Senate Democrats’ blatant abuse of the hearing process, their “delay, delay, delay” strategy, continues to pay dividends. Putting a stop to it would be long overdue.
Thursday was the day Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s manifestly meritorious nomination to the Supreme Court should have been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and sent to the full Senate. Instead the nomination languishes because of an eleventh-hour stunt pulled by committee Democrats — led by ranking member Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.).
Notwithstanding that Feinstein was well aware almost three months ago of a flimsily supported allegation against Kavanaugh — to wit, that 36 years ago, as a 17-year-old high school student, he groped and tried to force himself on a 15-year-old girl at an underage beer party — the senator sat on the information rather than submitting it to the hearing process. Although she met face-to-face with Kavanaugh and later questioned him when he was under oath at the hearing, Feinstein did not utter a word about the ancient, unverifiable claim to Kavanaugh.
Instead, the senator referred the allegation to the FBI, without identifying the self-proclaimed witness, despite knowing that:
1) The FBI had no jurisdiction to investigate a state-law assault claim.
2) Even if the FBI had had jurisdiction, it is federal practice not to investigate and prosecute minors, especially for offenses that state authorities have jurisdiction over, except in rare circumstances involving heinous crimes.
3) Even if the FBI had had jurisdiction over the offense, the bureau would never have opened an investigation of a 36-year-old allegation, even if the evidence were strong.
4) Even though the FBI had jurisdiction to conduct a background investigation of Kavanaugh, such investigations are not occasions to trigger full-blown criminal investigations of crimes the Justice Department has no jurisdiction to prosecute, but rather result in a flagging of allegations for the Senate’s consideration (which has been done here).
5) Even though Maryland state and local authorities (to whom neither Senator Feinstein nor the alleged victim apparently referred the allegation) have jurisdiction over any conceivable statutory offenses in question, they would never have opened an investigation based on a sketchy allegation of 36-year-old misconduct for which the statute of limitations lapsed decades ago (i.e., a case it would be impossible to investigate and prosecute).
6) If Feinstein had raised the allegation in a timely manner, Kavanaugh would have been questioned about it during the hearing, the flimsiness of the claim would have been apparent, Kavanaugh’s unqualified denial would have been on the record, and the committee (including Democrats who had decided even before the hearing that they would vote against Kavanaugh even if the hearing established that he was Jesus of Nazareth in a robe) could weigh the allegation for what it was worth in voting on the nomination.
That is, if Democrats had not abused the process, there would already have been a vote on the nomination.
In other words, what Democrats have sought is delay. What Republicans are allowing them to have is delay. The contemptuous stall strategy is being rewarded.
And now, with Democrats having won a postponement of the scheduled Thursday vote, the latest pointless dispute is over whether there will be a hearing on Monday. Specifically, Christine Blasey Ford — an activist Democrat represented by activist Democratic lawyers, who has posited the allegation as to which she cannot recall such basic details as precisely where and when the purported assault happened, and who concedes never having mentioned it to anyone for 30 years — is playing games about when and whether she is willing to testify. This, despite having been invited to testify under circumstances in which Democrats had plainly waived any entitlement to raise her allegation. (Waiver is the legal effect of knowingly passing on a full and fair opportunity to raise an issue.)
As a result, Democrats calculate they have prevailed in seeking even more delay by means of these tactics — including posturing by Dr. Ford’s counsel to the effect that she is willing to testify at some later point, but not on Monday, and probably not until the FBI conducts a full-blown criminal investigation of an allegation the FBI would never investigate for the reasons described above. The transparent objective here is to procrastinate, not for investigative but for political reasons.
Bluntly, Democrats do not care about Dr. Ford. If she were lodging a similar complaint against, say, Congressman Keith Ellison (D., Minn.), she would not be heard, and the media would be pretending she did not exist. Democrats are exploiting Dr. Ford (or perhaps capitalizing with her willful complicity) because they believe they might win enough seats in the November midterms to take control of the Senate and, with a committee majority, defeat Kavanaugh’s nomination.
This is about preventing a conservative justice from being added to the Supreme Court, nothing more.
The democrats shoved this accuser into the lime light endangering her and her family, they really care nothing about her she is a tool they dont even really believe or the negotiations wouldnt have reached far into into the realm of lynching. Yes I know lynching is genetic for democrats, they just cant break free of their disgusting but verified history.
Just take the vote for confirmation and move ahead.
Clearly now, this is nothing but a transparent attempt to do nothing but delay or stall the hearings. Feinstein holding the accusation until this late date, never questioning Kavanagh at any of the numerous opportunities she had, not sharing the unredacted letter with anyone so they can examine whatever evidence there is, the coordination of the Democrats to support the pathetic and unrealistic demands by Ford’s team and the unified Democrat voice characterizing the Republicans providing generous opportunity to speak as an effort to deny her any opportunity to state her case all smacks of delay tactics.
The ONLY way this could more clearly be a despicable delaying tactic would be for the Democrats to come forth and state, “Of course this is nothing but a cowardly delaying tactic, you idiot fools. What the hell does it LOOK like? F**K YOU AND the CONSTITUTION!!!”
In so many words, this is what they’ve already said.
The deadline has passed and the Democrats and Ford’s team have rejected their opportunities to make their case. VOTE.
the slut stated an accusation that she can not support. her pussy hat wearing lawyer is out to mover her career win or loose. this is a senate judicial committee and no private slut should act in an abusive posture and demand who and where the meeting will occur. the hearing will be a circus of weeping on que, crying and body manipulation. she has had three months plus of coaching
The committee has given her & her law team until 10PM tonight, roughly 3 hours from now, to decide to testify on Monday.
If they don’t agree to testify UNDER OATH on Mon BEFORE Brett refutes, the committee has decided to vote Judge K up or down Monday.
Activist judges are just fine, so long as they promote the GOP’s regressive bullshit.
@James D: No, activists AREN’T fine. A judge that rules according to the Constitution is not an “activist”… they are “Constitutionalist”.
Repubs and Kav are scared to death of this woman—she WILL testify. next week.
Drunkin Deke Cav may not be quite the choirboy he’s appeared to be.
Now Pence—that’s a choirboy.
@richard wheeler:
Yeah, they are SO deathly afraid that Kavanagh has already unambiguously denied any and all claims of any sexual assault (under oath) and Grassley and the Republicans bend over backwards to the point of embarrassment trying desperately to get Ford to appear and state her case. Yeah, no doubt about it, they are really, really frightened.
No, she won’t testify. If they agree to her recent, last minute suggestion she will maybe consider possibly think about considering their “terms” (show up, tell the truth), at the moment of the expiration of the next deadline they will roll out another excuse (what happened to her “escape issues”?) as to why she needs another three of four days to make up her mind.
Bullshit.
Time to vote Monday.
There will be no vote Monday—she will testify
$100 BUCKS—any takers?
@rich wheeler: Yeah… like you would pay.
She will testify… when?
@Deplorable me: Of course I’d pay–you wouldn’t? I bet on sports regularly pay when I lose get paid when I win–that’s the way it’s done Bill
She’ll testify next week–definitely no vote Monday.
Curt can hold the money.
Same bet on The House—you in?
@rich wheeler: I wouldn’t expect or make a bet with someone with the expectation they would pay if they can’t even answer simple questions for free.
You didn’t answer… testify WHEN?
When?—see#7 You’re on about 10 threads —do you even have time to read anything other than what YOU write? doesn’t seem like it.
@Richard Wheeler: OK, now don’t piss yourself or run away… it’s just a simple question. Do you know there are several different and distinct days in a week?
@Deplorable me: Do you realize in #8 you said she wasn’t going to testify at all—you sticking with that or you like my answer better?
@Richard Wheeler: Our discussions are ended until you show me the respect of answering my questions.
@James D: Good thing there wasn’t a “conservative” GOP judge that ok’d Obamacare, then…
Oh wait…
Guess a judge is a judge, and your party is engaged in obstructionist bullsh*t.
bye bye
@Nathan Blue: No, for liberals a “judge” is someone that will vote in a predetermined and leftist manner, someone that shares their ideology and manufactures law from the bench according to that ideology.
Not someone that rules by the law and Constitution.