What do we make of this mess of a confirmation for Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court? How do we reconcile this maelstrom of bitter partisan politics and a desire for truth and justice in an era of #MeToo, a time when our society is finally pushing back against chronic sexual harassment, abuse and assault.

We see Republicans who want to swing the decades-long liberal flavor of the Supreme Court in the direction of their conservative beliefs, especially on cultural hot button issues like abortion and welfare. And we see Democrats equally desperate to prevent that shift.

Then, in walks conservative jurist Kavanaugh, who seemingly checks all the boxes for Republicans and frightens Democrats and liberals, who don’t trust the carefully crafted answers of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing.

And now, as Kavanaugh’s Senate Republican backers and the White House can practically taste the new conservative flavor he would bring to the high court, women from his deep past have stepped forward to accuse him of sexual assault.

Republicans cry foul: These accusations are so old, how can they be credible? These accusations have surfaced so late in the confirmation process, how can they be anything but bogus claims, political machinations? It’s all lies designed to delay the confirmation past the midterm elections, when control of the Senate might flip. It’s payback for the Republicans refusing to consider Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination ahead of the 2016 election. If any of these accusations had any substance, wouldn’t the FBI background checks have uncovered them?

Well, all of that is certainly possible. But how much of it is true? At last count there were three women who have come forward with tales of sexual predation by either the young Kavanaugh himself or those around him, in high school and in college. The judge has emotionally and categorically denied all these allegations.

This leaves all of us — Democrats, Republicans and independents — with two reasons to be troubled, as Maine’s usually independently minded Sen. Susan Collins is. If the allegations are true, and not the fabrications of dirty politics, then we may find ourselves with a justice who has a troubling past of disrespect for half our population. 

This is not good place to find ourselves as a nation. We need to do our best to get to the truth, and we feel that a day of partisan hearings didn’t do the job.

You would think that the judge’s champions would want to prove their case. Instead the White House and the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans have resisted calls for an independent FBI investigation. Why? Have they concluded the women are all lying or confused? Do they only care about getting a very conservative swing vote on the high court?

Regardless who you are inclined to believe in this he said-she said nightmare, we should all want to get as close to the truth as we can. That means a real investigation into all the claims against this judge, not an obligatory hearing and quick vote.

We have a month before the midterm elections, which Republicans seem eager to get ahead of, lest they lose their their majority. The Senate and White House should call for an FBI investigation. Let’s find out who’s lying or confused, if we can. There’s no reason not to try to get the bottom of this, for the sake of the women, for the sake of the judge, for the sake of the nation.