Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Sen. Susan Collins on Saturday explicitly said she does not believe Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash whether her “yes” vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation meant she didn’t believe Ford, Collins said, “I found Dr. Ford’s testimony to be heart-wrenching, painful, compelling, and I believe that she believes what she testified to.” But she said she had to weigh Ford’s accusations against the fact that “Judge Kavanaugh came forward and said, ‘I’m 100 percent certain that this did not happen.” “So here you have two people who are each 100 percent certain of what they are saying under pain of perjury,” she said. “I do not believe Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant,” she said. Collins, whose key “yes” vote on Kavanaugh was seen as a huge upset for Democrats and protesters fighting his confirmation, has been hailed by President Trump and the White House for her decision.