Republican Senator Orrin Hatch casted doubt on the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Monday.
Hatch noted that the accusers waited until after Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearings to come forward, suggesting that the timing is suspect.
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“Well, it’s amazing to me that these allegations come out of nowhere at the last minute and that they weren’t brought earlier in this process,” Hatch said to reporters on Capitol Hill. “And its not untypical for our friends on the other side to pull that kind of crap.”
Hatch’s remarks came shortly after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ripped the allegations as a “smear” and promised that the Senate would vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation in the “near future.”
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of groping her at a high school party more than three decades ago, while Deborah Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a college dorm party at Yale University. Kavanaugh has denied both allegations and is set to address them on Fox News Monday evening.