Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said during a Tuesday press conference that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh does not have the fundamental principle of being innocent until proven guilty in regard to the sexual misconduct allegations levied against him.
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“This is standard operating procedure, and the question looms: Why are Republicans deviating from here? This is not a criminal trial,” he stated. “This is not a … this is to find the facts. You have two diametrically opposed stories, and there are two issues: A, which story is right, and if — if — Dr. Ford is telling the truth, then Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility is in great question.”
When asked if he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s saying Kavanaugh deserved to be viewed as innocent, Schumer said, “I agree that we — this is not, that’s a criminal trial. What I believe is, we ought to get to the bottom and find the facts in the way that the FBI has always done. There’s no presumption of innocence or guilt when you have a nominee before you.”
Schumer is not the only Democrat who has assumed Kavanaugh’s guilt despite the presumption of innocence. Sen. Mazie Hirono said he couldn’t be trusted and doesn’t deserve to be viewed as innocent until proven otherwise because she doesn’t trust his view on abortion. (RELATED: Sen. Hirono Says Kavanaugh Can’t Be Trusted Because Of Views On Abortion)
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