Mitch McConnell rips Democrats for hiding Kavanaugh accusation until 'the 11th hour'

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation vote has stalled at the last second, due to an allegation of sexual assault. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) thinks Democrats are to blame.

In a statement on the Senate floor Monday, McConnell decried Democrats for not bringing up the allegation against Kavanaugh until "the 11th hour." They could've "brought it up through the standard bipartisan process," or during background calls with the nominee, McConnell said, but delayed in another attempt to stall Kavanaugh's confirmation process.

Christine Ford previously sent a confidential allegation to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on July 30, saying Kavanaugh tried to rape her while they were both in high school. Ford didn't want to be identified the letter's author until this Sunday. Still, McConnell slammed Democrats for not bringing up the allegation sooner, "even with the [accuser's] name redacted." Instead, McConnell falsely claimed Democrats revealed the accusation "by leaking it to the press," though Ford came to The Washington Post with her allegation.

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McConnell said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will "pursue this matter by the book" with bipartisan interviews of Kavanaugh and Ford. Kavanaugh has continually denied the allegation, and a committee vote to send Kavanaugh's confirmation vote to the whole Senate is still slated for Thursday.