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Schakowsky statement on Brett Kavanaugh's imminent confirmation to the Supreme Court

October 6, 2018

“Today, the Republican Senate will send a clear message to American women and survivors of sexual violence everywhere: we don’t give a damn about you.

“Before his confirmation process took place, we already knew Brett Kavanaugh to be a dangerous choice for lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. His anti-woman, anti-worker, and anti-environment record was clear and unacceptable. His expansive views on executive authority were disgraceful and terrifying given the President who nominated him. Then, our nation really got to know Brett Kavanaugh.

“We came to know him as a seething, vengeful partisan, credibly accused of more than one instance of sexual violence. During the confirmation process, we watched an honest, inspiring, and terrified woman put herself and her family in the bullseye of a national frenzy to warn the Senate against confirming him. Today, we witness Mitch McConnell and the Republican Senate brush her — and by extension all survivors of sexual assault — aside without a second thought. They deserved a legitimate FBI investigation – not a superficial probe that tied the FBI’s hands, left many witness voices unheard, and resulted in a rushed vote that will have consequences for generations of women.

‘This day will live in infamy. Every Supreme Court decision Brett Kavanaugh makes will be tainted with the indelible stain of the accusations against him and the tarnished process that confirmed him.”