I assume you’ve already read the article in The Washington Post in which the unnamed accuser of Brett Kavanaugh goes public with her account of what happened. I don’t have anything to add to the account or what it means. Those speak for themselves. I have more insight into the potential political fallout. A lawyer shepherding the nomination on behalf of the White House said this to Politico: “No way, not even a hint of it. If anything, it’s the opposite. If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried. We can all be accused of something.” Read More
Here’s Sen. Collins a few hours ago talking to CNN about the Kavanaugh accusations.
Here's the full video of Sen Susan Collins comments on Kavanaugh, whether she still supports him, whether vote should be delayed. pic.twitter.com/rlMjGLJ3K2
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 17, 2018
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While the country’s attention is riveted on Florence, Kavanaugh’s confirmation and Manafort’s plea deal, certain other developments around the world may in the end prove more significant. At a meeting earlier this month in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to bypass the dollar and use their own currencies in commercial relations.
TPM Reader SC says the failure of the Kavanaugh nomination, if it happens, could end any Democratic hopes of taking the Senate and possibly do the same for the House. Here’s his take and then my thoughts afterwards …
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I’ve gotten a lot of fascinating responses to my comments and question below about the political fallout of the Kavanaugh accusations, many raising dimensions of the question I hadn’t considered. This from TPM Reader PM comes closest to capturing my take both in the particular and as a general theory of politics … Read More
This comment doesn’t go to the core questions we’re wrestling with today with the Kavanaugh nomination – substantive, ideological or political. But it’s a fascinating glimpse at the big changes that have happened in the process over the last quarter century – and ones that could have a major impact over the coming weeks. I suspect the first President Bush may have been particularly responsive to Senators in the way that is described below. But broadly speaking this is a real change.
From TPM Reader JB, a GOP senate staffer at the time …
As the Kavanaugh confirmation process recalls certain aspects of Clarence Thomas’s during the first Bush administration, I thought I’d offer a recollection about the latter.
One of the many emails coming in this morning in response to this post was from TPM Reader MT. He believes it is wrong and unfair that Democrats are bringing these accusations up at the last moment. To be clear, he opposes Kavanaugh and sees it as a sort of righteous and perhaps inevitable payback for Merrick Garland. But still, he sees it as basically wrong.
From what I can tell, this is actually incorrect on the facts, whatever you think of the fairness of the matter. Here’s what I mean. Read More
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The GOP’s short-lived fallback position that Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser should be heard, but apparently only in private, has quickly been abandoned in favor of a public hearing. CNN is reporting that both Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh will testify next Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Like Clarence Thomas more than a quarter century ago, Kavanaugh will be returning to testify about new sexual misconduct allegations after his initial testimony was complete.
The Senate returned late this afternoon from its recess, and it didn’t take long for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to resign themselves to more committee hearings as the way forward, meaning Thursday’s scheduled committee vote to advance the Kavanaugh nomination to the full Senate will have to be delayed.