U.S. Democrats urge new probe of Kavanaugh, impeachment inquiry

By Amanda Becker and Susan Cornwell

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court Asociate Justice Brett Kavanaugh is seen at a joint session of the U.S. Congress in Washington on Feb. 5, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Kamala Harris on Tuesday urged a House of Representatives panel to investigate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while a Democratic lawmaker filed an impeachment resolution in the wake of new allegations of sexual misconduct by the conservative judge when he was in college in the 1980s.

 

The moves by Harris, one of 20 Democratic presidential candidates, and Representative Ayanna Pressley, a progressive on the left of the party, signalled impatience among some Democrats with congressional leaders unenthusiastic about pursuing Kavanaugh's impeachment, though their efforts appeared unlikely to spur action.

 

Harris said in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler that the panel should "hold Mr. Kavanaugh accountable for his prior conduct and testimony."

 

Nadler on Monday faulted the FBI's probe of prior sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh ahead of his narrow confirmation by the Senate in October 2018, saying in a radio interview it "apparently was a sham." But Nadler also said his panel had its "hands full" with investigating Republican President Donald Trump.

 

In her letter to Nadler, Harris suggested the House Judiciary Committee could create a task force and retain outside counsel if it did not have the time or resources to pursue an inquiry of Kavanaugh now.

 

Harris and several other Democratic presidential candidates called for Kavanaugh's impeachment after the New York Times published an essay over the weekend detailing what it described as a previously unreported incident of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh.

 

Others include former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker; South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke.

 

Front-runner Joe Biden, the former vice president, stopped short of advocating impeachment, instead backing a probe of how the FBI handled its investigation.

 

Warren told reporters on Tuesday that she believed "the only tool available" to investigate Kavanaugh further is an impeachment proceeding.

 

Pressley's resolution in the House called for Nadler's committee to launch an impeachment inquiry, and said the panel could create a task force or hire consultants if necessary. Pressley is one of four progressive House Democrats often referred to as "The Squad."

 

Pressley's resolution and Harris' letter are unlikely to spark results. Calls to impeach Kavanaugh have received a lacklustre response from Democratic congressional leadership, most of whom maintain that Democrats should focus on issues and legislation, not impeachments.

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made no comment on the recent allegations against Kavanaugh. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sidestepped a question Tuesday about whether an impeachment probe should be launched against the justice, saying: "I never thought Kavanaugh should be on the bench and I still don't today."

 

QUESTIONS FOR FBI DIRECTOR

Trump and other Republicans likewise rejected pursuing Kavanaugh's impeachment. Trump encouraged Kavanaugh, whose appointment cemented the Supreme Court's 5-4 conservative majority, to sue for libel. Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday that "the calls by Democratic candidates for president to remove Justice Kavanaugh from the court are a disgrace."

 

The New York Times reported that the FBI had knowledge of the additional allegation but did not investigate it thoroughly, Harris wrote in the letter to Nadler. She encouraged Nadler to examine the agency's handling of the matter, and also whether Kavanaugh was truthful during his confirmation hearings.

 

Nadler said on Monday that FBI Director Christopher Wray would face questions about the agency's investigation into Kavanaugh when Wray appears before the committee next month.

 

No Supreme Court justice has ever been ousted through the impeachment process outlined in the U.S. Constitution, in which the House initiates proceedings and the Senate then holds a trial on whether to remove an individual from office. The only justice ever impeached in the House was spared by the Senate in 1804.

 

(Reporting By Amanda Becker in Washington; additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and Andrea Shalal in Washington and Joseph Ax in New York; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Bernadette Baum and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-18

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They need to take their time, if he is removed now, trump will just appoint another conservative.

Nadler is right, too busy with trump now, we will deal with kavanaugh later perhaps with a democratic Senate and a democratic president.   

Crazy just how much work the democrats will do to keep from doing their job.

4 minutes ago, rgraham said:

Crazy just how much work the democrats will do to keep from doing their job.

As in holding the executive and judiciary in check?!

 

 

The NYT already retracted the story, but don't let that stop anybody. Fruitless witch hunts are doing great things for the Republicans. Go crazy train go.

Troll post and replies removed.  

 

8 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

The NYT already retracted the story, but don't let that stop anybody. Fruitless witch hunts are doing great things for the Republicans. Go crazy train go.

The NYT has not retracted the report.

42 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

As in holding the executive and judiciary in check?!

 

 

The congress' duties are much more far reaching. Even if we talk solely of the judiciary committee, they have so many other transgressions, many byby fellow members, that could also be investigated. Instead, the perform the Trump investigation du jour.

30 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The NYT has not retracted the report.

They have amended the story, pointing out it is uncorroborated. They even pointed out that her friends say that she told them she didn't recall it!

If someone was to make such an accusation of you, or someone you cared about, would you be so quick to buy into it?

Hatred is poison.

Utterly pathetic. Come on Dems, you are making idiots of yourselves. We deserve better than this.

Will these Witch Hunts ever end? 

3 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

They have amended the story, pointing out it is uncorroborated. They even pointed out that her friends say that she told them she didn't recall it!

If someone was to make such an accusation of you, or someone you cared about, would you be so quick to buy into it?

Hatred is poison.

The report is a great deal

more than the small part that has been corrected.

I personally would like to see a through investigation not the rush job that was done but behind closed doors until and if credible was found but with Donald’s tody of an ag it won’t happen 

Just now, Boon Mee said:

Will these Witch Hunts ever end? 

Yes, when the witches are sent to trial.

 

My bet Kavanaugh will face impeachment after Trump and Barr are out of office.

3 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Will these Witch Hunts ever end? 

No

Pretty soon RBG will be gone and we get to replace her with someone more in tuned with reality of the Constitution. And if Trump gets four more years (fingers crossed), maybe he will be able to replace Breyer as well. So that would make 4 out of 9 judges Trump appointees - I can't wait for the Liberals losing their minds over this.

24 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

My bet Kavanaugh will face impeachment after Trump and Barr are out of office.

So... 2024?

13 minutes ago, phkauf said:

Pretty soon RBG will be gone and we get to replace her with someone more in tuned with reality of the Constitution. And if Trump gets four more years (fingers crossed), maybe he will be able to replace Breyer as well. So that would make 4 out of 9 judges Trump appointees - I can't wait for the Liberals losing their minds over this.

Apparently there are people who have already been raped by the next Trump SCOTUS choices. Whomever they turn out to be.

Edited September 18, 20196 yr by canuckamuck

31 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Will these Witch Hunts ever end? 

I would say: as soon as a judge, who will hold the position for a lifetime, is proven to be capable of doing that job!

Something - IMHO- he failed to show during his hearing, already!

 

Just like the sexual predator con man in the White House, the sexual predator of dubious ethics in the Supreme Court is above the law and thus untouchable.

 

Kavanaugh hides behind the SCOTUS robe. There were 83 ethic complaints against him that will never see the light of day.

 

83 Ethics Complaints Against Justice Brett Kavanaugh Dismissed Permanently

 

Quote

A panel of federal judges has permanently dismissed all 83 ethics complaints filed against Justice Brett Kavanaugh around the time of his confirmation hearing last fall without considering their merits, stating that it does not have the authority to do so.

 

These complaints were dismissed without considering any merits!

 

Funny how the current administration supporters don't care they are being led by fascists but are in fact reveling in the blatant disregard the current administration has for any sort of oversight.

 

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

Will these Witch Hunts ever end? 

Emphasis on Witch.  Double double toil and trouble.....

2 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

The NYT already retracted the story, but don't let that stop anybody. Fruitless witch hunts are doing great things for the Republicans. Go crazy train go.

The law suits ought to be flying any day now.

 

The New York Times suddenly made a major revision to a supposed bombshell piece late Sunday concerning a resurfaced allegation of sexual assault by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh -- hours after virtually all 2020 Democratic presidential candidates had cited the original article as a reason to impeach Kavanaugh.

Edited September 18, 20196 yr by PhonThong

its all hearsay and the fact that the so called woman has no recollection of it happening( a fact the paper left out of their story) doesnt help either, The so called male witness has also been shown to have prior run ins with kavanaugh in court action as well, that make anything he says very suspect but dems wont let the truth get in the way of anything they do, lost out on impeaching trump so have to look elsewhere. Also the fact that the 2 women that wrote the book this is taken from work for the paper as well especially as it is totally anti trump, again we see anti trump people trying to start something when they cannot produce evidence other than hearsay by anti trumpers, shows how pathetic and desperate dems are

Seems to me from the outside that anyone with Kavanaugh's dubious history on more than one front warrants proper investigations. 

After all this is the Supreme Court and a job for life.

19 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

Seems to me from the outside that anyone with Kavanaugh's dubious history on more than one front warrants proper investigations. 

After all this is the Supreme Court and a job for life.

There is absolutely no proof that he "has a dubious history". In fact all evidence is to the contrary. 

8 minutes ago, PhonThong said:

There is absolutely no proof that he "has a dubious history". In fact all evidence is to the contrary. 

 

Not 1, not 2 but 83 ethics complaints against Kavanaugh, including ethic complaints that came from lawyers, doctors and professors!

 

All evidence to the contrary, Bah...

10 minutes ago, PhonThong said:

There is absolutely no proof that he "has a dubious history". In fact all evidence is to the contrary. 

Which explains the WH rigging his appointment investigation such that witnesses to his conduct where never called.

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Which explains the WH rigging his appointment investigation such that witnesses to his conduct where never called.

Really? The hearing I watched was run by Nadler.

Can't wait until the next Trump nominated Supreme Court Justice is sworn in.

3 minutes ago, PhonThong said:

Really? The hearing I watched was run by Nadler.

You are confusing Kavanaugh’s hearing with the DoJ investigation into complaints of criminality leveled at Kavanaugh.

 

Please excuse those of us who do not join you in your confusion:

 

https://www.gq.com/story/kavanaugh-investigation-sham