Watch Brett Kavanaugh's furious, tearful opening statement

Brett Kavanaugh came out swinging against Democrats in a remarkable opening statement during Thursday's historic Senate hearing.

President Trump's Supreme Court nominee spoke hours after Christine Blasey Ford testified under oath that Kavanaugh had groped and attempted to rape her at a high school party. While denying under oath all sexual misconduct allegations against him, Kavanaugh hammered Democratic senators for turning his confirmation process into a "national disgrace," accusing them of replacing "'advise and consent' with 'search and destroy'," "totally and permanently" ruining his "good name," and bringing harm to his family.

The nominee also accused the senators in attendance of going after him in a "coordinated and well-funded" "political hit" as "revenge on behalf of the Clintons." But he told the senators he will "not be intimidated" into withdrawing even if "you may defeat me in the final vote," also warning Democrats that "what goes around, comes around." Kavanaugh additionally said that after facing what he insists are false allegations, he now "[fears] for the future," adding that because of what Democratic senators have "unleashed," he may never be able to teach law or coach girls' basketball again.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Kavanaugh proceeded to refute Ford's allegations while admitting he did "stupid things" in high school and "sometimes had too many beers." But the behavior he says he now cringes at does not include sexual misconduct, he argued. "I never committed sexual assault." Watch Kavanaugh's remarks in full below. Brendan Morrow

Explore More

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.