Republicans aim to confirm Kavanaugh this weekend after FBI report

[webfact]

Republicans aim to confirm Kavanaugh this weekend after FBI report

By David Morgan and Amanda Becker

 

FILE PHOTO: Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary committee regarding sexual assault allegations at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, U.S., September 27, 2018. Gabriella Demczuk/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans gained confidence on Thursday that his U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh would win Senate confirmation after two wavering lawmakers responded positively to an FBI report on accusations of sexual misconduct against the judge.

 

The report, sent by the White House to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the middle of the night, was denounced by Democrats as a whitewash that was too narrow in scope and ignored critical witnesses. Thousands of anti-Kavanaugh protesters rallied outside the Supreme Court and entered a Senate office building, holding signs such as "Believe Survivors" and "Kava-Nope."

 

But Republicans moved forward with plans for a key procedural vote on Friday and a final vote on Saturday on confirming the conservative federal appeals judge for a lifetime job on the top U.S. court.

 

Comments by two crucial Republican senators - Jeff Flake and Susan Collins - indicated the FBI report, which was the latest twist in the pitched political battle over Kavanaugh, may have allayed their concerns about Kavanaugh. Flake, a frequent Trump critic, was instrumental in getting the president to order the FBI investigation last Friday.

 

Trump, himself accused by numerous women during the 2016 presidential race of sexual misconduct, wrote on Twitter that the FBI report showed that the allegations against Kavanaugh were "totally uncorroborated."

 

Collins said the FBI investigation appeared to be thorough. Flake said he saw no additional corroborating information against Kavanaugh, although he was "still reading" it. Another undecided Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski, did not offer her view on the FBI report.

 

Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin. If all the Democrats oppose Kavanaugh, Trump cannot afford to lose the support of more than one Republican for his nominee, with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tiebreaking vote. No Republicans have said they will vote against Kavanaugh.

 

While the comments by Flake and Collins were positive, neither explicitly announced support for Kavanaugh.

 

A previously undecided Democratic Senator, Heidi Heitkamp, said she would vote against Kavanaugh, citing "concerns about his past conduct" and questions about his "temperament, honesty and impartiality" after his angry, defiant testimony a week ago to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

Senator Joe Manchin, the only remaining undecided Democrat, said he would finish reading the report on Friday morning

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein noted that the FBI did not interview Kavanaugh himself or Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor from California who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault in 1982.

 

"It smacks of a whitewash," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters, saying the report should not give political cover for Republicans to vote for Kavanaugh because "it is blatantly incomplete."

 

Most Democrats opposed Trump's nomination of Kavanaugh from the outset. If confirmed, he would deepen conservative control of the court. The sharply partisan battle became an intense political drama when Ford and two other women emerged to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the 1980s when he was in high school and college. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations.

 

The Kavanaugh fight has riveted Americans weeks before Nov. 6 elections in which Democrats are trying to take control of Congress from the Republicans.

 

Kavanaugh's nomination has become a flashpoint in the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. The nomination battle boiled down to a "he said, she said" conflict requiring senators to decide between diametrically opposed accounts offered by Kavanaugh and Ford.

 

Trump on Tuesday mocked Ford during a political rally in Mississippi.

 

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

The report was not released to the public. Senators were allowed to read it behind closed doors in a secure location in the Capitol, without taking notes or making copies.

 

A senior Senate Republican aide said there was growing confidence that Collins, Flake and Manchin - all swing votes - would support Kavanaugh. If so, that could be enough for a Trump victory.

 

White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Trump administration was "fully confident" Kavanaugh had the necessary support.

 

"I feel pretty good about where we are," added Senator John Thune, a member of Senate Republican leadership.

 

Some protesters, many dressed in black, crowded into the Hart Senate Office Building after rallying in front of the Supreme Court on a sunny, warm autumn day.

 

"I'm sick and tired of seeing women's experiences not be given weight," demonstrator Christine Zagrobelny, 29, a software engineer from New York City, said outside the Supreme Court.

 

Republican leaders sounded unmoved.

 

"When the noise fades, when the uncorroborated mud washes away, what's left is the distinguished nominee who stands before us," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor.

 

Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said after receiving a staff briefing on the report, "There's nothing in it that we didn't already know."

 

"These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations," Grassley added.

 

White House spokesman Shah told CNN the FBI reached out to 10 people and "comprehensively interviewed" nine of them.

 

"The White House didn't micromanage the FBI," he said.

 

In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Ford's lawyers noted that the agency declined to interview Ford or any of more than a dozen people they identified to provide relevant information, calling the five-day investigation "a stain on the process, on the FBI and on our American ideal of justice."

 

Ford testified last week at a dramatic Judiciary Committee hearing that when she was 15, a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh pinned her down, tried to remove her clothing and covered her mouth after she screamed. Kavanaugh denied the allegation and painted himself as the victim of a "political hit."

 

Attorneys for Deborah Ramirez, who has said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale University, wrote a separate letter to Wray expressing disappointment that FBI agents had not followed up on their interview with her by talking to more than 20 witnesses she identified as being able to corroborate her account.

 

(Reporting by Amanda Becker, David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Nathan Layne, Sarah N. Lynch, Lisa Lambert, Lawrence Hurley and David Alexander; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-05

[stevenl]

After his behaviour at the hearing he is clearly unfit, and should be voted against by any decent human being. No matter the result of the very limited FBI investigation.

[Chomper Higgot]

The FBI investigation being kept secret from the public.

 

something to hide?!

[DoctorG]

38 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The FBI investigation being kept secret from the public.

 

something to hide?!

Well you can bet that someone amongst the 100 senators will leak as much detail as they can remember. ????

[Joe Mcseismic]

Oh boy! Women are going to remember this come the mid-terms.

[bendejo]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The FBI investigation being kept secret from the public.

 

something to hide?!

 

It's what DT calls transparency.

 

[blazes]

Since all the Dem senators, immediately the nomination was announced in July, vowed they would not vote for Judge K, it is quite clear that the whole thing was to be political from beginning to end.  This woman who testified about her false memory is just a pawn flung to the rabid #Metoo tribe to satisfy their lust for blood.  

It has all been about abortion and (of course) hatred of Trump.  

[Chomper Higgot]

I suspect the Republicans have candidate be warming up on the sidelines ready to sprint into the race as the Republicans blame the Democrats for the finding out what a total basket case Kavanaugh is.

[Scott]

Off-topic post and reply removed.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, blazes said:

Since all the Dem senators, immediately the nomination was announced in July, vowed they would not vote for Judge K, it is quite clear that the whole thing was to be political from beginning to end.  This woman who testified about her false memory is just a pawn flung to the rabid #Metoo tribe to satisfy their lust for blood.  

It has all been about abortion and (of course) hatred of Trump.  

The politics behind how Kavanaugh suddenly appeared on and directly at the head of the candidate list seem to have eluded you.

[Boon Mee]

Yup, Kav is a done-deal. 

SCOTUS is now 5/4 ratio. 

[canuckamuck]

Trump just keeps on winning. 

[bandito]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

After his behaviour at the hearing he is clearly unfit, and should be voted against by any decent human being. No matter the result of the very limited FBI investigation.

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

[Joe Mcseismic]

26 minutes ago, blazes said:

Since all the Dem senators, immediately the nomination was announced in July, vowed they would not vote for Judge K, it is quite clear that the whole thing was to be political from beginning to end.  This woman who testified about her false memory is just a pawn flung to the rabid #Metoo tribe to satisfy their lust for blood.  

It has all been about abortion and (of course) hatred of Trump.  

Two words for you...........Merrick Garland.

[attrayant]

13 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Trump just keeps on winning. 

 

And as long as Trump wins, just screw everybody else, right?  Even his constituents are getting screwed.

 

It's easy to win when you make up the rules as you go.

 

[b17]

27 minutes ago, bandito said:

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

The man's ability to represent the people in a fair, non partisan and independent manner is the issue in question. Whether or not he assaulted the 15 year old girl is seemingly impossible to clearly determine, but his  aggressive demeanor, clear support for the Republicans and inability to display impartiality IMMEDIATELY disqualify him for consideration, much less ascension to the Supreme Court. 

[helpisgood]

29 minutes ago, bandito said:

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

I chased girls, but never sexually assaulted them.  "No" means no.  

[Joe Mcseismic]

31 minutes ago, bandito said:

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

Yup, drank loads of alcohol and chased women, though don't think I ever tried to have sex with an unwilling woman, or placed my hand over their mouth to stop them screaming. Maybe you guys do it different in America?

[stevenl]

51 minutes ago, bandito said:

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

As I said, behaviour at the hearing.  Maybe these words eluded you?

[asiaexpat]

It is not the FBI report that concerns me but the way this guy acted during the hearings. He demonstrated a serious lack of emotional control and stability as well as being highly political. The highest court in the USA demands much better than this guy.

[canuckamuck]

47 minutes ago, attrayant said:

 

And as long as Trump wins, just screw everybody else, right?  Even his constituents are getting screwed.

 

It's easy to win when you make up the rules as you go.

 

Ahhh, time to turn that frown upside down chap.

[canuckamuck]

29 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

I chased girls, but never sexually assaulted them.  "No" means no.  

 

27 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Yup, drank loads of alcohol and chased women, though don't think I ever tried to have sex with an unwilling woman, or placed my hand over their mouth to stop them screaming. Maybe you guys do it different in America?

I know Kavenaugh didn't do that, because he's been investigated. I have no proof you guys didn't though

[helpisgood]

35 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

 

I know Kavenaugh didn't do that, because he's been investigated. I have no proof you guys didn't though

 

As has been stated many times, Kavanaugh knows as a lawyer that the evasion of questions and the clear refusal of answering direct questions erode his credibility especially as a nominee for the Supreme Court.  Yet, he did just that during his infamous interview done on the same day as Ford's.  What's he hiding?

 

Then, check out all the silly and small lies he made.  For example, he said that his use long ago of a "devil's triangle" was a drinking game even though there's lots of evidence that it has to do with sex with two men and one woman.  Then there's the "ffffff" or something like that by his name on some document from that time period.  Kavanaugh testified that it had to do with stuttering.  It's since been shown that it has to do with sex.  The first f's have to do with a specific sexual activity and the last one stands for "forget" them or her.  Obviously, it refers to sexual abuse of women.  There's more than I cannot recall.  However, the point is why lie about small things like this especially since they can be proven wrong so easily.  What's he hiding?

 

As for me, I am not a nominee for the SCOTUS.  Plus, you can assume I am being truthful because, unlike other people, I wouldn't be so insensitive as to how women should be respected to buy into categorically believing that "Kavanaugh didn't do that."  

 

 

Edited October 5, 2018 by helpisgood
clarify, typo

[quandow]

2 hours ago, blazes said:

It has all been about abortion and (of course) hatred of Trump.  

Not quite. There will be a Supreme Court ruling next month on whether or not a sitting president can be indicted at the state level AFTER his term in office. I believe it is Maryland which has indictments already printed out, waiting for the instant DT is out of office. No sane person argues Trump isn't a criminal. Most ALL of them are. Trump may be an uncouth boor, talking at a 4th grade level, but he's not stupid. THAT has been the underlying motive to get this lickspittle liar into the Supreme Court as he's already indicated in previous similar rulings he'd vote along this line of thinking.

[Tug]

Way to partisan to sit on the Supreme Court that’s trumps get out of impeachment free judge they will feel this come the midterms bigly 

[helpisgood]

9 minutes ago, quandow said:

Not quite. There will be a Supreme Court ruling next month on whether or not a sitting president can be indicted at the state level AFTER his term in office. I believe it is Maryland which has indictments already printed out, waiting for the instant DT is out of office. No sane person argues Trump isn't a criminal. Most ALL of them are. Trump may be an uncouth boor, talking at a 4th grade level, but he's not stupid. THAT has been the underlying motive to get this lickspittle liar into the Supreme Court as he's already indicated in previous similar rulings he'd vote along this line of thinking.

 

Good job, Quandow!

 

The case that, I think, you are referring to is Gamble vs. US.

 

I don't know much about it, but it sounds like what you are discussing.

 

Here's just a couple of links, but I am sure Google can reveal many more:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamble_v._United_States

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/trump-pardon-orrin-hatch-supreme-court/571285/

 

Oops, I just realized that you may be referring to another case.  Still, the Gamble vs. US could affect Trump directly.  

Edited October 5, 2018 by helpisgood

[DM07]

1 hour ago, bandito said:

Come off it.

What was your behaviour at age 17?

Going to church and being a choirboy?

Shouting " praise the Lord" and all that?

Or were you drinking beer and chasing girls?

The whole shebang reminds me of the McCarthy era witch hunt.

I am an atheist, so #@$% church!

I did some drinking, but never so much, that I suffered memory- loss until two yeras later, for the first time!

And no...I never even came close to sexually assaulting girls!

But then again: I am not a priviliged white boy in 'Murica!

[DM07]

57 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

 

I know Kavenaugh didn't do that, because he's been investigated. I have no proof you guys didn't though

Okay...little logic experiment here:

what could the FBI EXACTLY find out?

Ford never went to the police, so there is no record of the sexual abuse!

Also the FBI was not allowed to interview both Ford and Kavanaugh and was not allowed to follow a bunch of new leads!

If you want...and pay for it...I am willing to have a no- holds-barred FBI investigation on myself going!

Kavanaugh didn't!

And you EverTrumpers not even ask yourself why!

Or rather: you don't ask yourself, because you very well know, but you have to play your stupid, dirty and unethical games!

 

[quandow]

4 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

The case that, I think, you are referring to is Gamble vs. US.

EXACTLY!

Here's the bottom line (from the first link you posted):

"Potential impact

The case has been analyzed in the context of the Special Counsel investigation into the Trump campaign; if the separate sovereigns doctrine is overruled, a pardon for federal crimes from Donald Trump may prevent state prosecution."

 

He can pardon himself (or so he believes) then CANNOT be prosecuted at the state level.

Again, he's a nasty piece of poop, but stupid he ain't!

[zaphod reborn]

2 hours ago, blazes said:

Since all the Dem senators, immediately the nomination was announced in July, vowed they would not vote for Judge K, it is quite clear that the whole thing was to be political from beginning to end.  This woman who testified about her false memory is just a pawn flung to the rabid #Metoo tribe to satisfy their lust for blood.  

It has all been about abortion and (of course) hatred of Trump.  

I think a lot of the political opposition (maybe more on the male voter side) is due to his partisanship and expressed opinions on presidential immunity to subpoena and indictment.  The partisanship issue held up his confirmation for the DC circuit for 3 years, and his most recent testimony provided more support of opposition based on partisanship, in addition to inappropriate temperament and being dishonest with respect to alcohol abuse, a barroom fight, and partying at Georgetown Prep and Yale.