Hatch Says Dems’ ‘Partisan Games’ Demean Senate, Supreme Court

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Monday that Democrats are demeaning the Senate and the Supreme Court with “partisan games” and “character assassination” of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

“Senate Democrats are demeaning both the Senate and the Supreme Court through their partisan games and transparent attempts at character assassination,” Hatch said in a statement, the tone of which suggested the retiring Utah Republican has had enough of the Democrats’ delaying tactics.

“We should hear from Dr. Ford on Thursday as planned. Then we should vote,” Hatch continued.

California psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh, in a letter made public September 16, of sexually assaulting her at a party both attended in the early 1980s during their high school years in suburban Maryland. Deborah Ramirez, a former Kavanaugh classmate at Yale University, alleged late Sunday in a New Yorker magazine article that he exposed himself to her at a college party in 1983.

“Senate Democrats are demeaning both the Senate and the Supreme Court through their partisan games and transparent attempts at character assassination.”

Kavanaugh has adamantly denied the allegations when they first became public and on Monday vowed not to be intimidated into withdrawing from consideration as President Donald Trump’s choice to succeed the retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Trump nominated Kavanaugh July 9.

Hatch is a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and remains a senior Republican member of the panel that is considering Kavanaugh’s nomination. Democrats on the committee and their left-wing activist allies in the audience turned Kavanaugh’s September 6-9 hearing into a chaotic circus.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), the ranking member of the judiciary committee, referred the Ford allegations to the FBI, which subsequently said it would not investigate a matter that was strictly for local law enforcement.

The Ford and Ramirez allegations delayed the panel’s expected party-line vote last week to approve Kavanaugh and send his nomination to the Senate floor for a final vote. The committee meets Thursday to hear testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh.

Related: Kavanaugh Denies Dems’ 11th-Hour Sexual Assault Allegations

“Last night, Senate Democrats continued their smear campaign against Judge Brett Kavanaugh with a thinly sourced article accusing Judge Kavanaugh of conduct that no eyewitness can even corroborate,” Hatch said. “Rather than bringing the matter to the attention of committee investigators, Democrats coordinated with members of the media to drop the story in the most dramatic and damaging way possible.”

Hatch has been outspoken in statements and on social media in defense of the nominee. He accused Democrats last week of putting both sides at risk, including the alleged victim, by politicizing the whole thing.

Grassley originally set the meeting to take testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh for Monday, but it was pushed back after working out a deal with Ford. Her lawyers argued the hearing was happening too soon and that the FBI should investigate first. Grassley argued an outside investigation is necessary and noted that she was offered a public or a private hearing along with staff-led interviews.

Related: Democrats Renew Calls to Delay Kavanaugh Vote Amid Sexual Assault Scandal

“This continues Senate Democrats’ pattern of playing hide the ball, after they spent six weeks sitting on a letter regarding alleged conduct while Judge Kavanaugh was in high school before leaking it to the press,” Hatch said. “Senate Democrats will stop at nothing to prevent Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation.”

Hatch included the tweet in a thread that built upon an op-ed he wrote for the Washington Examiner. He expressed his concern over the politically underhanded way in which the allegations came to light while detailing how the committee has responded in line with proper procedure.

Senate Republicans have raised questions about the timing of the leak. Democrats didn’t bring up the allegations in the weeks since they learned of them, including during a four-day confirmation hearing. The letter was then leaked less than a week before the committee was scheduled to vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Senate Democrats have called for his nomination to be delayed ever since it was announced July 9. The sexual assault allegations are the latest in a series of reasons they have cited for why the process should be halted. They could potentially improve their chances of stopping him if they’re able to delay a final vote until after the midterm elections.