Senator Joni Ernst. (file photo)
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she is trying to watch as much as she can of the Senate Judiciary Committee questioning of the woman who accuses the Supreme Court nominee of sexually abusing her.
Ernst says she can’t watch all of the proceedings, but did get to see Christine Blasey-Ford’s opening statement. “I have no doubt at some point she experienced some sort of traumatic event,” Ernst says. But the Republican from Red Oak Ernst says the other information does not support the alleged involvement of nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
“The witnesses that she identified as having been there — all of those witnesses provided…written statements, sworn statements to the investigative staff of the committed not able to corroborate, or saying that they were not present when anything like that happened,” according to Ernst. Ernst says Senators needed to hear personally from Ford.
“It’s good testimony, I am glad that she is here, and it is important that we hear from her,” Ernst says, “however the testimony from those other witnesses have contradicted what she is stating.” Ernst says her staff will watch all the testimony and she will watch what she can as she prepares to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination if it comes to the full Senate.
“We have to base decisions upon on what can be corroborated. And one you have one person that says one thing and three other people who discredit it. Then I would says it’s probably not the likeliest of scenarios,” Ernst says. Iowa’s other Senator, Chuck Grassley is the chair of the committee that’s conducting the hearings.