Donnelly calls for a delay to Kavanaugh confirmations amid assault allegations

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Democratic incumbent Senator Joe Donnelly is calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to slow down on a vote for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

This comes after allegations of sexual assault by the nominee when he was in high school, were leaked to the public over the weekend.

Nat: “we are also experiencing the vetting process that has cast aside tradition in favor of speed.”

California Senator Dianne Feinstein joined several Democrats in calling for a delay to the confirmation process during Kavanaugh’s first hearing.

Two weeks later, a letter submitted to the FBI by Sen. Feinstein could impact the timeline after all.

Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor in California, wrote to the senator back in July, detailing her account of sexual assault by Kavanaugh that allegedly happened more than three decades ago.

While the president is standing behind his pick amid these allegations, he wants Ford to come forward.

“I wish the democrats could have done this a lot sooner,” he said. “But with all of that being said we want to go through the process."

Senator Donnelly wants to hear from the alleged victim as well.

Groups on the right have been pressing Donnelly to confirm sooner than later since his meeting with Kavanaugh in August.

But Monday, Donnelly announced he’s going to need even more time to consider Kavanuagh’s confirmation following these allegations.

And he’s calling for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold off on a decision too.

“The allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh are serious and merit further review,” said Donnelly in a statement to ABC 57 News. “Given the nature of these allegations, and the number of outstanding questions, I believe the judiciary committee should hold off on Thursday’s scheduled vote.”

Still, conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) aren’t letting up on the pressure.

The organization has sent out three different mailers to his constituents and made nearly 285,000 calls to Hoosiers in favor of the judge.

“Any allegation of this type should be taken seriously, however, we are not going to speculate on media reports,” said a spokesperson for AFP. “Our support of Brett  Kavanaugh’s nomination is based on his impeccable qualifications, decades of experience, and his extensive record of defending the constitution and the rule of law.”