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Trump Appointments Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 01, 2018 81 Comments
The drama surrounding Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh will continue for at least another week due to an investigation into the sexual assault claims against him. But it also means that every aspect of his life will now fall under the microscope, even if it has nothing to do with the sexual misconduct claims. Now people have materialized out of the woodwork to claim that Kavanaugh lied about his heavy drinking, yet it's nothing he denied in front of the committee. Also, Paul Sperry, a Hoover Institution media fellow, tweeted on Sunday night that one of Kavanaugh's classmates from Yale sent a tip to the Senate Judiciary Committee that a fraternity brother may have exposed himself to Deborah Ramirez, the second woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 01, 2018 66 Comments
The examination of Christine Blasey Ford by Arizona Sex Crimes Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell failed as a television event, but revealed many important details, casting serious doubt on Ford's claim that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the summer of 1982. Mitchell has now produced a detailed analysis, and it devastates Ford's credibility and reliability.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 29, 2018 34 Comments
Someone leaked Christine Blasey Ford's letter to Dianne Feinstein to the media, setting off the current firestorm surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. Kavanaugh has denied the accusation of assault set forth in the letter, and vigorously defended himself at the hearings. Each of the people Ford has identified as being present during the party in question has denied being at such party.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 27, 2018 205 Comments
Brett Kavanaugh's testimony is over. I assessed Christine Ford's testimony earlier, Mid-Hearing Assessment: Christine Blasey Ford believes an untruth. I heard Kavanaugh's opening statement, but missed over half of his question and answer because of another commitment. So I've been catching up via Twitter, highlights and reports. I think I have a good sense of how it went.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 27, 2018 157 Comments
At 10:00AM ET, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault back in high school. I will update this thread as it goes. You can follow along and watch a livestream.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 26, 2018 47 Comments
Embedded below is an interview (pdf.), under oath, with Brett Kavanaugh conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee majority (Republican) staff, regarding the allegations by Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez, and the new allegations by Michael Avenatti's client Julie Swetnick. The denials are categorical and unequivocal, as they were as to the Christine Blasey Ford accusations. (Prior interview pdf.) Kavanaugh left no gray zone.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 25, 2018 97 Comments
As of this writing, it appears that Christine Blasey Ford still plans on testifying at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, September 27. A committee vote tentatively has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and a floor vote is likely early next week. Ford's attorneys still are objecting to some of the planned procedures, including the use of an as-yet unidentified female sex crimes prosecutor to ask questions for Republicans. Having complained that a female accuser would face questioning from the all-male Republicans on the committee, Democrats are now complaining that those male Senators have hired a female attorney to ask questions.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 25, 2018 137 Comments
Christine Blasey Ford's team sent another letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley with concerns about the hearing that should take place on Thursday with her and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, told Grassley they have a problem with the hiring of an "experience sex crimes prosecutor" since neither of them are on trial. He also doesn't think she can get a fair hearing due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling her allegations a "smear campaign."

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 24, 2018 113 Comments
Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein that he will not withdraw. He wrote:
These are smears, pure and simple. And they debase our public discourse. But they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 23, 2018 176 Comments
There is a reason Democrats and Ford's team have been stalling both a committee vote and testimony in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. They managed to postpone things until Thursday, in an obvious attempt to gain as many extra days as possible. We covered today's developments in Kavanaugh accuser to testify Thursday even though all her eyewitnesses dispute her story. They've been hoping, and probably working on finding, someone else to make an accusation. Looks like they found a person who initially told the New Yorker there were gaps in her memory of the incident in college that prevented her from "characterizing Kavanaugh's role" in an alleged incident, but after six days of thinking about it and consulting with attorneys, she was finally ready to make the accusation.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 21, 2018 147 Comments
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley gave Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, until 10AM ET to decide if she will testify on Monday. Ford's team handed out the terms for her testimony late Thursday night and I doubt it will sit well. First of all, she won't do it on Monday and she still wants an FBI probe. Now the Senate Republicans have given Ford a counteroffer with a hearing on Wednesday.
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