Sen. Schumer Makes Dems' Stance on Kavanaugh's Hearing Official: There Is No Presumption of Innocence

JULIO ROSAS | SEP 26, 2018 | 10:40 AM

During a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made it clear that his party does not believe Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has the presumption of innocence for the sexual misconduct allegations that have surfaced.
According to Schumer, Kavanaugh does not have the presumption because he is not in the court of law and is instead facing a “fact-finding” panel.
“No, it's not a legal proceeding, it's a fact-finding proceeding,” Schumer said.
“This is not a criminal trial, this is not ... this is to find the facts,” he continued.
When pressed on Kavanaugh's presumption of innocence, Schumer wasted no time reiterating that the confirmation proceeding is not a court case.

“This is not a criminal trial,” he said. “I believe is we ought to get to the bottom and find the facts, in the way the FBI has always done. There's no presumption of innocence or guilt when you have a nominee before you.”

Watch the video below:



Schumer's comments come as other Democrats, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have publicly stated that innocent until proven guilty does not apply since Kavanaugh is not in the court of law.
“Look, we’re not in a court of law, we’re actually in a court of credibility at this point. Without having the FBI report or some semblance of trying to get corroboration, we are left with the credibility of the two witnesses,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told MSNBC.
Kamala Harris ✔ @SenKamalaHarris

Dr. Blasey Ford isn’t on trial. This hearing is to determine whether Kavanaugh is qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. By hiring a private attorney to cross-examine Dr. Blasey Ford, Republicans are trying to intimidate her and avoid being held accountable by voters.
Reuters Top News ✔ @Reuters

Lawyer, not Republican senators, to question Kavanaugh, accuser: lawmaker https://reut.rs/2DwAakb

3:08 PM - Sep 25, 2018



Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also said it's the White House's responsibility to disprove their nominee's guilt.

https://ijr.com/2018/09/1126458-sen-...-no-innocence/