Kavanaugh argues he's an 'independent, impartial judge'

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who is accused of alleged sexual abuse, wrote in an op-ed where he argued that he was an "independent, impartial judge" and conceding he "might have been too emotional" in his Senate Judiciary Committee last week.

"I was very emotional last Thursday (September 27), more so than I have ever been," Kavanaugh wrote in the op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

"I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters."

Kavanaugh and California professor Christine Blasey Ford testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27 after Ford accused the nominee of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school, CNN reported.

Ford alleges a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her down at a party and attempted to remove her clothes, covering her mouth when she tried to scream.

Kavanaugh vehemently denies the allegation.

In the op-ed, the Supreme Court nominee sought to assuage worries about how political he might be on the court.

"The Supreme Court must never be viewed as a partisan institution," Kavanaugh writes. "The justices do not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. They do not caucus in separate rooms."

He adds, if confirmed to the nation's highest court, "I would always strive to be a team player".

Kavanaugh said he has been "subjected to wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations," and that his time in high school and college "has been ridiculously distorted", adding that his wife and daughters "have faced vile and violent threats".

However, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, told CNN on Thursday night that he wasn't buying Kavanaugh's attempt at casting his testimony in a different light.

"This op-ed in no way removes the issue of temperament," Blumenthal said.

"That testimony was written, carefully prepared, planned, premeditated -- not some emotional outburst... Judges are supposed to put emotions aside."

--IANS

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