The American Bar Association is sending a strong signal to the Senate tonight: Put the brakes on Kavanaugh, get the FBI involved, and wait until an investigation is done.
CNN reports:
In a strongly worded letter obtained by CNN Thursday, the organization said it is making the extraordinary request "because of the ABA's respect for the rule of law and due process under law," siding with concerns voiced by Senate Democrats since Christine Blasey Ford's decades-old allegations became public.
"The basic principles that underscore the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI," said Robert Carlson, president of the organization, in a Thursday night letter addressed to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein.
"Each appointment to our nation's Highest Court (as with all others) is simply too important to rush to a vote," Carlson wrote. "Deciding to proceed without conducting additional investigation would not only have a lasting impact on the Senate's reputation, but it will also negatively affect the great trust necessary for the American people to have in the Supreme Court."
During his testimony Thursday, Kavanaugh touted his rating with the ABA as evidence of his qualification to sit on the nation's highest court for the rest of his life. He claimed his ABA rating proved he had been thoroughly vetted.
The other qualification Kavanaugh cited was his Jesuit education and background. After his testimony Thursday, Jesuit American Magazine withdrew their endorsement, calling for his nomination to be withdrawn for the good of the country.
"The hearings and the committee’s deliberations are now also a bellwether of the way the country treats women when their reports of harassment, assault and abuse threaten to derail the careers of powerful men," the magazine's editors wrote.
Senators should heed the call of both organizations, stand down, and start over.