Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who represents South Carolina, was criticized after he claimed Democrats "destroyed" Brett Kavanaugh's life during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Graham made the remark during the final day of confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden's SCOTUS nominee to replace outgoing Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.
Noting Jackson's confirmation hearings are "coming to an end," Graham suggested he is still angry Democrats grilled Kavanaugh about his sexual misconduct.
You can hear Graham's remarks in the video below.
He said:
"If you compare this to Kavanaugh, you've missed a lot. I've never complained about Kavanaugh or anybody else being asked a hard question."
"I have complained about their lives being destroyed by a coordinated effort of Democrats and the mainstream media of trying to destroy somebody to keep a seat open."
"That didn't happen! I found her completely evasive."
Republicans have long alleged Kavanaugh had his confirmation hearing nearly derailed by numerous sexual assault allegations they deemed not worth investigating.
Kavanaugh has denied ever sexually assaulting Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the Palo Alto University professor who identified herself as the author of a then-anonymous letter alleging that he had assaulted her while at a high school party. Multiple women came forward with their own accounts after Dr. Ford's allegations emerged.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received considerable pushback in the weeks after the allegations became public in light of the limits placed upon the investigation and the knowledge that the bureau declined to interview the witnesses suggested by the attorneys for Kavanaugh's accusers. Its investigators did not interview Dr. Ford, deeming her Senate testimony sufficient.
Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed in a 50-48 vote.
Graham's statements received an immediate rebuke from critics who pointed out that Democrats didn't "destroy" much of anything precisely because Kavanaugh was confirmed.
Last week, Graham said he would not vote to confirm Jackson to the Supreme Court, citing her "record of judicial activism" as well as her "flawed sentencing methodology regarding child pornography cases and a belief Judge Jackson will not be deterred by the plain meaning of the law when it comes to liberal causes."
Last month, The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg criticized Graham over his bejavior during confirmation hearings, saying he "should be ashamed" of his often testy exchanges with Jackson, particularly over her sentencing record in child pornography cases, especially since he'd previously voted to confirm her to serve on one of the country's lower courts.
Graham has also generated unsavory headlines in recent days for interrupting Jackson several times as she attempted to respond to his questions, which also required her to speak at length about how she engages with her faith on a daily basis.
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