Dear fellow South Carolinians,

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Statement on Nomination of Judge Kavanaugh
The past few weeks have been gut-wrenching for our nation, and the Ford and Kavanaugh families. We continue to confront how we can move forward as a society after looking the other way as women have been mistreated and abused for generations, and how that interacts with available evidence and the ability to determine culpability for past actions.

I have heard from so many female friends of mine over the past two weeks telling me their stories – things they might not ever have shared if we were not facing the current situation. There is no doubt that many women have been fearful, ashamed, humiliated, angry, or have had many other emotions that have led them to not tell their stories. I will never blame a victim for feeling this way – we should be supporting those who have been traumatized instead of constantly trying to tear them down. That has been occurring for decades, and we must look inward as a nation to both help create a society where women feel safe enough to share their stories and change our culture that has led to these heinous events occurring in the first place. We must learn from our past in order to build a safer future.

Part of learning from our past is doing everything we can to find the truth. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford offered compelling testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I commend her courage in coming before the world. Judge Brett Kavanaugh strongly denies the claims brought against him, leaving us in a situation where evidence is absolutely critical to determining what happened in this specific situation.

What the evidence shows us is that none of the witnesses provided by Dr. Ford can corroborate her story, or even basic events of the night in question. We also have an expert who has been prosecuting sex crimes for 25 years stating that ‘I do not think that a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the Committee.’

My heart breaks for Dr. Ford as she obviously still confronts a trauma that occurred while she was a teenager. However, none of the evidence we have points to Brett Kavanaugh as guilty of these crimes. Any lawyer will tell you that she said-he said situations are some of the hardest and most painful cases to review, and that remains true here.

An FBI investigation is an important step, and should be completed. Barring the discovery of any new information by the FBI investigation, I plan to vote for Brett Kavanaugh. This is not an easy decision, but the available evidence leads me to it. Even though this was not a criminal trial, I believe the freedoms granted by the constitution regarding proving guilt must still apply.

NAFTA Statement
Today, I released the following statement regarding the trilateral trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada:

“As I’ve said in the past, it is important for us to allow the President to have the flexibility and authority to negotiate better trade deals with our allies.

I applaud President Trump, Ambassador Lighthizer, Prime Minister Trudeau, President Peña Nieto, and President-elect López Obrador for taking the necessary steps to take on the status quo and work towards a better deal. Now that the full text is available for review, I look forward to closely examining the USMCA and ensuring that South Carolina’s workers, small businesses, farmers, and industries and auto manufacturers are given the opportunities to succeed under this new agreement.”

Looking Ahead: Opioid Crisis Response Act
At the end of September, the United States Senate passed a sweeping package of bills to combat the opioid crisis plaguing the United States. Two of my own bills, aimed at strengthening family treatment and recovery, were included as part of the package: 

The Supporting Family-Focused Residential Treatment Act (S. 2924): This bill calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop guidance for states on potential avenues for family-focused residential treatment programs and substance use disorder programs that allow children to remain with their parents or guardians during treatment.

The Improving Recovery and Reunifying Families Act (S. 2926): This bill would provide support and evaluation to projects using recovery coaching to help reunify families and protect children through HHS.

While we were faced with and continue to fight the challenges posed by Hurricane Florence back home in South Carolina, I am glad to see that the Senate continued its job in ensuring that our country’s families are equipped to combat the epidemic of opioid abuse. You can read more about the bill and my provisions here.

Congratulations to SC’s Principal of the Year
Last week, I met with Dr. Lucas Clamp, South Carolina’s Principal of the Year! The students at River Bluff High School are blessed to have an amazing educator in Dr. Clamp, and I am grateful for his outstanding service to our students in the Midlands.

Sincerely,

Tim