Wednesday
Sep262018
The Commentariat -- Sept. 27, 2018
Afternoon Update:
Mrs. McC: Kavanaugh has been speaking -- okay, shouting -- for about 12 seconds & I'm already nauseous. Update: When he isn't shouting about what a wonderful person he is, he's crying, sobbing & sniffing about what a wonderful person he was. Trump can't like this.
Sheryl Stolberg & Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: "With her voice cracking but her composure intact, an emotional Christine Blasey Ford made her first appearance in public on Thursday, telling a rapt Senate panel about the terror she felt on a summer day more than 30 years ago, when, she said, a drunken Brett M. Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, tried to rip her clothes off and clapped his hand over her mouth to muffle her cries for help." ...
... The New York Times' live updates of the Kavanaugh hearing are here. According to NBC News, Trump cancelled his scheduled meeting with Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein so he could watch the teevee. ...
... Annie Karni of Politico: "White House officials were glued to their television screens throughout the building on Wednesday, watching the emotional testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- and cringing over the decision by Senate Republicans to hire a female prosecutor to question her. 'That's a disaster,' said one administration official. The official argued that Republican lawmakers had made a mistake by caving to the pressures of identity politics and hiring a woman to quiz Ford so as to avoid having an all-white male lineup of GOP Senators do the questioning. Trump allies also recognized the bad optics of a prosecutor seeming to interrogate a victim widely seen as sympathetic in a nationally-televised Senate hearing."
Eric Levitz introduces us to DOJ chief-of-staff Matthew Whitaker, who is likely to be appointed deputy AG if & when Rod Rosenstein "retires": "Here are a few things that he has publicly claimed to believe: Robert Mueller has no legitimate authority to investigate the Trump Organization's finances, and if he does (which, he has), 'then this would raise serious concerns that the special counsel's investigation was a mere witch hunt.' Donald Trump was right to fire James Comey -- because James Comey should have prosecuted Hillary Clinton[.]... (Whitaker has never called for any investigations into -- let alone, prosecutions of -- the Trump administration's many, many, many violations of information security protocol.) All federal judges should be 'people of faith' who take 'a biblical view of justice.' The Supreme Court is 'supposed to be the inferior branch of our three branches of government,' and has claimed far too much power for itself. Specifically, Whittaker says that Marbury v. Madison... was wrongly decided.... But if there's one thing Whitaker hates more than the Supreme Court striking down laws it regards as unconstitutional, it's when 'unelected judges' refuse to strike down laws that conservatives don't like[.]... There shouldn't have been an independent counsel's investigation into Russian interference because there wasn't such an investigation into the Obama administration's many scandals[.]"
*****
The Kavanaugh hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 am ET today.
Nicholas Fandos & Michael Shear of the New York Times: "Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh faced a whirlwind of new accusations on Wednesday that threatened to derail his nomination to the Supreme Court as key Republican senators wavered in their support.... On the eve of an extraordinary hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee at which both Judge Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford,... will testify, Mr. Trump said that 'some very evil' Democrats had plotted to destroy Judge Kavanaugh's reputation. And he lamented what he called 'a very dangerous period in our country' in which men are presumed guilty. But even as he described the charges against Judge Kavanaugh as 'false accusations,' Mr. Trump seemed, for the first time, to acknowledge the mounting challenges facing his nominee. Asked why he repeatedly sides with men over their female accusers, the president said hearing stories from Dr. Blasey might change his mind.... In [a] call Wednesday night [with Republican Judiciary Committee staff lawyers], Judge Kavanaugh denied the new charges leveled by Julie Swetnick.... On the Senate floor, [Sen. Jeff] Flake [R-Az.] delivered a fiery speech chastising both parties for prejudging the women's claims -- and Mr. Trump for dismissing Dr. Blasey altogether because she did not report a sexual assault as a 15-year-old."
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Trump said on Wednesday that the accusations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, his Supreme Court nominee, 'are all false,' but also said that he 'can always be convinced' after watching the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused the judge of attempted rape. In a rambling and combative news conference during which he lashed out against Democratic senators, Mr. Trump said that his own opinion about Judge Kavanaugh's case is affected by the many allegations of sexual misconduct that have been leveled against him by women in the past.... Speaking in New York, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Trump repeatedly refused to give a direct answer to whether he thought the three women who have accused Judge Kavanaugh of misconduct are liars." ...
... Here's the transcript of Trump's "rambling & combative news conference," via Time. ...
... Kate Manne, in a New York Times op-ed: "When it comes to the moral deficiencies exhibited by Mr. Trump and other supporters of the judge, many critics speak about lack of empathy as the problem. It isn't. Mr. Trump, as he has shown clearly in the Kavanaugh confirmation process, seems to have no difficulty taking another person's perspective, and then feeling and expressing a sympathetic or congruent moral emotion. The real problem is that the people Mr. Trump feels with and for are most frequently powerful men who have been credibly accused of serious crimes and wrongdoing. He felt sorry for Michael Flynn, referring to him as a 'good guy.' More recently, he felt bad for Paul Manafort. And, in the case of Judge Kavanaugh, Mr. Trump feels sorry for a man accused of sexual assault while erasing and dismissing the perspective of his female accusers.... The higher a man rises in the social hierarchy, the more himpathy he tends to attract. Thus, the bulk of our collective care, consideration, respect and nurturing attention is allotted to the most privileged in our society." ...
... Kaitlan Collins, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump has grown increasingly dissatisfied with the way Brett Kavanaugh has defended himself in wake of sexual assault allegations that have threatened to derail his Supreme Court nomination, multiple sources tell CNN. It has led the President to believe that he must personally take charge of defending his embattled nominee ahead of Thursday's critical appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Trump made the decision to hold a news conference on the eve of the hearing, making it the fourth he has held as president.... 'The Democrats are playing this game that's disgraceful,' Trump said alongside his Japanese counterpart in New York. 'It's disgraceful to this country.' He said voters would punish Democrats in the midterm elections for their actions and trashed lawyer [Michael] Avenatti." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Remember, in Trump's view, not coming across well on teevee is the worst sin of all. ...
** Jessica Estepa of USA Today: "Julie Swetnick, a client of attorney Michael Avenatti, alleged in a signed statement released Wednesday that ... Brett Kavanaugh would drink to excess and 'engage in abusive behavior' toward teenage girls while he was in high school. In an explosive statement released by Avenatti, Swetnick said in the 1980s, she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and Mark Judge to get teenage girls 'inebriated and disoriented so they could then be 'gang raped' in a side room or bedroom by a 'train' of numerous boys.' 'I have a firm recollection of seeing boys lined up outside rooms at many of these parties waiting for their "turn" with a girl inside the room,' she said in the statement. 'These boys included Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh.' Swetnick alleged& she became one of the victims of 'one of these "gang" or "train" rapes.' She did not allege that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Here's a slightly easier-to-read copy of Swetnick's declaration. ...
... John Wagner of the Washington Post covers Swetnick's allegations & other developments today in the Kavanaugh case. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Axios publishes about a page-and-a-half of Kavanaugh's prepared testimony for Thursday hearing, ending with a note, "Additional Testimony to Follow." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... The POTUS* has responded with his usual careful consideration:
Avenatti is a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations, like he did on me and like he is now doing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is just looking for attention and doesn't want people to look at his past record and relationships - a total low-life! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet this afternoon
... Worth noting: Trump doesn't deny Swetnick's accusations, only Avenatti's.
... Philip Mattingly & Manu Raju of CNN: "Sen. Susan Collins ... raised serious concerns at a private meeting [of Senate Republican chairmen] about the newest allegations of inappropriate behavior against the nominee -- and questioned why the Senate Judiciary Committee had not subpoenaed a close friend of the federal judge. Multiple sources familiar with the private Wednesday meeting told CNN that Collins appeared unnerved by the latest allegation, citing in particular that it was a sworn statement sent to the panel, which carries with it the possibility of perjury for lying to Congress.... The sworn statement, Collins told the senators, brought the allegations to a new level and raised concerns that enough wasn't being done to address their veracity. Pointing to the affidavit, which she had printed out, Collins said given the weight of the allegations, it made sense to subpoena Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge -- an alleged witness to the incidents -- and bring him in for testimony." ...
... Addy Baird of ThinkProgress: "In a Twitter thread Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) attacked [Julie] Swetnick';s attorney, [Michael] Avenatti.... 'The lawyer to porn stars has just taken this debacle to an even lower level,' Graham tweeted. 'I hope people will be highly suspicious of this allegation presented by Michael Avenatti.' Graham continued, attacking Swetnick herself, and echoing one of the president's own talking points:... '"I have a difficult time believing any person would continue to go to -- according to the affidavit -- ten parties over a two-year period where women were routinely gang raped and not report it,' the senator tweeted. 'Why would any reasonable person continue to hang around people like this? Why would any person continue to put their friends and themselves in danger? Isn't there some duty to warn others?'... Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) went so far as to insinuate Swetnick's allegation was part of a larger conspiracy.... Hatch also said he doesn't think the allegations were 'fair' to Kavanaugh. 'I don't think we should put up with it...,' he said." ...
... Charles Pierce: "It became abundantly clear as Wednesday rolled toward a monstrous Thursday that Michael Avenatti and Julie Swetnick caught the Senate Republicans on the wrong foot. One way you know this is because Lindsey Graham scoffed at the 'porn star lawyer.' Huckleberry neglected to mention that Avenatti was the lawyer for the porn star that the president* paid off. That Graham was willing to look so damned ridiculous was a fine measure of how completely by surprise the endless chain of explosions that the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has set off under the congressional majority. Another way you know is that some of the rhetoric from Republican senators that was aimed at Swetnick sank to the level we are accustomed to seeing occupied by that of the president*, who contented himself for the moment by sniping at Avenatti.... As of the end of the day Wednesday, with empty ridicule and clumsy innuendo as the only Republican answer to these latest charges, I don't believe they have the votes to confirm Kavanaugh in the full Senate." ...
... Elana Schor of Politico: "Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Wednesday announced that he's seeking an injunction in federal court designed to stop a final vote on Brett Kavanaugh, asserting an obstruction of his constitutional duty to advise and consent on nominees.... Merkley's bid for an injunction hinges on the Senate's constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on nominees and charges that he's been prevented from fulfilling that due to the withholding of records on Kavanaugh's past service in the George W. Bush administration." Mrs. McC: I heard a couple of legal pundits say that Merkley's suit would not succeed. ...
... Paige Lavender & Paul Blumenthal of the Huffington Post: "Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, would not definitively state Wednesday that Judge Brett Kavanaugh should still be confirmed as a Supreme Court associate justice, saying allegations of misconduct should be further examined. 'I think we have to look into this further,' Severino said when asked by MSNBC's Craig Melvin whether Kavanaugh should still be confirmed.... The Judicial Crisis Network sits at the center of a network of groups and conservative legal activists behind the selection of judges by ... Donald Trump. JCN was co-founded by Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society executive who pushed Kavanaugh's nomination on Trump...." ...
... Eli Watkins of CNN: "Christine Blasey Ford will tell the Senate that ... Brett Kavanaugh's sexual assault on her in their high school years stayed with her for her whole life, according to prepared testimony for Thursday's hearing.Ford, in her testimony, is due to make clear she has no uncertainty about the identity of her alleged attacker, referring to Kavanaugh as 'the boy who sexually assaulted me.' 'I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to,' Ford said. 'But the details about that night that bring me here today are ones I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult.'" ...
... Politico has Blasey Ford's prepared testimony here. I dare Lindsey Graham to smirk through her reading. ...
... Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post: "Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's legal team has released a copy of a polygraph examination report regarding her sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh.... While polygraphs are not considered reliable enough for use in court proceedings, the letter is another piece of evidence submitted by Blasey's team to back her claims that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a house party in the suburbs of D.C. in the early 1980s.... The story includes the polygraph report. Mrs. McC: The cover letter from Blasey's attorney strongly suggests that the Judiciary Committee, in its request for documents, asked for Blasey's medical records. Pretty outrageous. ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Kavanaugh's ace card -- as stated in his prepared testimony & elsewhere -- is that "Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her." You know, I remember the full name of the junior-high-school kid who insulted me 60 years ago. He didn't touch me. He didn't put me in fear of physical danger. So I'm certain Blasey Ford can remember the name of the person who 36 years ago violently attacked her to the point she thought he would kill her. Kavanaugh's "defense" is an insult to every victim, male or female, of every assault. ...
... Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: "Senate Judiciary Committee staff interviewed two men who said they believed that they, and not ... Brett Kavanaugh, had 'the encounter' with the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, according to new information released Wednesday night by committee Republicans.... A Democratic aide told BuzzFeed News in an email that committee Democrats were not told about the allegations, which was a violation of committee rules. The aide called the release from the Republican side 'shameful and the height of irresponsibility.'"
... Opheli Lawler of New York: "Eight women who have accused ... Donald Trump of sexual assault or harassment released a joint statement in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, two women who accused ... Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: After the women made their statement public, Trump said in his rambling press conference yesterday that the reason he sided with Kavanaugh was, "Because I've had a lot of false charges made against me. I'm a very famous person, unfortunately. I've been a famous person for a long time. But I've had a lot of false charges made against me, really false charges. I know friends that have had false charges. People want fame, they want money, they want whatever. So when I see it, I view it differently than somebody sitting home watching television where they say oh, Judge Kavanaugh this or that. It's happened to me many times. I've had many false charges. I had a woman sitting in an airplane and I attacked her while people were coming onto the plane and I have a number one best seller out. I mean, it was a total phony story. There are many of them. So when you say does it effect me in terms of my thinking with respect to Judge Kavanaugh, absolutely, because I've had it many times."
... Kasie Hunt, et al., of NBC News: "According to an anonymous complaint sent to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, [Brett] Kavanaugh physically assaulted a woman [in a sexual manner] he socialized with in the Washington, D.C., area in 1998 while he was inebriated.... 'There were at least four witnesses including my daughter.'... Republican Senate investigators asked Kavanaugh about the new complaint ... during a phone call on Tuesday between Kavanaugh and committee staff. Sources told NBC News that Kavanaugh denied the allegation.... The committee on Wednesday released a transcript of Tuesday's call.... 'We're dealing with an anonymous letter about an anonymous person and an anonymous friend. It's ridiculous. Total twilight zone. And no, I've never done anything like that,' Kavanaugh said, according to the transcript. A Democratic source said the minority wasn't satisfied by the Republicans' questions about the incident during the call, calling them cursory, and believed it should be investigated more deeply." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: While the incident may have happened, this charge won't go anywhere. The writer did not give her name or other contact information to Sen. Gardner's office. There is at least one clue in the letter which could help the FBI track down the victim, but there's no reason to think investigators would bother to do so. I don't know why people send letters like this. ...
... Elana Schor & Burgess Everett of Politico: "The transcript of Kavanaugh's Tuesday interview also cited another anonymous claim of sexual misconduct involving Kavanaugh, dating back to 1985 and sent to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's (D-R.I.) office, which the judge also flatly denied to investigators. A senior Senate Democratic aide said some in the minority are concerned about Republicans 'now releasing anonymous allegations in an effort to make all allegations look frivolous. We're focusing on the ones that have names attached.'" Mrs. McC: According to Fandos & Shear of the NYT [linked above], this particular anonymous accuser recanted Wednesday night. ...
... Also, it looks as if this accuser wasn't so anonymous. Committee Republicans knew his name, according to Peter Hasson of the Daily Caller. He sounds like an idiot.
... Greg Sargent: "The onetime girlfriend of Mark Judge ... has emerged as a pivotal if hidden figure in this whole affair -- and now she's prepared to speak to the FBI and the Judiciary Committee about what she knows, according to a letter from her lawyer.... [Elizabeth] Rasor [told the New Yorker] that Judge had confided in her about a group sex incident at the time.... In recounting this particular episode to the New Yorker, Rasor did not name Kavanaugh. But Judge's role -- and whatever Rasor is prepared to say about it -- has suddenly taken on a lot more potential significance, now that lawyer Michael Avenatti has produced a sworn statement from a third woman, which claims that Judge did conspire with Kavanaugh to get women drunk so they could be assaulted by numerous young men.... A senior Democratic aide to the Judiciary Committee told me ... that this raises further questions about why 'Mark Judge is hiding out in Bethany Beach and Republicans refuse to call him as a witness.'" ...
... Paul Waldman in the Washington Post: "Republicans can't claim that it is absolutely vital that Kavanaugh be seated when the court begins its new session in the first week of October when they held open a vacant seat for more than a year because they didn't want President Barack Obama's nominee to fill it.... The effort by the GOP to ram Kavanaugh's nomination through as quickly as possible is utterly unsustainable.... [Julie] Swetnick alleges that she attended 'well over ten house parties ... where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present,' and that she witnessed Kavanaugh both '"grinding" against girls, and attempting to remove or shift girls' clothing to expose private body parts' and being verbally abusive toward them. She describes him as a 'mean drunk.'... She says it was known that Judge, Kavanaugh and others would spike the punch at these parties with grain alcohol or drugs to make girls inebriated, and that the boys, including Kavanaugh, would '"target" particular girls so they could be taken advantage of; it was usually a girl that was especially vulnerable because she was alone at the party or shy.'" Waldman notes where Swetnick's allegations are consistent with those of other witnesses.
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Confirming Kavanaugh with this series of violent criminal allegations unresolved would be, as the idiom goes, "a travesty of justice." Not only would the Senate be abdicating its Constitutional responsibility -- as Grassley, Graham, et al., seem determined to do -- but also no serious jurist (or serious president, but no one pretends we have one of those) would allow the confirmation to go to a vote under these circumstances. If John Roberts weren't a partisan hack, he would not swear in Kavanaugh until the allegations are investigated, and he would suspend Kavanaugh from the bench in the interim.
"We Didn't Call It Rape." Aleandra Lescaze, in a Slate post (Sept. 24), who was graduated from the National Cathedral School in 1988, remembers Beach Week: "A large part of my high school experience were the parties at cavernous houses with multiple bedrooms, huge dark basements with enormous sofas and yards, and lots and lots of beer. No parents ... were ever around.... Every June, we had Beach Week ... in which teenagers actually rent houses to party at the beach.... I distinctly remember being at a Beach Week party with my then-boyfriend when it dawned on us that there was a drunk girl in a room down the hall, and boys were 'lining up' to go in there and, presumably, have their way with her. We didn't know for sure, but my boyfriend and my friend's boyfriend went to interrupt it and sent her on her way down the stairs. All I remember about her is that she was in the class above us and had dark hair. My friend has told me she remembers boys saying, 'I'm next,' which was why our boyfriends went to stop it.... They happened often enough that we had a term. We didn't call it rape." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Lest you should think that young Brett, as he said in his Fox "News" interview, "was focused on academics and athletics, going to church every Sunday at Little Flower," & therefore too busy to participate in these traditional Beach Week rituals, here's the June 1982 page of his calendar (the handwritten entries are Brett's):
... Zack Beauchamp of Vox, who also grew up in the D.C. area, further illuminates Beach Week. ...
... Jonathan Chait thinks Kavanaugh is toast: "As the heady brew of threatened male prerogative ... and partisan tribalism wears off, cold calculation will soon set in. The odds that many people are conspiring to lie about Kavanaugh are growing ever more slender. And the odds are growing that Kavanaugh committed to a lie, and sunk ever deeper into it, knowing that he would either have a lifetime appointment to the most prestigious legal job in America or be disgraced, and that is why he has refused to concede even an inch. That, too, is why he dodged a question from Fox News about letting his friend, Mark Judge, testify under oath. And Republicans will realize that there are always more Federalist Society-groomed conservative lawyers without his long trail of allegations." ...
... Linda Greenhouse: "No matter what happens on Thursday and in the days to come, I hope people will remember what the Kavanaugh nomination looked like at the close of the initial hearing. Covering the first hearing for Clarence Thomas back in 1991 and listening to him explain how he had transformed himself into a blank slate, I recalled a line from the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay: 'A man no longer what he was, nor yet the thing he'd planned.' At this moment, the line fits Brett Kavanaugh, too. He and Clarence Thomas have that in common."
Katie Benner of the New York Times: "President Trump said on Wednesday that he wants to keep in place the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, amid speculation about Mr Rosenstein's future, which was thrust into doubt by revelations that he had discussed secretly taping the president and removing him from office. The two were scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss Mr. Rosenstein's comments.... Mr. Trump added: 'We've had a good talk. He says he never said it, he doesn't believe it, he gets a lot of respect from me. He's very nice, and we'll see.' Mr. Trump also said he was considering delaying their meeting because he wanted to focus on Thursday's high-stakes hearing for his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, and one of the women who has accused him of sexual assault, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Of course Trump said, "We'll see" and maybe he would postpone the meeting with Rosenstein, because ...
... Ashley Parker & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "When Rod J. Rosenstein reports to the Oval Office on Thursday to be fired, resign or continue tenuously in his post, the deputy attorney general will also be cementing his status as a player in one of President Trump's favorite parlor games: White House Survivor. Though the outcomes often differ -- fired by tweet (former secretary of state Rex Tillerson), permitted to faux-amicably resign (former national security adviser H.R. McMaster) or flayed but never quite offed (Attorney General Jeff Sessions )-- one near-certainty for those navigating their departures from Trump's orbit is a prolonged and capricious public humiliation. Trump's penchant for allowing his underlings to dangle and stew in Washington's fickle swamp often seems to be a form of psychological cruelty -- and also the way he prefers to conduct business, according to the president's advisers and associates." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mark Landler of the New York Times: "President Trump accused China on Wednesday of interfering in the midterm elections to damage him politically because of his tough tactics on trade. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, where he was presiding, Mr. Trump said, 'They do not want me or us to win, because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade.' Mr. Trump has accused the Chinese of election meddling before, but never so bluntly or in such a high-profile international setting. He offered no evidence of how China might be interfering, or of whether its tactics went beyond trying to influence an increasingly bitter trade war.... Mr. Trump said nothing in his Security Council remarks about Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.... He did fault Russia, along with Iran, for enabling the 'butchery' of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, though he also thanked the countries for agreeing to suspend, at least temporarily, their assault on the rebel stronghold of Idlib to avert a humanitarian crisis." Emphasis added. ...
... You Can't Dump Me; I Dumped You. Jacob Pramuk if CNBC: "... Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that he rejected a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week as the countries struggle to reach a new trade deal. However, 'no meeting was requested' by the Canadian government, Trudeau spokeswoman Eleanore Catenaro said."
Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday said President Trump has told him he will sign a spending bill to avert a government shutdown. The House is prepared to pass the legislation later Wednesday and send it to Trump's desk." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... New Lede: "President Trump pledged Wednesday that he would not allow the government to partially shut down next week, backing down from his demand that Congress appropriate billions of dollars for new construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Keeping the government open after Sunday would require Trump to sign a bipartisan spending bill from Congress, something he had resisted committing to for weeks."
They weren't laughing at me, they were laughing with me. We had fun. That was not laughing at me. So the fake news said 'people laughed at President Trump.' They didn't laugh at me, people had a good time with me. We were doing it together, we had a good time. -- Donald Trump, Wednesday, on diplomats laughing during his U.N. speech ...
... Brett Samuels of the Hill: "U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley> suggested Wednesday that world leaders laughed at President Trump's speech the day before because they respect and enjoy his honesty, arguing that negative media coverage of the president has hurt America's standing in the world. Haley, in an appearance on 'Fox & Friends,' blamed the media for misinterpreting why U.N. General Assembly member chuckled when Trump boasted that his administration's accomplishments outdid those of nearly any other in American history." Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead. Mrs. McC: In another studio, Haley would have been struck on the spot by lightning, but Fox "News" studios, of necessity, have built-in elaborate anti-lightning protection. However, Haley's nose did grow noticeably during the course of the brief interview. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Emily Tamkin of BuzzFeed News: "... diplomats have confirmed that their delegations were laughing at -- not with -- [Donald Trump]."
Trump Put a Racist in Charge of Enforcing Anti-Discrimination Laws. Robert O'Harrow, et al., of the Washington Post: "A senior Trump appointee responsible for enforcing laws against financial discrimination once questioned in blog posts written under a pen name if using the n-word was inherently racist and claimed that the great majority of hate crimes were hoaxes. Eric Blankenstein, a policy director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, expressed those and other controversial views more than a decade ago on a political blog he co-authored with two other anonymous contributors." Mrs. McC: Yeah, I know you're not even slightly shocked. That might be the saddest part.
Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "The Federal Reserve’s chairman, Jerome H. Powell, said on Wednesday that the American economy was experiencing 'a particularly bright moment' as the Fed announced a widely expected increase in its benchmark interest rate and signaled that it planned to continue raising rates. Mr. Powell emphasized that the decision to raise rates to a range between 2 and 2.25 percent was not intended to get in the way of continued growth. 'My colleagues and I are doing all we can to keep the economy strong healthy and moving forward,' he said. But the Fed's decision was criticized almost immediately by President Trump, who opened a Wednesday afternoon news conference by declaring himself 'not happy' with higher rates."
The Guardian publishes an excerpt from Michael Lewis's upcoming book. In this episode, Trump fires has Jared Kushner fire his transition team. If you want a good glimpse into why the Trump administration has been in chaos since Day 1, it starts with its being in chaos well before Day 1. Mrs. McC: If, like me, you were thinking back then that maybe Trump wasn't the ignorant buffoon he played on the campaign trail, you too would be wrong. I know it's a busy day, but maybe bookmark this to read when Supreme TV is over.
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Reader Comments (30)
……..if Judge Kavanaugh isn't slapped on the wrist for trying to grab a pussy, then ladies beware, once elected to Supreme Court, he will be legally involved in your pussy!!!!!!!
As more women come forward presenting stories seriously questioning the beatific image Kavanaugh and his supporters are rapidly constructing on the fly, to fend them off, the stunning illegitimacy of these proceedings becomes starker almost by the hour.
After Dr. Ford’s initial revelations, which seem entirely credible, most serious outside observers (including on this site) suggested that, if such allegations were even partially true, it would be highly unusual that the actions depicted therein were a one time only event.
Republicans clearly disagreed, but fearing righteous charges of arrogance and dismissive misogyny, they painfully agreed to listen to what this pain in the ass broad had to say. “I’ll listen to the lady” snipped Lindsay Graham, his tone indicating that actual listening would be achieved over his dead body.
Then, as a second, and now a third allegation appeared (confirming suspicions of additional evidence of Kavanaugh’s violence toward women), Confederates have grown increasingly intemperate, impatient, and insulting in their reaction to what has become the very clear unfitness of their boy Brett. None more so than President Pussy Grabber himself.
And rather than beginning to seriously question his bona fides as a lifetime Supreme Court Justice, they have gone the other way, dismissing, out of hand, all allegations as inconvenient and fabricated, announcing that they will go ahead with his ascension no matter the outcome of the Ford hearing, and as quickly as possible into the bargain.
And as the seriousness of these allegations mount, Kavanaugh’s image, in their public proclamations, especially Trump’s, have morphed from “excellent jurist and upstanding fellow” to a hagiographic portrait rivaling that of St. Thomas More. Any minute now, I expect his image puff-up to combine the best of Lincoln, Jefferson, Reagan, Patrick Henry, and Jesus Christ ( the crucifixion thing).
I have no doubt that Kavanaugh will be installed on the court by week’s end (wingers are promising an unusual Saturday vote by the full Senate) marking one more gigantic, shameful scar inflicted on the nation to go with all the others relished by the Republican Party.
We're reading lots of "what high school/college boy hasn't done ..." I overheard at a son's party several years ago, that a young woman was "TDTF". It was so well understood by these boys, they even had a shorthand for it. There are plenty of young men out there who haven't done .... and don't intend to. #MeToo is not "very dangerous". As the Cons themselves say, if you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.
@Gloria: Time for Trumpy evangelicals to produce a training video all about the joys and rewards of abstinence & teetotaling.
@Akhilleus: My hope is to be watching the teevee and the morning & see Loutish Lindsey's head explode & Grassley just pixilate into dust.
Mrs. McC., totes!
Kavanaugh may try to project an image of St. Thomas More, but in school he probably thought more like St. Augustine:
"... As a youth Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a time, associating with young men who boasted of their sexual exploits. The need to gain their acceptance forced inexperienced boys like Augustine to seek or make up stories about sexual experiences.[39] It was during this period that he uttered his famous prayer, "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet." " (Wikipedia)
All the GOP had to do to have their rubber stamp conservative majority already voted in as we speak, was to not nominate an alleged sexual assaulter with a very shady past.
And alas, they're knee deep in shit and crying foul at the Democrats.
If I were to ask questions this morning to Brett K. I'd factor them all around homosociality because as we discussed yesterday that just might be the trigger that will release the "truth of the matter."
Have him describe the group of guys that he ran with in high school and then in college; within that group did he consider himself a leader, a follower or something in-between; would he consider many in this group good friends; Was Mark Judge a close friend; What did he think of Mathew Judge's negative portrait of his brother; why does he think Mark Judge refuses to be questioned; Did he have any other kind of beverage besides beer at these parties; Would he say he drank to excess; Would he say alcohol played a significant part in his life; has anyone told him how he tends to change when drunk; Has he ever blacked out; Can he describe these house parties; can he describe what went on during Beach Week...
And so on––-going in the rear door to catch the front door invader might just be a better method.
And here is another twist in the game of gotcha. This from Slate:
How Ken Starr's Associate Brett Kavanaugh would question himself:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/brett-kavanaugh-ken-starr-clinton-supreme-court.html
PD,
Were the questioning this morning to raise the specter of homo-anything, sociality, sexuality, affability, or sensibility, and if it seemed like it was sticking, or at least possibly fitting all too comfortably into Bretty’s profile, R’s would drop him faster than Trump could insult the victims of sexual abuse. It would scare the living crap out of them, they all being homo non-sapiens.
When I read the transcript of Trump's press conference I longed for the wall to come tumbling down on this man in the way of reporters repudiating almost everything he said. The following shows such a complete lack of presidential character that it literally takes your breath away:
"Trump: [Democrats are] actually con artists because they know how quality this man is and they have destroyed a man's reputation and they want to destroy it even more. And I think people are going to see that in the midterms. What they have done to this family, what they have done to these children, these beautiful children of his, and what they have done to his wife. And they know it's a big, fat con job."
Gosh, how could we have been so mistaken about "how quality this man is.." He's talking, of course, about himself here and how he's been so misunderstood and maligned––how full he is of that thing called quality–-those not aligned with him, whether it be those nasty democrats or shit=hole countries or the Mueller probe or...it's all a con job–––something he knows of very well.
Had to go with Bach keyboard pieces on the ride in to remind myself that there is order in the universe. Those twisting and turning fugal lines zooming in and out and splashing down to such a splendid conclusion, like watching someone work a Rubik's Cube while doing a world-class routine on the balance beam.
My mood however, given the chaos and malevolence spread by this disgraceful sham of a Kavanaugh nomination process, called for something a tad less elegant, say....Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" (once described by Rolling Stone as "ear wrecking sludge"), which is rather like someone smashing that Rubik's Cube with a sledge hammer and igniting the crunched pieces with a Star Wars blaster.
That's much closer to what's going on in Washington. We have the president* patting himself on the back for being a great man (oooh how quality he is!) and criticizing Democrats for being con artists (he should know), then we have Brett Kavanaugh beating his chest and crying about what a poor boy he is, being assaulted by these nasty, lying women. And, of course, Grassley and Graham. Smash that Rubik's Cube, boys. Like cavemen, if you can't make it work, destroy it.
This could be a day of days in many ways. In the short term, it could just be a lot of talk, during which the R's will all be asleep while The New Girl asks the questions. They've all made their minds up already, and they're perfectly fine with a sexual predator, gang-banger, and violent drunk on the Supreme Court. As long as Kavanaugh doesn't whip it out or fall over in his chair or start throwing things at Ford, he'll be raised up on high, but he'll go to the court with a giant erisk up his ast for all time.
In the long run, however, this could be, if enough Americans decide they've had enough of these vicious clowns, a turning point.
I'm sure after the hearing, president* sexual abuser will weigh in with his usual aplomb and carefully considered discourse.
More Rubik's Cube destruction and ear wrecking sludge.
Let's have some more Bach.
Melanie Visits the Shitholes!
In other news:
"She's leaving Washington and her husband, President Donald Trump, behind to deal with multiple crises while she heads to Africa next week for a four-country tour.
Heads up, Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt: The first lady is headed your way.
Trump announced at the United Nations Wednesday that her first solo trip abroad will begin next week when she heads to Africa to check out how officials in four countries on the continent deal with issues confronting children."
Wonder what her racist tubby hubby thinks of this. I can only imagine what Trump supporters and fellow white nationalists will be saying about Melanie going to Africa to learn about children's issues. Is she doing this to stick it to him?
I sure hope so.
If it was me, I'd announce a trip to Mars. Let's see...ten months there, ten months back, five or six months on the surface, should be just about long enough so that Fat Ass is out of office by the time she gets back. By then he'll have let everyone know that Mars is officially a shithole planet.
This is sounding very much like Ford is on trial.
This hearing is making me homicidal. Those dirty cowards are too afraid to face this woman who is putting her worst fears forward for them to dissect. Hell is too good for them.
And if you want another antidote for homicidal feelings, try "Wardruna" - any of the 3 most recent albums
The Confederates' prosecutor Rachel Mitchell is clearly working on developing a specific narrative, which seems designed to throw doubt on Dr. Ford's testimony (what else?). She's grilling her pretty well. I'm wondering if she is waiting to drop something on her. Ford is doing well so far. She sounds entirely honest. She's answering all questions as best as she can and admits that there are things she doesn't know, unlike Kavanaugh's fabricated and phony persona.
These guys better be careful. Ford could end up being their worst nightmare.
I can only imagine the ranting going on in the West Wing right now, the little dictator screaming at the TV, calling Ford the sorts of names he wishes he could use in public.
Apropos of Ms. Mitchell's line of questioning, I expect her to come back to the question of how Dr. Ford got home from the party. Mitchell has established a presumption (possibly incorrect) that the party house was proximate to Columbia Country Club. Dr. Ford's residence (in her testimony) was near the USN David Taylor Model Basin in Carderock. You can't really walk between those two locations and forget that walk. (Check the map: Chevy Chase, MD to Carderock, MD) So someone gave her a ride, but Dr. Ford can't remember if she got a ride or who would have driven her. And she says she escaped the house by herself, so it appears that no one from the party gave her a ride. She must have gone to a third location to phone (no cell phones in 1982) or meet a driver.
This could get touchy. Post-trauma the brain can ignore (not just not remember, but actually not even register) routine events, because the focus remains on avoiding trauma. But it would be pretty normal to recall who "saved" you by driving you away from the trauma threat. The danger here is that Dr. Ford may make some assumptions when asked, and they could be totally wrong.
Otherwise, so far (during the lunch break, 1300) Dr. Ford's story is very consistent and credible.
About that ride...
I thought I heard her say that she did get a ride but she can't remember from whom. I could be wrong though, I'm doing other things while trying to listen to this.
I'm thinking that Mitchell's line of questions, especially focusing on who was in the loop, congresspeople, congressional staffers, therapists, friends, etc., might be directed at an insinuation that Ford is being, or has been, pushed into this by devious Democrats to "smear a good man".
Can't wait for the choirboy to start his aria. Will he be singing castrato?
(One thing to listen for in any testimony, I believe, is evidence of sincerity and authenticity. While Mitchell was trying to get at who might have been told about the attack, she asked, after it came out that Ford had been staying, for a few days, with her parents, if she had told them her story. "Absolutely not" she said--or something like that. Which, as Sherlock Holmes once said upon questioning a person of interest and establishing his reliability, "Watson, this fellow rings true with every strike of the hammer".)
Mitchell is definitely trying to assert that some other parties (Democrats) are helping her go after Kavanaugh.
@Akhilleus: Yeah, Blasey Ford was so reluctant to discuss this with others that she did not tell her parents this year when she was visiting them that she was -- during that visit -- going through the nuts-and-bolts process of finding a lawyer to assist her in regard to her allegations.
So as to Patrick's remark that not knowing how she got home might trip her up, my guess is that she did not have a "hero" who saved her from the traumatic event. She either walked home -- one can walk a long way under treacherous conditions when one is frightened or angry (I speak from personal experience here) -- or she made herself look as presentable as possible, got herself to a place where she might "reasonably" be at that time of night and called someone -- her parents or an older friend -- to pick her up. That is, she saved herself.
So I'd agree with Patrick that if you ran screaming from a madman & someone bravely came to your rescue, you would remember him or her. But if you think you'd successfully hidden evidence of the traumatic event & then took the Metro or called someone for a ride, that would not be a memorable part of the event.
Sen. Hirono pointed out that Mitchell keeps asking Blasey Ford questions around the assault but nothing about the assault. Mitchell is also asking questions about how Blasey Ford picked her attorneys & who paid for her polygraph test & other costs of her testimony. If Mitchell is trying to demonstrate that Blasey Ford is a money-grubbing opportunist (as Trump suggested yesterday), it's so not working.
Man, I love Kamala Harris!
She did so well! The Republicans' prosecutor tried to find a crack in her story, but when you have truth on your side, it's easier to stay the course.
Let's see how serial liar Rape Boy does.
Interestingly, Mitchell made a point of insisting that the best way to determine the veracity of an accuser is in a controlled setting with a trained interviewer. Equally interesting, no one on the R side is making the exact same case that the best way to get the most reliable information on such a case is by having trained investigators involved (the FBI). So Mitchell, in her own way, is making the case that professional investigation is standard, and necessary.
After trashing her testimony as not credible because she didn't know the address of the house, the exact date, etc., Lindsey Graham said Blasey Ford was "A nice lady." Orrin Hatch said she was "attractive." These guys can't even behave themselves when walking down the hall to the bathroom.
Marie,
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised it one of them said "Nice ass".
Ak: Kavanaugh is singing falsetto, of course.
Can't talk any more: I will kill the nearest human if I have to interact with anybody. I don't usually get this angry, and I've already early voted. So I just have to sit and stew while Kavanaugh brings on the crocodile tears.
Referring back to the trauma of watching a sibling falling to (what I thought would be) his death: I have no idea how I got down the cliff and I have no idea how I was able to lift him out of the water he fell into (he outweighed me by 70 lbs). There is no memory at all to call on. Nothing. The memory never came back. The brain does not value memory, I guess. Though like Ford, I remember the sound of the voice.
Okay, we've finally found someone holding a high government position who is more rude than Trump.
It sure is funny that an ordinary citizen who comes forward knows better how to behave at a congressional hearing far better than a federal judge. Kavanaugh is a spoiled brat who thinks he is owed a seat on the Supreme Court.
Jeeeeezuz...what a horror show.
Little Bretty is sniffling, crying, yelling, screaming... and indulging in the sort of conspiracy theorizing you normally find on unhinged whacko sites like Infowars. "Democrats are out to get me! It's the Clintons! It's the Obama people! It's the Washington Post!!!! I'm INNOCENT!! PLEEEZE BELIEVE MEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee......"
Fuck me.
What a whack job.
Can they really put this guy on the Supreme Court? He's completely around the bend. "My family is ruined! Death threats! Other shit!, Wahhhh, waaaaah"
Wow.
Blasey-Ford was emotional in certain spots but Kavanaugh seems completely unbalanced. In fact, he seems like the party that was sexually abused, not the other way around.
And not for nothin', but does anyone believe that, when his lying, raping, drunken ass is elevated to the high court, that he won't indulge in the most vituperative, prejudicial vindictiveness that hasn't been seen since, well, Clarence Thomas? "They tried to fuck me? Well guess what???? FUCK THEM!!"
He's still that privileged, elitist, drunken douchebag asshole he was in high school and college, and the vindictive penis chaser he was with Ken (Rape is Fine if Excellent Football Players Do It) Starr.
And did you hear his treatise on beer? Christ almighty, he sounded like Homer Simpson: "Beer? Sure we drank beer. Lots of beer. Beeeeer....Boys and girls, we all drank beer. I still like beeeeer. Beer? Too much beer? Beeeer.... Sure a lot'a beer. Me? Sure I drank too much beer. Sometimes, but everyone drank beeeeeer. Beeeeeeer"
Is this the testimony of a nominee for the Supreme Court or a reading from an extended Charles Bukowski epigram? (And I'd vote for Bukowski on the Court long before I'd allow a sleazy, lying, self-promoting prick like Kavanaugh to pass judgement on us all. At least Bukowski knew what it was like to be down and out.
If I were a member of some non-far-right-wing group that might have a case before a SCOTUS with whiny, crying, weenie, beer guzzling, vindictive rapey Brett as a member, I would realize that there is no way I would get a fair hearing.
Does Little Johnny really want weepy, lying, boozy, vindictive Brett on his team?
You know what? The truly sad thing is....
He probably does. The only difference between Roberts and Gorsuch and Alito and Thomas is that they don't whine so much in public.
NO fair hearings for the next twenty or thirty years, kids.
We're in for some baaaaaad shit, my sisters and brothers.
And it might be even worse. Because, if the dictator Trump, as Marie suggests, doesn't cotton to whiny Brett's sad display, he can find fifty other Nazi judges from the Federalist Society list. And even if Democrats take the Senate back from the fascists in November, they'll use the lame duck session to ram through another Josef Mengele. One who doesn't cry at the drop of a hat.
Can R's truly push this whiny, unhinged, drunken, abusive lout onto the Supreme Court?
Watch them.
Victoria,
A more visceral testimony concerning the vagaries of memory in dire situations we could not hope to hear.
Oh, and Bretty's mincing and whining and blubbering might sound falsetto, but I think it's perfect castrato.
@Akhilleus: Yeah, you might think Brett had a few too many beeeers before his testimony. A mean drunk? Yeah. But really just a mean SOB.