Chuck Grassley declares that the handcuffed FBI probe turned up nothing new on Brett Kavanaugh.

Brett Kavanaugh’s yearbook, the ur-text of Kavanologists, is now online.

This may be noise. It may simply be the consolidation and energizing of both major party bases which is expected and inevitable in the closing weeks of the campaign. But there’s enough bits of evidence to suggest that Republicans have gotten more energized and focused on the election in the last week or so – more certainty about voting, more focus on turning out to support Republican candidates and President Trump. Read More

Chris Garrett, the guy who I’ve argued is at the center of this story, has completed an interview with the FBI, according to CNN.

This seems highly notable.

CNN: The FBI is expanding their interviews of people regarding Brett Kavanaugh beyond the initial four. More interviews are happening with a focus on other Kavanaugh high school friends who are listed as attending a July 1, 1982 party.

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) October 3, 2018

Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony about her alleged assault at Mississippi campaign rally.

Trump mocks Dr. Blasey Ford's testimony in Mississippi campaign rally. pic.twitter.com/I4yBLfjOOb

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 3, 2018

I just read the new Times piece about this letter Brett Kavanaugh wrote to his pals in advance of a big beach weekend during high school. That is only one part of the piece. The piece illustrates what I think we already know: that Kavanaugh was part of that gang of jocks who dominated your high school, ran the circuit of underground but cool kid parties, drank to insane levels of excess. We know these guys. There’s a different version of the story if it’s a hard-charging elite private school like Georgetown Prep or one of America’s countless public high schools. But I think we all know these guys. It’s pre-Fraternity Life in high school, filled with ridiculous over-consumption of alcohol and jocular innuendo and shout-outs to predatory sexuality. There’s even a clip from the gangs underground high school paper calling out the girls from Holton Arms – which Kavanaugh said his social set didn’t overlap with – as worthless and promiscuous “Holton Hosebag[s]”. Nothing is held back.  Read More

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Mitch McConnell says he wants a Kavanaugh vote “this week.” Since the Flake agreement was for an FBI investigation lasting no more than one week (from last Friday) and the “this week” ends this Friday, this seems to require a vote almost literally as soon as the report is released. Tierney Sneed walks us through the procedural nuts and bolts (Prime access) of what’s involved here and how it’s likely to work. (Hint: McConnell is hoping the investigation is done tomorrow.)

I was just reading an email from a longtime reader. He makes a simple point. As the debate is currently structured, if the FBI cannot turn up significant evidence to back up one of the abuse or assault claims against Kavanaugh, he gets confirmed. The copious evidence of deception and outright lies does not appear to be part of the equation right now. Read More