According to CBS, he said, “I would prefer [Porter] not to resign, just work his way through and do what’s right.” Porter eventually left the White House and Hatch later apologized to the two women.

Roy Moore

When several women alleged that Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore aggressively courted them when they were teenagers and he in his thirties, Hatch flip-flopped several times on the issue. He first said Moore should step aside if the allegations were true. Then, he backed Senate leader Mitch McConnell’s call for Moore to pull out in favor of his GOP primary opponent Luther Strange.

However, when Trump offered Moore his support, Hatch changed his tune. He said “many of the things [Moore] allegedly did were decades ago,” and defended Trump, saying, “That’s the only Republican we can get down there.” He then said that if Moore won, he should be recognized “as a sitting senator” and the election “will settle an awful lot of the questions.” Moore lost to Doug Jones in a historic defeat for the GOP in Alabama.

Brett Kavanaugh

Hatch said he believes Kavanaugh because the judge told him he wasn’t at the party where the alleged assault happened. However, Ford remembers few details, not including the date, about the party—hazy recollection of the event is common among sexual assault victims—making it implausible that Kavanaugh could know whether or not he was there.

Hatch did say “you can’t ignore and cast the issue aside,” but seemed to suggest that he would nonetheless back Kavanaugh for a seat on the court even if the allegations were proven true:

The exception

Hatch seems to have more qualms about sexual assault when it comes to Democrats. When Democratic senator Al Franken announced he would step down after several women accused him of groping and trying to forcibly kiss them, Hatch said it was the right move:

Serving in the Senate is a privilege […] and here we hold our members to the highest ethical standards, and I expect any of my colleagues to adhere to those standards.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.