Amid Ford hearing, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham tells Democrats, 'Watch out for your nominees'

Senator Graham Kavanaugh Hearing.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/MSNBC)

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) is portending a dark future for judiciary nominees.

Graham spoke to reporters Thursday during a break from Christine Blasey Ford's Senate hearing, during which she testified under oath that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh groped and attempted to rape her at a high school gathering. Per MSNBC, the senator argued that if Kavanaugh were to not be confirmed because of Ford's allegations, it would represent the installation of a "new standard" where allegations can be revealed to the public shortly before a confirmation vote to successfully discredit a nominee. In that case, "God help us all," Graham said.

Graham also noted that Kavanaugh "adamantly denies" that the incident occurred and questioned the fact that Ford doesn't remember some of the details. He additionally complained to his fellow Republicans that "this happens to us, it never happens to them," seeming to argue that Democrats are never accused of sexual misconduct. Speaking to Democrats, Graham then offered a grave warning: "If this is the new norm, you better watch out for your nominees."

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Later, Graham became even more irate while speaking to reporters, saying that he felt "ambushed" during the hearing and that "this is enough." Watch Graham's comments below. Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.