Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) insisted that the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against Judge Brett Kavanaugh during the late stages of his U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process are “extraordinarily unfair” to Kavanaugh.
Christie made his strong remarks during an interview Monday on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.”
“But I think the other thing that we would talk about — and obviously the [accuser] here needs to be heard, needs to have her allegations looked at — but also, this is extraordinarily unfair to Judge Kavanaugh,” Christie, now an ABC News contributor, told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“This is an allegation that is 35-plus years old, and now you’re going to attempt to try to deal with that in a very truncated period of time,” Christie continued. “This is why people are reluctant to get in front of those [Senate] committees, George, and sit down for Senate confirmation, because of this kind of bloodletting.”
President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace the outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in July.
Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary earlier in September, and the committee was scheduled to vote on his nomination Thursday, with the full Senate voting shortly thereafter.
But Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in northern California, shocked the nation when she came forward publicly with her allegations against Kavanaugh. Ford claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens during a party some 35 years ago.
Ford initially leveled her accusations against the judge anonymously in July before coming forward publicly Sunday.
She also detailed her allegations to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) through her congressional representative, Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.). Feinstein has faced criticism for her decision not to air Ford’s anonymous allegations until the proverbial 11th hour of the Senate confirmation process.
Kavanaugh “categorically and unequivocally” denied Ford’s anonymous allegations against him. After she came forward publicly in an article for The Washington Post, Kavanaugh released an additional statement on Monday calling it “a completely false allegation.”
“I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said, adding that he had no idea who made the accusation “until she identified herself yesterday.”
Although the Senate Judiciary Committee is still scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination Thursday, the senators hope to hear testimony from both Ford and Kavanaugh before proceeding. Both Ford and Kavanaugh expressed their willingness to testify.
Related: 10 Reactions to ‘I Thought He Might Inadvertently Kill Me’ from Kavanaugh Accuser
Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, told Stephanopoulos earlier Monday that she is calling for a fair and thorough investigation before Kavanaugh’s nomination proceeds to a vote.
“You tried to ask her how you’d define that, and she really wouldn’t define it,” Christie told Stephanopoulos. “And I think that that’s part of the problem when information comes out this late in a process.”
“Now I think the key, George, is going to be what do the Republican members of that committee and of the Senate want to have happen? That’s what’s going to define what’s fair and thorough here,” Christie added. “You know, Sen. Feinstein’s conduct in this is also questionable, in terms of the way it was handled.”
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