Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants the public to understand that “there’s no presumption of innocence” for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, at least not among Democrats.

At a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday, Schumer responded to calls from Republicans not to rush to judgement against Kavanaugh, who has maintained his innocence against two highly suspect accusations of sexual misconduct from several decades ago.

“(Republican Senate) Leader (Mitch) McConnell says that Judge Kavanaugh ‘deserves the presumption of innocence.’ Do you agree with that and do you view this hearing through the prism of a legal proceeding?” a reporter asked Schumer in a C-SPAN video posted to YouTube.

“No, it’s not a legal proceeding, it’s a fact-finding proceeding,” Schumer shot back. “We do this with every major nominee. And countless times, I think 10 times in the last year, when new information comes up the FBI goes again and does its background check.

“This is standard operating procedure and the question looms: Why are Republicans deviating form it from here?” Schumer said. “This is not a criminal trial. This is to find the facts. You have two diametrically opposed stories. And there are two issues: A, which story is right? And if, if doctor Ford is telling the truth, Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility is in great question.”

Christine Blasey Ford, a clinical psychology professor in Palo Alto, California, accused Kavanaugh of attempting to force himself on her during a drinking party in high school, though she claims to not remember many of the details and reportedly did not mention the incident to anyone until a 2012 marriage counseling session.

Ford contacted politicians to relay her story in June, but Democrats did not raise concerns about the allegation until the day before the Senate was set to confirm Kavanaugh to the nation’s highest court. Many believe the allegation is a ruse to derail or delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation until after the 2018 midterms.

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Ford told The Washington Post she believes Kavanaugh “was trying to attack me and remove my clothing” during the party 36 years ago, and she only managed to escape when one of Kavanaugh’s friends intervened.

That friend, and others whom Ford claims to have attended the party, have since debunked the allegations.

Ford is now expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, though her high-powered women’s rights attorneys are still negotiating a lengthy list of demands for her appearance. Kavanaugh, meanwhile, has steadfastly denied any sexual misconduct at any time, Business Insider reports.

“This is a completely false allegation,” Kavanaugh said in a statement. “I have never done anything like what the accuser describes – to her or to anyone.”

Regardless, Schumer contends there is no “presumption of innocence” for Kavanaugh because his nomination is not a matter of criminal law, but rather a political circus.

“Do you agree that he has the ‘presumption of innocence?’” the reporter pressed Schumer.

“I agree … this is not … that’s a criminal trial,” he said. “What I believe is we ought to get to the bottom and find the facts, in the way that the FBI has always done. There is no presumption of innocence or guilt when you have a nominee before you.”