S—storm Update: Jeff Flake Receives Death Threats From Kavanaugh Supporters

“These are human beings with families and children.”

A day before Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set to answer accusations of sexual misconduct before Congress, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told fellow Senators that he had received death threats for allowing Kavanaugh’s accusers to testify.

Flake has supported allowing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor of clinical psychology who claims Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school, to tell her story before the Judiciary Committee.

Flake, a staunch Republican but also a critic of President Donald Trump and of the rise of uncivil partisanship, spoke on Wednesday against the vitriol that has bubbled throughout the confirmation process, chastising the critics of both Kavanaugh and Ford.

“These people are not props for us to make our political points,” he said. “Nor are they to be ​’demolished’ like Anita Hill, as was said on conservative media the other night. Nor is one of them a proven sex criminal, as has been circulating on the left side of the internet. These are human beings with families and children.”

Flake added that his office had received a call from an unidentified man who threatened to “take out” the senator and his family. According to Flake, the threat was in response to the senator’s “offense” of “allowing Dr. Ford to be heard.”

​​Flake is not the first individual to receive such a threat, unfortunately. Since Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with her allegations against Kavanaugh, she has ​fled her home fearing for her safety after receiving numerous death threats.

In addition to Ford, a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez ​came forward on Monday, claiming that Kavanaugh took advantage of her inebriation in college and exposed himself to her without her consent.

On Wednesday, the identity of a third witness, Julie Swetnick was made public by anti-Trump crusader and presidential hopeful Michael Avenatti, who represents her.

In defense of his nominee, who had on Wednesday ​expressed the intention of taking matters into his own hands, came out ​swinging against Democrats and Avenatti in a press conference on Wednesday.

Trump also ripped Avenatti on his platform of choice, Twitter.

Less than 20 minutes later, though, Avenatti fired back.

​​Despite the claims against Kavanaugh, the GOP still seems determined to ram the confirmation through the Senate. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader ​Mitch McConnell guaranteed an up or down vote on Kavanaugh, indicating that Ford’s testimony will have no bearing on the scheduled confirmation proceedings.

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Adam Johnson

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