Kemp faces pressure to retract ‘misguided’ support for Kavanaugh

A group of dozens of prominent Democratic Georgia women urged Republican Brian Kemp to "immediately retract" his support for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he faces a swirl of sexual misconduct allegations.

While Kemp would have no say over Kavanaugh's appointment if elected governor, he wrote a letter praising the Donald Trump nominee as a jurist with a "clear understanding of the proper role of a judge."

After Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when both were in high school, several Republican U.S. senators have called for more time to vet the accusation. A second woman has since told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale.

The letter claimed Kemp’s “unwavering support for Judge Kavanaugh’s character was misguided given the credible information brought forth by multiple women and the need for every woman to be heard.”

Its signatories include state legislators, educators, party leaders and activists.

Kemp said through a spokesman that he agreed with U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue that "we need to hear from Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh in a timely manner."

Ford is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Kavanaugh repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual misconduct in a Monday interview on Fox News.

Kemp’s opponent, Stacey Abrams, has joined the chorus of Democrats who criticized Trump for challenging Ford’s account. She said she was appalled by the president’s tweet that asserted Ford should have filed charges if the attack “was as bad as she says.”

Read more: