We finally know what the allegation is against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that was the subject of Sen. Dianne Feinstein forwarding a secret letter to the FBI.
The FBI promptly announced that there would be no criminal investigation and that the letter had been made part of Kavanaugh’s background check file.
There has been a lot of media speculation as to what the allegation was. Feinstein who had the letter since July, would not tell anyone, not even her Democratic colleagues much less Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. What was known was that it concerned Kavanaugh’s time in high school.
Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer of The New Yorker appear to have verified that the accusation was that Kavanaugh and another male high school student held a girl down, and that Kavanaugh tried “to force himself on her” (from the article, not a quote from the letter).
Kavanaugh unequivocally denies that it happened and the other male says he has no recollection of it happening.
From The New Yorker:
The woman, who has asked not to be identified, first approached Democratic lawmakers in July, shortly after Trump nominated Kavanaugh. The allegation dates back to the early nineteen-eighties, when Kavanaugh was a high-school student at Georgetown Preparatory School, in Bethesda, Maryland, and the woman attended a nearby high school. In the letter, the woman alleged that, during an encounter at a party, Kavanaugh held her down, and that he attempted to force himself on her. She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand. She was able to free herself. Although the alleged incident took place decades ago and the three individuals involved were minors, the woman said that the memory had been a source of ongoing distress for her, and that she had sought psychological treatment as a result.In a statement, Kavanaugh said, “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”Kavanaugh’s classmate said of the woman’s allegation, “I have no recollection of that.”The woman declined a request for an interview.
If Feinstein took the 30+ year old allegation seriously when the letter was received in July, why not act on it then? Why not make it a subject of questioning of Kavanaugh at the hearing? The answers are self-obvious.
Instead, the fact of Feinstein sending the letter to the FBI leaked to The Intercept and Buzzfeed. That enabled a furious news cycle of speculation and demands to delay the confirmation vote. As of this writing, the actual letter has not been released, so we are still left to speculate and to rely on reporters like Ronan Farrow.
The New Yorker addresses Feinstein’s mishandling:
Feinstein’s decision to handle the matter in her own office, without notifying other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stirred concern among her Democratic colleagues. For several days, Feinstein declined requests from other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to share the woman’s letter and other relevant communications. A source familiar with the committee’s activities said that Feinstein’s staff initially conveyed to other Democratic members’ offices that the incident was too distant in the past to merit public discussion, and that Feinstein had “taken care of it.” On Wednesday, after media inquiries to the Democratic members multiplied, and concern among congressional colleagues increased, Feinstein agreed to brief the other Democrats on the committee, with no staff present….Sources familiar with Feinstein’s decision suggested that she was acting out of concern for the privacy of the accuser, knowing that the woman would be subject to fierce partisan attacks if she came forward. Feinstein also acted out of a sense that Democrats would be better off focussing on legal, rather than personal, issues in their questioning of Kavanaugh. Sources who worked for other members of the Judiciary Committee said that they respected the need to protect the woman’s privacy, but that they didn’t understand why Feinstein had resisted answering legitimate questions about the allegation. “We couldn’t understand what their rationale is for not briefing members on this. This is all very weird,” one of the congressional sources said. Another added, “She’s had the letter since late July. And we all just found out about it.”
Were Feinstein’s actions and those of the people spreading rumors “evil” as some have asserted?
I think so. Feinstein is in a tough reelection fight against more leftist fellow Democrat Kevin de Leon. In California’s “jungle” primary system, the two top vote getters regardless of party go to the general election. Feinstein would have been sunk had she done nothing about the accusation, but she knew is was an ancient and likely questionable claim. So much so that she couldn’t find the justification for raising it formally at the committee and hearings. Instead, she sends it after the hearings to the FBI and *someone* makes sure the referral leaks.
This also was done immediately after the hearings, after the point that Kavanaugh had the opportunity on live television before a huge national audience to deny the accusations in person. Instead, we’re left with a flood of headlines about his alleged “sexual misconduct” and a denial that is a footnote.
This was not about getting to the truth.
It’s part of a pattern of unhinged Democrat Senators and their alt-left supporters trying to delegitimize Kavanaugh and a coming conservative Supreme Court.
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