Still More on L’affaire Kavanaugh

From There to Thursday / Friday

President Donald Trump and 11 angry white men who comprise the majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee. What a crew!

They got their guy right up to the finish line by mid-day on September 28, after an 80-day span from nomination to committee vote. Then, they sounded like stuck pigs because the Ds had the temerity to be unhappy after they got their one-day hearing. You’d have thought the Ds destroyed the confirmation process as we know it, to listen to Senator Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.) (No, we never liked him, even though he hung around with Senator John McCain (R – Ariz.), who we liked on and off until he looked positively saintly in death because he told off Mr. Trump before he passed.)

That 80-day span. Long time? For sitting justices, confirmation has come, on average, 77 days after the president identifies his nominee. And only one of them has needed an extra hearing to deal with sexual misconduct allegations.

Thursday

Then there was the hearing. Really, two hearings! Not much to say after so many have said so much already. You saw it! A private woman, reporting a devastating event in her life. Composed. Inherently decent. Someone you’d like to know. Then, an entitled prick, outraged that anyone might question him about anything. Literally, for he interrupted Senator Dianne Feinstein (D – Cali.) repeatedly and questioned Senator Amy Klobuchar (D – Minn.) without ever answering her question. (Vox put together a cool chart which reflects who did and didn’t answer questions. Non-clickers: She? Perfect. He? Not so much.)

Senator Graham’s obnoxious behavior at the hearing came right about the time the Rs‘ designated questioner was ready to make things a bit more difficult for Mr. Kavanaugh. Good ‘ole Lindsey, ready to save the day … and give the angry white men the Okey-Dokey to knock three times on their respective brains and let their Ids out to play. I mean, truly, how long should a male Republican senator have to sit quietly and listen to women talk.

Friday

Ids ruled, the vote got scheduled, and it looked like smooth sailing for Master Brett. Then, for reasons no one fully understands, Senator Jeff Flake (D – Ariz.) said “not so fast” and demanded the FBI investigation the Ds had been asking for since Dr. Christine Blasey Ford became a household name. Sort of … for he requested an investigation limited to one week. Sunday to Saturday? Seven days? Who knows.

Saturday (and Protecting Brett Kavanaugh)

That brings us almost up to date. On Saturday afternoon NBC News reported that the White House will not let the FBI investigate the claims by Julie Swetnick. (The WH confirms the story, while President Trump took to Twitter to lambaste NBC, but also said investigators should “interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”)

Now, I’m just an “in the sticks” lawyer who likes to write, but if the Kavanaugh crew wanted the truth, there would be no limits. And if Ms. Swetnick’s story had no legs, truly, I would expect the White House to demand that she be investigated. She’s got the story with pizazz, and she’s lawyered up with Michael Avenatti, the bane of Mr. Trump’s existence.

Concluding Thoughts

A few things, briefly, occur to me. First, and this comes courtesy of Kasey Nye, an attorney / friend. He posits that Mr. Kavanaugh truly believes what he’s saying, for the Christine Blasey incident was all about a couple of bros showing off for one another. Miss Blasey? Just a prop. (No one really knows what’s going on, but I like Kasey’s analysis.)

Second, the Rs depend almost completely on the late notice regarding Dr. Blasey. Dirty politics explains everything, and no other explanation fits, they say. Gee, how about the facts?

• Letter sent confidentially.
• Dr. Blasey shares her situation with a few friends.
• Story leaks. (Some friend(s)!)
• And here we are.

Not possible, say the Rs, and that’s that and that’s final. (I so wish someone had asked Dr. Blasey to explain projection.)

Finally, I feel really badly for Mr. Kavanaugh. Imagine, a man in public life, having to defend himself against credible claims that he acted badly. Man up, bro; your sniveling brings us all down!