The Senate Judiciary Committee officially canceled a vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on Tuesday amid allegations he sexually assaulted someone more than 35 years ago, when he was in high school.
Kavanaugh has vigorously denied such a thing ever happened.
“The Executive Business Meeting scheduled by the Committee on the Judiciary for Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 9:30 a.m., in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, has been canceled,” the cancellation notice stated.
Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault dating back some 35 years just before the committee was scheduled to vote on his nomination to the high court.
The accusations first started coming to light last week from a leaked letter.
Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychologist, soon after revealed herself to be the alleged victim.
Related: Democrats Renew Calls to Delay Kavanaugh Vote Amid Sexual Assault Scandal
Kavanaugh was quick to deny the allegations when they first started coming to light last week.
Ford claims that the incident occurred back when he was a high school student at Georgetown Preparatory School.
Kavanaugh, she claims, was drunk when he allegedly held her down at a party in Maryland.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa, shown above right, next to Kavanaugh) responded to the controversy by stressing that Ford deserves to be heard while also questioning the timing and the way in which the information was revealed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) echoed those views during a press conference Tuesday.
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and some others received a letter from the alleged victim earlier in the summer. Ford came forward with her accusations after her letter was leaked without a name last week.
Related: Kavanaugh Denies Dems’ 11th-Hour Sexual Assault Allegations
Democrats have tried to delay the nomination since it was first announced July 9.
The Dems could potentially improve their chances of stopping the nomination outright if they’re able to delay a final vote until after the midterm elections this year.
Before the sexual assault allegations, they argued the process should be delayed because of unfilled records requests, past delays because of elections, and the legal issues surrounding President Donald Trump.
But they could potentially improve their chances of stopping his nomination outright if they’re able to delay a final vote until after the midterm elections this year.
For more on this story, check out the video below:
(photo credit, article image: Chuck Grassley, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore)
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