Charlie Baker says ‘sickening’ accusations against Brett Kavanaugh deserve an investigation before Senate vote
"I believe Professor Ford."
As the Senate hearing on the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh began Thursday morning, Gov. Charlie Baker reiterated his calls for an independent investigation into the accusations before the chamber votes on the judge’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.
The Republican governor said the accusations were “sickening” and echoed the demands by many Massachusetts Democrats for a federal investigation before the Senate moves forward in the nomination process.
The accusations brought against Judge Kavanaugh are sickening and deserve an independent investigation. There should be no vote in the Senate.
— Charlie Baker (@MAGovArchive) September 27, 2018
Kavanaugh has been accused of various degrees of sexual assault and misconduct decades ago by three separate women. The first woman to speak out, Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the federal judge of attempting to force her to have sex while drunk in high school, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the hearing Thursday.
Baker was also asked about the accounts from Ford and two other women Wednesday. While he declined to weigh in on whether Kavanaugh was fit for the nation’s highest court, the governor said his accusers “deserve to be heard.”
“I believe there should be an independent investigation,” Baker told The Boston Globe. “I believe that investigation should preclude anything associated with a vote. And I think until that investigation gets done, they should put off voting on this.”
Jay Gonzalez, the Democratic candidate challenging Baker in this November’s election, has criticized the governor for not taking a firm enough stand on the allegations against Kavanaugh. Following Baker’s statement Thursday morning, Gonzalez asserted that he believed Ford’s account and pressed the governor to say if he did, too.
I believe Dr. Ford, do you?
— Jay Gonzalez (@jay4ma) September 27, 2018
Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, Baker made clear the answer to Gonzalez’s question was yes.
“I believe Professor Ford,” he said, via a video from MassLive.
Baker reiterated that, if there was no independent investigation into Ford’s allegations, he did not think Kavanaugh should be confirmed.
“I don’t believe that he would be fit for the job, because this is a critical issue that’s been raised that deserves to be investigated” he said.
Baker declined to say whether he believed the other two women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, but said all of the allegations should be independently investigated.
“If they don’t do the investigation, they should not vote,” he reiterated one last time.
Baker was one of three Republican governors in the country who did not sign a letter in July — before the recent allegations were publicly known — supporting Kavanaugh’s nomination.
