Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is toeing the party line and expressing his support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the FBI investigates claims of sexual misconduct by the federal appeals judge seeking the lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

Scott released his statement on Monday, three days after Christine Blasey Ford delivered sworn testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that she was “100 percent” sure that Kavanaugh was part of a sexual attack on her at a party when they were teenagers.
[content-2] “Barring the discovery of any new information by the FBI investigation, I plan to vote for Brett Kavanaugh. This is not an easy decision, but the available evidence leads me to it,” Scott wrote, explaining that the investigation should go forward.

Last week, before Ford and Kavanaugh presented their divergent accounts, Scott told McClatchy’s Emma Dumain something similar, that he would “listen for anything that tells me there is a reason to be persuaded otherwise.”

Concluding his statement, Scott said, “Even though this was not a criminal trial, I believe the freedoms granted by the constitution regarding proving guilt must still apply.”

In her report, Rachel Mitchell, the prosecutor hired by Senate Republicans to question Ford, wrote, “I do not think that a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the committee.”

Writing for the Washington Post, prosecutor-turned-analyst Deanna Paul disagreed saying, “Kavanaugh might not be guilty of the assault alleged by Ford, but several integral steps must be taken before any reasonable prosecutor would reach a conclusion.”
[content-6] Scott has been mostly quiet on Kavanaugh while colleague U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has been one of the loudest voices of any from the Senate in support, serving as the point person last week after the Judiciary Committee voted to advance the judge’s nomination contingent on an FBI investigation.

Graham’s tongue-lashing criticism of his Democratic colleagues for how they handled the allegations from Ford have been credited by some with salvaging a nomination in trouble. Back home, Graham has been embraced by some critics from within the party while protesters have gathered around town to speak out against him.

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