At the same time, Feinstein’s decision to keep the accusation away from her own party, at a moment when liberals were applying immense pressure to defeat Kavanaugh and moderate Democratic senators were debating whether to support him, has triggered second-guessing among Democrats. Now, some lawmakers simply want to turn the page…

Even before Ford’s accusation, Feinstein’s navigation of the Kavanaugh nomination had stirred controversy. After she apologized to Kavanaugh for the protesters in the room during his confirmation hearings, Brian Fallon, the head of a liberal anti-Kavanaugh group, called it “ridiculous.”…

Some Democrats have privately questioned how much progress had been made on the Judiciary Committee even now, as a woman — Feinstein — sits as the ranking Democrat. They cited Hill’s statement last week calling for the panel to develop a new process to investigate complaints of sexual harassment and assault.