Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters on Monday that if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh lied in denying that he sexually assaulted a woman at a high school party in the early 1980s that it would "obviously" disqualify him from a seat on the nation's highest court.
"Obviously if Judge Kavanaugh has lied about what happened that would be disqualifying," Collins said during a brief gaggle with the press outside her office.
Kavanaugh has vigorously denied that the alleged incident ever took place, and a White House official told NBC News Monday that Kavanaugh has said that he was not at the party. Kavanaugh gave the same account to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a Hatch aide told NBC News.
Collins also continued to demand a hearing on the issue with Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, a position which seemingly puts her at odds with GOP leadership. Collins' first demanded a hearing, with both parties under oath, in a tweet earlier Monday.
Collins tweet
Both Ford and Kavanaugh have offered to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Judiciary Commitee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have so far said they don't think such a step is necessary.
Grassley has proposed holding phone calls with Kavanaugh and Ford, a plan which McConnell endorsed Monday from the Senate floor.
Collins said Monday that she assumed staff interviews "would be the prelude to some sort of hearing."
She said that during a phone call with Kavanaugh Friday, after the contours of the accusation against him were public but before Ford came forward by name, the nominee told her "that he had never acted that way not only with this unnamed accuser but with any woman."
The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination on Thursday, though all ten Democrats on the committee and a number of prominent Republicans have argued for the vote to be delayed pending further investigation.
Democrats have targeted Collins, as well as her Senate colleague Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as Republicans who may break with their party to vote against Trump's nominee. Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July to replace former Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh appeared on track to easily secure a confirmation vote until Ford came forward this weekend with her accusation.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
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