“The sexual-misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh may remove pressure that some Democratic senators faced to back his confirmation as a way of reassuring conservative voters in congressional elections just seven weeks away,” Reuters reports.

“Since Kavanaugh was nominated to the high court by President Donald Trump, Democratic senators from states that Trump won in 2016 were locked in a dilemma. If they didn’t vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, they would have appeared to be out of step with voters at home and risked losing re-election.”

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of assaulting her in high school, will both testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.

New York Times: “The hearings will set up a potentially explosive public showdown, one that carries unmistakable echoes of the 1991 testimony of Anita Hill, who accused the future Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in an episode that riveted the nation and ushered a slew of women into public office. They will play out against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, which has energized Democratic women across the nation.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “told reporters on Monday that if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh lied in denying that he sexually assaulted a woman at a high school party in the early 1980s that it would ‘obviously’ disqualify him from a seat on the nation’s highest court,” CNBC reports.

Said Collins: “Obviously if Judge Kavanaugh has lied about what happened that would be disqualifying.”

President Trump called the notion that Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court might be withdrawn over sexual misconduct allegations from his high school days “ridiculous,” Roll Call reports.

“But he backed delaying the confirmation process so the nominee and his accuser could speak with senators.”

Said Trump: “If it takes a little delay, it’ll take a little delay. I’m sure it will work out very well.”