Thankfully the journey of Brett Kavanaugh, the nominee for Supreme Court Justice, is near an end. After a heartbreaking supplemental Senate hearing on Thursday, a small group of Republicans, led by Jeff Flake (R-AZ), enabled the F.B.I. to investigate new assertions of misbehavior by the nominee.
The Democrats reacted in a way that was totally predictable. They said the F.B.I. has too little time to investigate thoroughly. Clearly the opposition is trying to delay the process past the midterm elections. A blue wave on Election Day could derail Trump’s attempt to name a conservative to the Supreme Court, if Kavanaugh is derailed.
Dr. Christine Blasy Ford testified first last Thursday and was convincing. Republican questioning through an intermediary was respectful and not accusatory. In fact, it was so tepid that it seemed like Kavanaugh’s confirmation was doubtful.
There are some holes in Ford’s testimony about the location of the alleged attack, how she returned home afterwards and a dearth of corroboration from individuals that may have been involved. But overall, Ford’s testimony was credible, and she was a sympathetic witness.
Judge Kavanaugh’s experience was quite the opposite. He’s been treated with total disrespect from the get go. During the initial hearings he was cooperative when responding to insulting questions, but he turned combative in the face of allegations by Ford on Thursday.
In a lengthy opening statement, the Judge said the Senate Democrats were treating him unfairly, ruined his reputation and good name and turned his personal life into chaos. Throughout his soliloquy Kavanaugh was on the verge of breaking down.
Of note was the Kavanaugh’s complaint that Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) waited for weeks before disclosing the correspondence from Ford about an alleged attack. He said it should have been investigated not at the 11th hour, but earlier in the process. Additionally Kavanaugh pointed out the lack of corroboration by any of the people supposedly present on the day in question 30 plus years ago.
Kavanaugh accused Democrats of using his confirmation as a ploy to attack President Trump. He said they were seeking retribution for their losses in the 2016 elections. He said that Democrats treated him even more harshly than Justice Thomas and Robert Bork.
During the questioning Democrats consistently insisted that Kavanaugh himself should ask the F.B.I. to investigate the accusations made by Ford and others. He responded time and again that he’d already been vetted by the agency numerous times.
Democrats sought to characterize Kavanaugh as a drunken party boy. They asked him countless times if he was intoxicated regularly as a young man and, if he ever passed out while drinking and if he was belligerent when he drank to excess.
New revelations were evident in Kavanaugh calendar, which he keeps vigilantly. It indicated that he attended no such party as the one at which he allegedly assaulted Ford.
Kavanaugh dismissed Ford’s accusations. But, he said he believed that someone assaulted her, just not him. He also indicated that he bore no ill feelings towards his accuser.
Suffice it to say, the Kavanaugh confirmation has been a circus. It’s a low point of recent Senate deliberations fraught with political shenanigans, twisted truths and character assassination.
The big question is: Can Kavanaugh effectively fill a Supreme Court seat after the shellacking he received from his detractors? Doubtful. The damage inflicted upon the man is so great that it makes no sense for Trump to move forward with him. Liberals and women have used Kavanaugh as a whipping boy in lieu of Donald Trump, who is the real villain. This will not change regardless of what the F.B.I. uncovers in their investigation. Some Democrats promised to continue to investigate after Kavanaugh is confirmed, if Democrats win either the Senate or House.
What are the ramifications of this terrible episode? Will the treatment of Kavanaugh by Democrats impact future confirmation hearings? Damn right it will!
All future male nominees beware. You should expect an avalanche of harsh and unfair questioning relating to behavior since birth by the opposition. Every romantic moment in your lives will be investigated. Those seeking dirt will comb high school and college yearbooks and social media looking for hints of any inappropriate behavior.
The jury is still out. There remains much more mudslinging to come. The Democrats will be relentless and try to stymie the confirmation. Republicans may jam the nomination through the system if the F.B.I. comes up empty.
But the damage has already been done. Kavanaugh is distressed merchandise abhorred by most women and all liberals. He will never be the judge that most expected him to be because of the past few months. I hope those that treated him unfairly lose sleep over their actions, especially if the authorities are unable to find any corroboration of allegations.