In a consistent, tight-rope display of talking a lot but saying nothing, Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox refused to tell Alabamians whether he supports Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.
The verbal acrobatics came in three separate television interviews this week, all in-which Maddox was asked directly about the topic. His campaign also punted on the question in a statement when questioned by the Associated Press.
To CBS 42, Maddox would only confirm that “the Senate needed to continue to do it’s job of due diligence, that’s a position that we took early on in this process.”
In an interview with WHNT, the Democratic nominee, as the television station pointed out, would not say whether he supported or opposed Kavanaugh.
“You’ve got to let the Senate do their job and not make a rush to judgment,” Maddox said. “We saw last week that Dr. Ford’s testimony was extremely compelling and needed to be vetted, and I’m glad to see the FBI doing just that.”
He added, “Being a father, and having a 16-year-old daughter, it affects me greatly. And regardless of whether it’s a Supreme Court nomination hearing, or what happens throughout our state, sexual assault can never be tolerated on any level, or in any way, no matter how long it’s been.”
Then, when directly asked his stance by WZDX, Maddox completed the questioning-dodging trifecta.
“We watched a very compelling testimony that people on both sides of the aisle readily admitted it was powerful and needed to be vetted. I’m glad that process is happening. I believe the governor should do the same,” he said.
Governor Kay Ivey, Maddox’s opponent, reaffirmed her support of Kavanaugh’s confirmation this week.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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