'Unfazed and determined': Top Grassley aide vows to confirm Kavanaugh despite allegations

WASHINGTON – Mike Davis, the chief counsel on nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Chairman Chuck Grassley, is being criticized for two tweets he posted and then deleted that called into question his objectivity regarding the sexual assault allegation that has been made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. 

"Unfazed and determined. We will confirm Judge Kavanaugh. #ConfirmKavanaugh," read screengrabs of a deleted tweet sent from Davis' account at 10:22 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. 

About two hours later, Davis sent another tweet reading, "I personally questioned Judge Kavanaugh under penalty of felony and 5 years imprisonment, if he lies. I'm waiting to hear back from the accuser's attorneys, who can't find time between TV appearances to get back to me." 

Those tweets sparked an uproar as some Twitter users interpreted them as evidence that Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will not be given a fair hearing if she accepts Grassley's invitation to testify about her accusation before the committee on Monday. 

After deleting those tweets and briefly locking his account, Davis sent another one on Thursday morning that was meant "to clear up any confusion." 

"I was referring to Democrats' partisan political attacks and their refusal to take part in the committee's thorough and fair investigation," he wrote. "I deleted the tweet to avoid any further misrepresentation by left wing media as so often happens on Twitter." 

Grassley sent Ford and her attorneys a letter on Wednesday explaining that she must submit a biography and a prepared statement by Friday if she intends to address the committee on Monday. 

The Iowa Republican said that by "hearing out both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, the Committee will endeavor to discover the truth of the matter, and will be better able to make an informed judgment about Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination." 

Davis and spokespersons for the Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. Grassley's office did not comment but emailed a link to Davis' tweet that he said was intended to "clear up any confusion." 

Several Twitter users were unsatisfied with Davis' clarification.