Feinstein’s opponent seizes on her role in Kavanaugh fight

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, and Kevin de Leon, a Democrat in the California state Senate, rarely have much in common. But they’re united in their condemnation this week of Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein is playing a central role in the battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She received a confidential letter earlier this summer from a constituent who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party more than three decades ago, allegations that didn’t begin to surface publicly until last week. Feinstein has argued she sought to honor the confidentiality of the letter, whose author, Christine Blasey Ford, came forward last weekend in an interview with The Washington Post.

McConnell slammed Feinstein for keeping the letter “secret until the 11th hour.” De Leon, who is challenging Feinstein in the Nov. 6 election, said her actions amounted to a “failure of leadership.” Feinstein defended herself in a Tuesday interview, and Ford’s lawyer has said she acted appropriately.

The accusation, which Kavanaugh has denied, is consuming Washington, where the nomination’s fate is suddenly in limbo. It’s also giving de Leon an opening to criticize Feinstein in his uphill election fight.

“That was a valuable piece of info that you could have kept the confidentiality and kept her privacy and still dealt with the issue at hand,” he said in a Monday interview.