Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Friday afternoon criticizing the way in which Republicans have handled Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations.
The Democrats asked Grassley to invite FBI officials to testify at a hearing with Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh, as well as the official who issued the polygraph test to Blasey Ford. They also pushed to hear publicly from any other identified witnesses and character witnesses for both Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh.
Committee Democrats also asked Grassley to share with them any transcripts from interviews with anyone regarding Blasey Ford’s accusations.
In the blistering letter, Democrats accused Republicans of handling Blasey Ford’s accusations worse than lawmakers did with Anita Hill’s allegations against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas back in 1991.
“We fear that rather than learning from the past, Senate Republicans and the Trump Administration are repeating this Committee’s previous mistakes and making new ones. Up to this point, the Committee majority’s treatment of Dr. Ford has unquestionably been worse than the disgraceful treatment that Anita Hill received 27 years ago,” the Democrats wrote.
They specifically criticized Republicans for rushing the process and accused some GOP senators of making up their minds before hearing Blasey Ford out.
“Some have gone so far as to state, ‘She’s mixed up’; ‘She’s mistaken’; ‘She’s not in really a position to make conditions’; and, ‘I’ll listen to the lady, but we’re going to bring this to a close.’ These shameful attacks show why it is so difficult for survivors of sexual assault to come forward,” the Democrats wrote in their letter.
Read the letter:
“Committee’s previous mistakes” = When Joe Biden was in running things.
As many have pointed out, if Senator Grassley and his chums won’t hear Dr Blasey Ford, I’m sure many major news networks will be glad to give her a forum to speak. This possibility surely worries the Republicans.
Their hardball demands – come on Monday, come alone – have already failed, and are backfiring publicly. Everyone can see that they are going to give some more, when push comes to shove. But they’ll do it as grudgingly as they can, with (most likely) increasingly hysterical Twitter commentary from Mr Trump goading them and attacking Dr Blasey Ford, and heating the atmosphere even more.
Perhaps Mr Trump and Senator Grassley are right that a strategy of hardball and attacks will genuinely increase turnout by the far-right base in November. The only problem for them, though, is that it’s likely to swing independents and to fire up progressive Democrats even more, and in far greater numbers. After all, without Mr Trump on the ballot, a substantial part of of his base is probably not that interested in divergences inside the swamp.
Why bother even holding the hearing? Grassley and McConnell have already made it clear that they don’t care what gets said, they’re confirming Kavanaugh and that’s it. No matter how many women he assaulted or ensure that his offices were staffed by only the most physically attractive mating material.
Might as well save us all the bother of pretending to give a shit, cancel it and just force the committee to vote.
Flakey the flake will fold, he always does. And Collins, well, anyone who believes that that woman will actually stand for anything can contact me about a beautiful bridge I have for sale.
Make America Rape Again!
Trump2020