New game: Character assassination can go both ways.
As Republicans dig down low for their cheap, worn 1980s playbook of How to Smear an Alleged Victim, all 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee today sent a letter challenging Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to allow the FBI to investigate the allegations and follow up on Kavanaught’s misleading committee testimony.
You see, contrary to the Republican character assassination of Christine Ford, it is actually Brett Kavanaugh who has a public record of being untruthful.
And so, they wrote, “There are serious questions about Judge Kavanaugh’s record, truthfulness, and character.”
Yes, Christine Ford has not lied under oath, in fact she passed an FBI administered lie detector test about this alleged incident. So right there, if Republicans are making this a game about character, this is a misstep on their part.
“The Committee should not move forward until all of these questions have been thoroughly evaluated and answered,” the ten Democrats wrote, including ranking member Dianne Feinstein and Senators Patrick Leahy, Richard Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Christopher Coons, Richard Blumenthal, Mazie Hirono, Cory A. Booker and Kamala Harris.
Right. Or Republicans could rush to put an accused rapist on the the highest court of the land.
Why not, they did it with Trump and the presidency and that worked out just fine. Oh, wait. See, even when you like someone a lot, if they have committed heinous crimes against another person, it might just be a sign that their character is flawed in a way that perhaps you don’t see right now or are unwilling to look at.
If only the nation had listened to the many women who came forward about Trump, or maybe even listened to him as he told it on the Access Hollywood tape. Grabbing that p*ssy ‘cuz they let you do it when you’re a star. These are not the words of a good man who can handle power.
And following a woman, pushing her into a bedroom, shoving her down, pulling her clothes off and covering her mouth while she screams are not the actions of a good man who can handle being in charge of interpreting the law.
“As you are aware, Dr. Ford’s serious allegations were submitted to the FBI for investigation last week. Now that her story is public, it is even more important that we give the Bureau the time it needs to follow up.”
Like you would if you wanted the truth to come out. A point Greg Sargent made today in the Washington Post:
“Trump allies and Republicans professing doubt about Ford’s story should want this to happen. If it doesn’t, the question will be: Why don’t they want her to tell her story in a setting that would enable the American people to assess it — and her credibility — for themselves, and give these Republicans the opportunity to demonstrate to the country that their skepticism of her story — and of her credibility — is warranted?”
For all of the noise Republicans are making about how the timing is sketchy and Ford has nefarious motives and the Democrats are dirty (this right here is how you know this is baloney, the Democrats sat on this letter out of respect for the alleged victim and the Democrats while far from perfect, couldn’t coordinate dirty dealings to this extent if their careers depended upon it), they don’t seem to actually want to hear from Christine Ford. Or rather, they don’t want the public to hear from her.
“All Senators, regardless of party, should insist the FBI perform its due diligence and fully investigate the allegations as part of its review of Judge Kavanaugh’s background. Staff-level examination of these allegations should not go forward until the FBI’s career professionals with the requisite investigative expertise have completed their review. Once the FBI has completed its independent work, we hope that we can work together in a bipartisan manner to decide on next steps.”
And hey, while we’re all so busy with this character assassination thing, the Democrats suggest we look at Kavanaugh‘s as well — you know, the guy who is going to be elevated to a life time appointment, rather than just the alleged victim who actually gets nothing either way.
“In addition, Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony during his confirmation hearings and his responses to questions for the record also raise significant questions about his views and character. Throughout the hearings, Judge Kavanaugh provided incomplete and misleading responses to our questions – from his work on the FDA’s attempt to block contraception from being available over the counter to his involvement in Enron; and from his engagement on torture, warrantless wiretapping, and detainees to his efforts to push controversial judicial nominations.”
“In several instances, Judge Kavanaugh’s answers went beyond mere evasiveness to defying credibility. His testimony about his receipt of materials that were stolen from the Democrats’ computer files and his answer that it was ‘common’ practice for Democrats and Republicans to share their strategy on pitched nominations battles is just one example. Judge Kavanaugh similarly misrepresented his involvement in the nominations of William H. Pryor Jr. and Charles Pickering as well as his knowledge of their ideology.“
While we’re at it, the Democrats remind everyone that Kavanaugh claimed he did not remember receiving sexually inappropriate emails as a part of Judge Alex Kozinski’s “Easy Rider Gag List.” Like he doesn’t remember tearing the clothes off of Christine Ford while holding his hand over her mouth? Questions indeed.
“Judge Kavanaugh’s answers to questions for the record raised additional questions and concerns about his candor. For example, Judge Kavanaugh was asked whether he had received any emails from former Judge Alex Kozinski’s sexually explicit ‘Easy Rider Gag List’ and to review his email accounts, as necessary to answer the question. Judge Kavanaugh responded, ‘I do not remember receiving inappropriate emails of a sexual nature from Judge Kozinski.’ This answer is all the more troubling given recent press reports about Kozinski emails and their unforgettable nature.”
Kavanaugh‘s friend, conservative author Mark Judge, who Ford says was in the room while Kavanaugh attacked her denies this occurred, but even the Daily Mail pointed out that he has written a book about his “alcohol fueled wild behavior” and recovery from alcoholism, “He has written extensively, however, about the booze-filled partying at their elite all-boys Catholic prep school during the 1980s.”
Democrats aren’t playing around. If Republicans want to play character assassination games, it’s on.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
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