Blackburn demands Bredesen say where he stands on Kavanaugh

Bredesen says let the FBI look at assault allegations

Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen and Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn speak at the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. (Lacy Atkins/The Tennessean via AP, Pool)
Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen and Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn speak at the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. (Lacy Atkins/The Tennessean via AP, Pool)

NASHVILLE - The controversy over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court boiled over into Tennessee's U.S. Senate race Friday, with Republican Marsha Blackburn accusing Democratic rival Phil Bredesen of stalling on where he stands.

But Bredesen later welcomed a request by Republican members on the GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee that President Donald Trump direct the FBI to investigate for up to one week the sexual assault accusations made against Kavanaugh by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford before the nomination hits the Senate floor.

Ford publicly stated her story before the panel Thursday that in 1982 the then-17-year-old and drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when she was 15 at a house party.

photo Phil Bredesen, left, and Marsha Blackburn are shown in this composite photo.

An emotional Kavanaugh angrily denied the allegation during his own testimony. Two other women also have made allegations of inappropriate behavior against Kavanaugh.

Friday afternoon, Senate Republicans had been prepared to muscle the nomination through the Judiciary Committee. But they acceded to requests by committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., that the allegations raised by Ford be investigated by the FBI.

Earlier Friday, Blackburn, who is seeking to become the first female senator in Tennessee history, issued a statement saying she appreciated the willingness of both Ford and Kavanaugh "to share their stories."

The Brentwood congress member then attacked Bredesen, seeking to link him to Senate Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, a continuing theme in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Chattanooga.

"Each of us saw more of what we have seen throughout this process," Blackburn said. "Senate Democrats behaving despicably and putting personal political ambitions above their constitutional duty to advise and consent."

She then charged that Bredesen, at "Chuck Schumer's direction, has stayed neutral as long as he can, but now, the hearing is over and he has no other reason to stall."

Blackburn, who earlier this week sought to put Bredesen on the defensive on Kavanaugh's confirmation in the candidates' first Senate debate, added "I have been clear from the start: I will always vote to confirm judges who uphold the Constitution.

"Obviously, Phil Bredesen will not make that commitment to Tennesseans because he'll only vote when and how Chuck Schumer tells him," Blackburn said. "That's not what Tennesseans deserve from their next Senator."

Bredesen's campaign also said Friday, prior to Senate Republicans' move, that the Democrat "will share his position with voters before the full Senate vote."

In a statement issued later in the day, Bredesen said "confirmation process has been abused by both parties, but some voices of sanity have finally appeared and this FBI investigation is an opportunity for the Senate to regain some of its self-respect.

"I cannot understand why any Senator, or Judge Kavanaugh himself, would not want the FBI to research these allegations," Bredesen added. "If they are unfounded, as the Judge claims, the FBI can erase a permanent stain on his appointment and on him personally."

If they prove to have "substance," Bredesen said, "any Senator of either party should want to take them into consideration before deciding on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. I would feel exactly the same if it were a Democratic appointment under consideration."

Earlier in September, prior to the public surfacing of Ford's charges, Bredesen said he was "embarrassed by the circus" in the Senate over the Kavanaugh nomination, adding that both parties were to blame.

Blackburn, meanwhile, has been using the Kavanaugh nomination among other issues to hammer Bredesen as he runs a campaign in which he seeks to assure moderate Republicans and independents in a red state that he will be a reasonable moderate as he says he was during his two terms as governor.

Contact Andy Sher at 615-255-0550 or asher@timesfreepress.com.

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