The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and the sexual assault allegations that have recently arisen against Kavanaugh have sent much of the nation into a state of chaos and dismay.

The Senate, which normally prides itself on decorum, has been nothing short of a zoo of politically-based hostility surrounding the allegations from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. While the FBI continues its investigation into the legitimacy of the allegations brought forth by Ford, there is a looming issue that envelopes this spectacle, and that is the issue of truth. Truth and politics have never been synonymous and most likely never will be. That is why we have disciplined institutions with mandates, such as the FBI, and Senate committees like the judiciary to counteract those who attempt to deceive the nation.

Judge Kavanaugh is now suspected of perjury after he testified to the Senate on Sept. 27 and it was revealed that he and his legal team had prepared witnesses in his defense of the sexual assault allegation. Other potential falsehoods have also come up in the news earlier this week, such as claims in a book by Greg Miller, “The Apprentice.” The book claims that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threatened John Brennan, the former head of the CIA, about turning the issue of Russian interference into a political smear campaign against President Donald Trump.

Amongst Trump’s seemingly daily tirades and deceitful actions comes a new New York Times report against his self-made billionaire status revealing that the President received the equivalent of $400 million today from his father in the 1990s through suspected tax fraud.

These are all headline news stories and they all have issues and challenges with the truth.

Truth has lost its validity in Trump’s political disarray. The Bully Pulpit has taken on an expanded meaning since Teddy Roosevelt’s day. Partisanship has torn this country apart, with both sides of the aisle having a higher loyalty to their party than to the truth.

There seems to be no doubt that the accusations by Ford have credibility, but it seems as though Republicans care more about adding a conservative seat to the Supreme Court than listening to a victim of sexual assault.

First the nation, then the senate, and soon after, the President called upon the FBI to investigate the accusations of abuse by Ford. But why must there always be a public outcry for our government to finally seek the truth? Why must there be impassioned demonstrations on Capitol Hill for Senators and Congressmen and women to want to know the full truth?

Our nation faces a credibility issue, and I do not believe we are up to the task without new leadership that possesses integrity, fortitude and vision.