Nevada U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto spoke against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the Senate floor, calling him temperamentally unfit to sit on the nation’s highest court and said he has extreme views that threaten our rights. Nevada U.S. Sen. Dean Heller released a video detailing his decision to support Kavanaugh in an expected Senate vote on Saturday, Heller said Kavanaugh has an extension record that shows he respects precedent. The state’s U.S. senators followed party lines in their positions towards Kavanaugh. Cortez Masto said the president did not work with Congress to choose a qualified candidate. “Brett Kavanaugh was hand-picked by the Federalist Society, a right wing lobbying organization dedicated to overturning Roe v. Wade,” said Cortez Masto, Nevada’s former attorney general. She charged Kavanaugh does not respect a woman’s right to choose and does not respect workers’ rights. She called him “belligerent, evasive and aggressive” in his U.S. Senate testimony. “His demonstrated lack of temperament and impartiality is another reason why I cannot support him,” Cortez Masto said. “It is also why over 2,400 law professors from respected law schools across this country penned a letter to the senators to state that the Senate should not confirm Judge Kavanaugh.” She said the Senate is not meant to be a rubber stamp for the president’s power, but to be part of checks and balance. Heller said he read the FBI report on the investigation into allegations of attempted sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh and said the report had no corroboration of the charges. Kavanaugh’s legal career and education make him exceptionally qualified, Heller said. “The American Bar Association awarded Judge Kavanaugh its highest rating – unanimously well-qualified,” Heller said. “Legal scholars have described him as mainstream, and for me – it’s important that he has proven that he’s dedicated to upholding the Constitution – not re-writing it from the bench.”<doc-sep>^ Keep Westword Free Support Us Local Community Journalism I Support Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free. Support Us Last night, mere hours before U.S. Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh won a key procedural vote that clears the way for the full Senate to weigh in on his candidacy, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet denounced him and what he characterized as a "shambles" of a confirmation process in uncommonly fiery terms. Often, Bennet has seemed as in need of an anger translator like the one comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele imagined for President Barack Obama. But not this time. Although Bennet may not have been as pissed off as Kavanaugh was at a hearing last week at which he sorta/kinda addressed accusations of sexual assault made against him by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — but not assertions by Boulder's Deborah Ramirez that he "thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent" 35 years ago during a college party at Yale University — this typically studious fellow was clearly impassioned. Not to mention incredibly frustrated. "This cannot be the standard for how the United States Senate or the federal government should operate," Bennet said at the outset of his address, viewable in its entirety here. Bennet acknowledged that he had decided to vote against Kavanaugh's nomination weeks ago, largely for policy reasons involving abortion and the judge's previously expressed opinions about presidential power. But he was clearly moved by Dr. Ford's testimony, which he called "credible," and by her example, which he said had "inspired women to tell their own stories, including Debbie Ramirez of Colorado." Recall that Bennet played a role in putting Ramirez together with her legal team, currently headed by Boulder-based attorney John Clune. He then castigated the "juvenile taunting we saw the other night from President Trump" when he appeared to mock Dr. Ford at a recent campaign event. Still, he insisted that "President Trump is not the issue here. For all the damage he has done, he is not the cause of our dysfunction. He is a symptom of it." More problematic, in Bennet's view, was a change in Senate procedure that allows U.S. Supreme Court nominees to be approved with a simple majority rather than the sixty votes previously required. In his view, this switch ratcheted up the divisiveness that has marked the Kavanaugh nomination from the beginning. Of particular note to Bennet was the decision of both the Senate and FBI investigators to "refuse to actually interview many of the potential witnesses" identified by Ramirez. He also grew heated as he castigated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for having "the gall" to claim that "there was no backup from any witnesses" to Ramirez's account. "Well, they weren't interviewed!" he exclaimed. Then, in a demonstration of his fondness for adjectives, Bennet said, "We have exported, Mr. President, the hopefully temporary, mindless, empty, counterproductive, unimaginative, meaningless partisanship from the floor of this Senate to the United States Supreme Court. We should be ashamed of that." No anger translator necessary. This post was updated to reflect the outcome of a Senate procedural vote regarding Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.<doc-sep>Planned Parenthood's political arm is targeting vulnerable GOP Sen. Dean Heller Dean Arthur HellerOn The Trail: Democrats plan to hammer Trump on Social Security, Medicare Lobbying World Democrats spend big to put Senate in play MORE on comments he made about the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. A six-figure digital ad buy focuses on Heller reportedly saying the nomination had run into a "hiccup" following Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against Kavanaugh. "Let's remind Sen. Heller that sexual assault is never a 'hiccup,'" a narrator says in the ad. ADVERTISEMENT According to the Nevada Independent, Heller made the comment during a "VIP" conference call arranged by the Nevada Republican Party in September. “I’m really grateful for the White House, for the effort of President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE and what he has done, and the excitement that we have,” he said, according to the Independent. “We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination, we’ll get through this and we’ll get off to the races,” he said. Heller later told the Independent his comments were directed at how Democrats handled the allegations, not the allegations themselves. While Heller has said he'll vote to confirm Kavanaugh, the ad encourages viewers to urge him to vote no. Heller is one of the most endangered Senate Republicans running for reelection in November. Cook Political Report rates the race between Heller and Democratic candidate Jacky Rosen Jacklyn (Jacky) Sheryl RosenHillicon Valley: Parler app risks charges of selling out with Apple return | Justices hear First Amendment clash over cheerleader's Snapchat | Google pressed to conduct racial equity audit Lawmakers introduce legislation to create civilian reserve program to fight hackers Bipartisan Senate proposal would grant million to minority businesses MORE as a "toss up." Planned Parenthood has been highly involved in the midterms, and plans to spend $20 million in key races ahead of November.<doc-sep>
Sen. Dean Heller believes Brett Kavanaugh will eventually be confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite the "hiccup" over an allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a woman when he was in high school, according to The Nevada Independent. On a Wednesday call with Republicans, Heller, who is facing a tough re-election race, said he was “grateful” to the White House and President Trump for their efforts and predicted that Trump’s second pick for the Supreme Court will end up on the bench despite a scandal that has forced the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone a vote on his nomination. “We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination, we’ll get through this and we’ll get off to the races,” he said during a call arranged by the Nevada Republican Party and reported by The Nevada Independent. The "hiccup" in question regards a sexual misconduct allegation against Kavanaugh that surfaced in recent days. Professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward publicly over the weekend, saying that Kavanaugh pinned her down and tried to take off her clothes at a 1982 high school party in suburban Maryland. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation, calling it "completely false." On Thursday, Heller said "hiccup" did not refer to the sexual assault allegations themselves, but the way Democrats had handled the situation. "No, I do not believe sexual assault allegations of any kind are a hiccup, I was referring to how poorly the Democrats have handled this process and the fact that the Democrats have not worked with the Judiciary Committee Chairman in good faith," Heller said in a statement. "I think it’s important for Dr. Ford to have the opportunity to share her story with the Judiciary Committee in public or private should she choose to do so." He continued: "As I’ve said before, given the gravity of this appointment and this accusation, I would hope that all Senators, regardless of party, are willing to work with Chairman Grassley in good faith." When Kavanaugh's nomination was announced, Ford sent a letter about the allegations to California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, her senator and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Feinstein did not disclose Ford's allegations after receiving the letter. When the story leaked last week without Ford's name, Feinstein explained that she was honoring Ford's request for confidentiality. Rep. Jacky Rosen, the Nevada Democrat running against Heller, called Heller's "hiccup" comment “unbelievable.” More:GOP senator who called for Kavanaugh delay: 'Let's vote' if Ford not at Monday hearing Heller is arguably the most vulnerable GOP senator up for re-election in November. The Nevada Republican comes from a state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, and to win, he’ll need the support of people who voted for her. With President Donald Trump in the White House, Republicans are facing an uphill battle to court female voters this year. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found the president had a 62 percent unfavorable rating among women, 8 points worse than the rating among men. The poll was conducted prior to the public revelation of the allegation against Kavanaugh. More:Chuck Grassley gives Christine Blasey Ford Friday deadline to RSVP for hearing on Kavanaugh allegation More:Kavanaugh confirmation: Who will be the winners and losers in a Senate hearing?