The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Friday that he would bring Mark Judge, a friend of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, before the panel if the Democrats take control of the House next year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kavanaugh is facing allegations from Christine Blasey Ford that he sexually assaulted her decades ago. Ford said Judge was in the room during the attack. Both Kavanaugh and Judge have denied the allegations.

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday featuring testimony from both Kavanaugh and Ford, Senate Republicans rejected Democratic entreaties to hear from Judge as part of a broader investigation into the allegations Kavanaugh is facing.

Cummings, though, sees Judge as a key figure in the effort to get to the bottom of Ford’s accusations. If he holds the Oversight gavel next year, he would have subpoena power to compel such testimony.

“We’d be interested to hear what Mr. Judge has to say,” Cummings said. “Nobody seems to be able to find him. I’d love to have him come and tell the American people what he does or doesn’t know — sworn [testimony].”

Cummings declined to say if such a Democratic investigation might eventually lead to an impeachment of Kavanaugh, who currently sits on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“We cross that bridge if and when we come to it,” he said. “I don’t know what we’re going to find.”

Cummings said he also wants to look at reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee was in contact with two men who claimed they, not Kavanaugh, had assaulted Ford at a party in 1982.

Ford testified Thursday that she’s “100 percent” certain Kavanaugh was her attacker.

“We want to find out who that is,” Cummings said. “Because apparently they committed a crime.”

Cummings’s interest in Judge, which was first reported Friday by The Washington Post, is beginning to be shared by more and more Democrats.

NEW from @RepCummings, who could soon have subpoena power if Dems win House: "I would *love* to have (Mark) Judge testify before my committee. I would love to. Bring him out from Bethany Beach or wherever he is. And he can sit there and tell us, sworn, what's going on." — Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) September 28, 2018

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Friday floated the idea that the Democrats would subpoena Judge if they win back the lower chamber next year.

If Democrats gain control of the House, we will control subpoena power. We could subpoena Mark Judge. And the House Judiciary Committee has oversight over allegations against federal judges and justices. https://t.co/VYAFEjHFty — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 28, 2018

“Now, imagine, there is a witness named by the person who has been assaulted, and they won't hear from the witness,” Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol.

Pelosi said she recently read a book by Judge — “God and Man at Georgetown Prep” — which reinforced her belief that Kavanaugh lacks the “temperament” and “dignity” to sit on any court.

“You should read that book, and you could see the kind of activities that were engaged in as the judge was trying to present himself as a beer-drinking altar boy,” Pelosi said.

Flake, in a reversal, said he would oppose Kavanaugh on the floor unless such an investigation takes place, and GOP leaders conceded to his request just a few hours later.