Doug Jones: Senate should compel Kavanaugh's friend to testify

"I think this committee ought to subpoena Mark Judge to come forward," the Alabama Democrat told CNN's Jim Acosta on "The Situation Room."

Ford has alleged that while at a party during their high school years, Kavanaugh pushed her into a bedroom and assaulted her. She said Judge was in the room as well and that both boys were "stumbling drunk" and laughing while Kavanaugh held her down and tried to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations, as has Judge.

Judge submitted a letter through an attorney to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that said he had "no memory of this alleged incident."

"Brett Kavanaugh and I were friends in high school but I do not recall the party described in Dr. Ford's letter," he told the committee. "More to the point, I never saw Brett act in the manner Dr. Ford describes. I have no more information to offer the Committee and I do not want to speak publicly regarding the incidents described in Dr. Ford's letter."

Jones is not a member of the committee, but his position on Kavanaugh is one of the most closely watched, as it could tip the balance of the vote in either direction. He said in his interview Tuesday that the committee should not accept the letter by itself but instead should demand the opportunity to question Judge.

"You can count on the fact that that letter, his response, is going to be entered in the record by someone and that needs to be tested as well," Jones said. "And I just think this committee, if he doesn't want to do it and they're going to go forward with a hearing, they need to subpoena him, let him say that and let some senators or someone cross-examine him."