In a shocking interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) claimed that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had “broad credibility issues” and implied that Kavanaugh should not be afforded a presumption of innocence because he is a conservative judge.
Hirono spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday morning and confirmed that she’s less skeptical of claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a female acquaintance 35 years ago because of “how he approaches his cases.”
WATCH:
CNN’s Jake Tapper: “Doesn’t Kavanaugh have the same presumption of innocence as anyone else in America?”
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono: “I put his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases” pic.twitter.com/ZBWWOxNUMr
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 23, 2018
Tapper asked Hirono whether Kavanaugh should receive the “same presumption of innocence as anyone else in America,” to which Hirono replied, “I put his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases.”
“When I say that he is very outcome driven, he has an ideological agenda, very outcome driven, and I could sit here and talk to you about some of the cases that exemplifies his ability to be fair,” Hirono added.
She went on to assail Kavanaugh over his record on abortion.
Hirono’s meaning is clear: because Kavanaugh embraces conservative jurisprudence — ostensibly including opposition to Roe v. Wade, though he did not voice such opposition during his confirmation hearings — he cannot be trusted not to harm women.
The statement is demonstrative, as many on social media pointed out, of how Democrats are approaching the Kavanaugh accusations, generally: they’re not opposed to Kavanaugh because of the allegations, they’re opposed to him because they disagree with the way he decides cases.
Pretty much sums it up. He is guilty because he is a conservative white male, not because he did what he is accused of. https://t.co/xDVcWP9GMI
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) September 23, 2018
Shorter Hirono: If I disagree with your philosophy, I am more likely to credit a harsh personal accusation. In other words: Mazie Hirono is not acting in good faith.
— Mona Charen (@monacharenEPPC) September 23, 2018
She’s just being honest. They don’t oppose him because they find the accusation credible. They find it credible because they oppose him.
— Josiah Neeley (@jneeley78) September 23, 2018
Hirono went on to say that she plans to question Kavanaugh on the atmosphere at his high school when he testifies about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations, likely this week.