Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shouts while questioning Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was called back to testify about claims by Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
He Wouldn't Say a Word to Christine Blasey Ford But Unhinged Lindsey Graham Breaks Silence, Has 'Full-Blown Temper Tantrum' to Defend Kavanaugh
Republicans wouldn't ask the accuser, who happens to be a woman, any questions. But once the accused, a man, was in the witness chair—turns out they had quite a lot to say
While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.
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While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.
While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.