Doug Jones’ office ducking Kavanaugh supporters, hanging up on constituents

After Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) announced his intention to vote against Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the office of Alabama’s junior senator has been caught hanging up on pro-Kavanaugh constituents.

After Jones’ office hung up on Yellowhammer Radio’s Ford Brown, who was live on air, other anecdotal reports began to come in saying calls were widely going unanswered.

I called @DougJones office today to express my thoughts on the #KavanaughConfirmation and they hung up on me twice and sent me to voicemail the next time….. #ALPolitics pic.twitter.com/Za2x5HOVhS

— The Ford Faction (@TheFordFaction) October 2, 2018

Alabama residents have also been sending electronic correspondence to Jones’ office to voice their displeasure with his “no” vote, and are receiving the following form-letter reply:

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for writing to share your thoughts on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.

When Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement earlier this summer, I promised the people of Alabama that I would conduct a thoughtful and thorough independent review of the nominee to replace Justice Kennedy.

President Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to the Court on July 9th, and from that day forward, I have studied Judge Kavanaugh’s record. I have read his speeches, his available writings from his time in the Bush Administration, and his decisions as a Circuit Court judge. I watched his confirmation hearing carefully and had hoped to have the opportunity to meet with him in order to allow him to explain his thinking on a number of important issues. Unfortunately, his schedule did not permit us the occasion to meet.

I have heard from thousands of Alabamians like you who care deeply about this nomination and what it means for our country. These letters and calls came from both supporters and opponents of Judge Kavanaugh, and I appreciated every one of them.

The Kavanaugh nomination process has been flawed from the beginning and incomplete at the end. However, during her testimony, Dr. Ford was credible and courageous. I am concerned about the message that this vote will be sending to our sons and daughters, as well victims of sexual assault. Therefore, I will be voting no on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination.

I encourage the President to start a new list of nominees, investigate the individuals on the list thoroughly, and nominate the individual he believes will best serve the interests of justice. The Supreme Court is too important for this process to be rushed.

Thank you again for writing. Please do not hesitate to do so again if ever I can be of assistance to you or your family.

Sincerely,
Doug Jones
United States Senator

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn