a public hearing for Monday for both Kavanaugh and Ford to testify, but Ford has yet to firmly commit to attending.
Late Tuesday, Ford’s attorney said Ford wanted the FBI to investigate her claims as “the first step” in the process before testifying about the incident. The statement did not explicitly rule out the possibility that Ford could still testify if the FBI does not look into the matter.
President Trump said the FBI should not be involved in the case “because they don’t want to be involved.”
Republicans have suggested that Monday’s hearing will not be moved and that the vote on Kavanaugh could move forward if Ford does not agree to testify.
Hirono, who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, blasted that tactic, saying Ford does not want to re-live the incident.
“Do you think that she wanted all of this to be out in the open?” she said. “She asked for anonymity. She asked for confidentiality.”