Advertisement

Column: Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation looked bad at the time. It was even worse

Brett Kavanaugh frowns during his confirmation hearing.
Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 2018.
(Jim Bourg / Getty Images)
Share via

President Trump and his party never cared a bit about whether Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted women.

Kavanaugh‘s 2018 confirmation to the Supreme Court was going to be rammed through no matter what, a new report shows.

Trump was not exactly the kind of executive for whom allegations of sexual assault would ever be a deal breaker. He has since been found liable for what a judge described as “rape” and had previously boasted about sexually assaulting women just because he could.

Advertisement

And thanks in part to Kavanaugh’s elevation to the high court, we now live in a country where reproductive rights have been ripped away from women and a president could arguably get away with murder.

Kamala Harris noted his affinity for autocrats such as Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban, whom he praised during their debate. Democracy experts share her concern.

Sept. 15, 2024

To refresh your memory, after Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings began, two women stepped forward with claims that the FBI had missed in its routine background checks.

In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Christine Blasey Ford, a California college professor, alleged that while they were in high school, a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her as his friend looked on.

Advertisement

Deborah Ramirez, a Kavanaugh classmate at Yale, said he drunkenly exposed himself to her at a dorm room party. Kavanaugh’s possibly unhealthy relationship with beer, which he memorably denied while acknowledging his affection for the beverage, was also an issue during the confirmation hearings.

Republicans say journalists shouldn’t be pointing out their lies. But in the era of post-factual MAGA politics, most voters are grateful for the service.

Oct. 6, 2024

The Senate Judiciary Committee decided to give the FBI a week to conduct a “supplemental background investigation” into the claims. Kavanaugh histrionically denied them, saying at one point that they were concocted as “revenge on behalf of the Clintons.” Kavanaugh had been a member of the team, led by independent counsel Kenneth Starr, that investigated sexual misconduct by President Clinton.

The FBI, which could have interviewed many witnesses who may have helped corroborate the allegations against Kavanaugh, severely limited the scope of its supplemental investigation, interviewing only 10 people. They did not include Ford, whose attorney had repeatedly requested an interview, or Kavanaugh.

Advertisement

The bureau disclosed in 2021 that it received more than 4,500 calls and messages related to Kavanaugh. According to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who requested the information, none of them was investigated.

“People who were key to corroborating my story have not been contacted,” Ramirez said at the time. “I feel like I’m being silenced.”

That’s because she was being silenced.

The new report by Whitehouse, a member of the Judiciary Committee and the chairman of its federal courts subcommittee, confirms what many have long suspected: The supplemental background investigation was a “sham” that was tightly controlled by the Trump White House even as the then-president insisted the FBI had “free rein” to look into the allegations.

The White House, the report says, “exercised total control over the scope of the investigation, preventing the FBI from interviewing relevant witnesses and following up on tips.”

The FBI has acknowledged that. In a widely quoted statement, the bureau said that it responds to requests from the White House counsel’s office to conduct background investigations of candidates for government posts. It said it does not have the authority to expand such investigations beyond what the White House asks for.

“Multiple Senators expressly cited the supplemental background investigation’s apparent inability to uncover corroborating evidence of the allegations against Kavanaugh as a ground for voting to confirm Kavanaugh,” Whitehouse wrote. “Yet the supplemental background investigation was flawed and incomplete, as the FBI did not follow up on numerous leads that could have produced potentially corroborating or otherwise relevant information.”

Advertisement

The supplemental investigation was simply a #MeToo-era exercise in providing cover to Republicans who wanted to appear to take the allegations against Kavanaugh seriously — when in fact they were champing at the bit to confirm another ultraconservative justice.

I happened to be in a pool of potential jurors for a murder trial last week (I wasn’t selected). Interviewing the prospective jurors, the prosecutor repeatedly made the point that a witness’ testimony does not have to be corroborated if the jury believes they are telling the truth. My thoughts immediately turned to Ford as well as to Anita Hill, who so memorably testified in 1991 that she was sexually harassed by Justice Clarence Thomas.

I remember watching Ford testify that a young Kavanaugh shoved her into a bedroom, pushed her onto a bed and covered her mouth to mute her screams. “It was hard for me to breathe,” she testified, “and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.” She said his friend Mark Judge was there too, also inebriated and laughing. (Judge — whose 1997 memoir, “Wasted: Tales of a GenX Drunk,” chronicles an alcohol addiction that nearly killed him — denied her story.)

I have rarely seen a witness more credible and believable than Ford, who testified that the assault was indelibly seared into her memory and continued to haunt her as an adult. The system let her down.

As Whitehouse told Rolling Stone last week, “A victim who’s finally screwed up her courage to come and tell somebody, I believe, is entitled to at that point the best goddamn investigation you can pull together — so that at least she knows that somewhere, somebody took her seriously and did their level best.”

Whitehouse‘s report may not change anything, but it is a public service. It has exposed the corrupt process through which Kavanaugh was elevated to a lifetime appointment on the nation’s highest court.

Advertisement

@robinkabcarian

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com