The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote Friday on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The full Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to seat the extraordinarily qualified judge on the high court.

After much buildup, Kavanaugh and Professor Christine Blasey Ford testified separately Thursday before the Judiciary Committee. Both addressed Ford’s uncorroborated allegations that a drunken Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed, tried and failed to take her clothes off, and put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming some 36 years ago when both were high school students.

Kavanaugh forcefully and convincingly denied allegations by Ford and other women that he had ever engaged in sexual misconduct. “I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone,” the judge said Thursday, repeating a comment he’s made since Ford’s accusations surfaced.

Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., was informed about Ford’s claims in July, but only made the accusations against Kavanaugh public days before the committee was to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Instead of backing down Kavanaugh chose to show his daughters what it means to fight for what’s right, even when it’s hard.

In fact, as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., revealed Thursday, Feinstein’s office even recommended a lawyer to Ford on Aug. 20 – before Feinstein informed her fellow committee members of Ford’s explosive but unproven allegations against Kavanaugh.

During the hearing, committee members went to great lengths to be respectful and deferential to Ford. Democrats applauded her repeatedly for being brave, but while she came off as very sympathetic, emotions and empathy do not equal evidence.

And evidence is still what’s entirely missing to back up Ford’s allegations. Not a single shred of evidence or a single witness has been produced supporting her claim that Kavanaugh sexually attacked her or was even at the party where she contends the attack took place. No one supposedly at the party even recalls there was such a party.

Unfortunately, when it was Kavanaugh’s turn to testify, Democrats didn’t afford him nearly the same respect as Ford. They were confrontational, repeatedly trying to shake him by pushing him to ask for an FBI investigation, and digging through his high school yearbook to figure out how much beer he drank over three decades ago.

One of the most impassioned speeches from committee members came from a fired-up Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who held nothing back when he called out the Democrats for wanting to destroy Kavanaugh life rather than find the truth – all in the hope of winning the presidency in 2020.

Graham said Democrats were committing “the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics.”

Ford attempted to correct discrepancies in her testimony. In the letter sent to Feinstein in July, she said there were four other people at the party where the alleged assault occurred. Her story changed slightly in a written statement she submitted during her polygraph test last month, when she said there were a couple of girls and four boys.

However, when she was asked to clarify this point during the hearing Thursday by attorney Rachel Mitchell, she changed her statement again and said she can’t guarantee there weren’t a few other people there.

While Ford claimed she originally asked Feinstein for anonymity because she wanted to keep her family out of the spotlight, her name eventually got out.

However, Ford failed to remember major details of her account – like the time or place the alleged assault took place. And she failed to explain how the four people she named in her letter contradicted her claim that such a party took place or that Kavanaugh was there.

Ford is not the only one with a family. Tossing uncorroborated – and now refuted – allegations out there just so everyone is aware of them, as she said during the hearing, impacts Kavanaugh’s wife and two daughters.

Recently, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D- Hawaii said: “I just want to say to the men in this country: Just shut up and step up. Do the right thing, for a change.”

I couldn’t agree more that men need to step up and do the right thing. Even when the right thing is the hard thing. That is exactly what Kavanaugh is doing.

The easy thing would be for Kavanaugh to withdraw his name from consideration. His wife has had death threats directed at her. The couple’s two young daughters have been forced to hear serious accusations and humiliating questions directed at their father without any factual basis.

However, instead of backing down Kavanaugh chose to show his daughters what it means to fight for what’s right, even when it’s hard.

The judge is defending his character, integrity and reputation, while modeling for his daughters a strength that does not falter in the face of tremendous adversity.

He may come out of this tainted professionally, but his character will remain intact, and his girls will always know that he stepped up and did the right thing.

In his testimony, Kavanaugh said one of his daughters asked to pray for Dr. Ford. That speaks to the type of man he is and the kind of children he and his wife are raising. It’s far more important than the number of beers he consumed in high school.

Democrats warned early on that they would stop Kavanaugh by any means necessary. In the last few days we’ve seen several accusations with no credibility thrown at him out of desperation because nothing else is working.

Sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct are serious problems that are intolerable – whether the victims are female or male.

For years, women were told to be quiet or we’d have our lives destroyed by speaking up about sexual misconduct. Thankfully, we’ve made great strides in this country and we’re at long last starting to feel more comfortable telling our stories.

So why now, knowing how our lives were once destroyed for speaking up, do women think nothing of destroying a man’s life when there is no evidence of a crime?

Whether it’s the court of law or the court of public opinion, it’s wrong to convict a man, ruin his reputation and destroy his family with no evidence. Democrats promised us they’d do whatever was necessary to keep Kavanaugh off the Supreme Court, but women most certainly should be better than that.

You can’t claim to champion women by destroying innocent men. That doesn’t empower you, it makes you a bully. And when men are unjustly destroyed their wives, daughters, mothers and sisters suffer terribly as well. Does anyone care about these women?

We have a standard in this country – innocent until proven guilty. Not the other way around. Whatever your race, religion or gender, if you accuse someone of crime that person’s guilt – not innocence – must be proven.

Ford very likely had something bad happen to her in her life. However, Kavanaugh’s guilt wasn’t even remotely proven Thursday.

Taking into account the allegations, evidence and facts – as well as the numerous women who’ve attested to his character throughout his life – I would not hesitate to let Judge Kavanaugh coach my daughter’s basketball team and I would not hesitate to let him rule on our nation’s most important legal cases as a Supreme Court justice. The Senate has a responsibility to confirm him to the high court.