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US Senate Tag

(Updated by WAJ) Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) voted to invoke cloture on the debate on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh this morning. In one of the most extraordinarily intelligent and thoughtful speeches I've ever heard from the Senate floor or elsewhere, Collins announced that she would vote in favor of Kavanaugh.

The Senate voted 51-49 to invoke cloture, which limits the debate on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh to 30 hours. This sets up a final confirmation vote on Saturday afternoon. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted no while West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin voted yes. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) also voted yes.

The FBI handed over its report on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate Judiciary Committee. A source familiar with the report said that "it shows no evidence corroborating the allegations of sexual assault or misconduct against the nominee." The FBI also interviewed nine people and received a sworn statement from another.

Yes, FAILED Democrat president candidate Hillary Clinton. A man showing anger over uncorroborated accusations of sexual misconduct "deserves a lot of laughter." Her comment was mainly against Kavanaugh's claim that the allegations are "revenge on behalf of the Clintons." But there's no doubt in my mind that the Democrats are playing games because they're still ticked that their precious Hillary lost.

Richard Vinneccy, the ex-boyfriend of Julie Swetnick, a woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, told Laura Ingraham last night that she threatened his family and never spoke of any incidents involving Kavanaugh. He also said:
He added that while he was not aware of Swetnick's political tendencies, "She always wanted to be the center of attention. . .. She was exaggerating everything. Everything that came out of her mouth was just exaggerations."
If you missed Professor Jacobsen's write-up of Swetnick's awful NBC interview, you need to read it.

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.

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.

According to a report published by Politico, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) chose to appear pressured when, in fact, he masterminded the latest Kavanaugh delay. His subsequent media statements about his motivations and his media appearances in light of this report suggest Flake's true motivations are far less pure than he would have us believe. Flake's focus on optics, on his raw ambition (for 2020?), and on the kind of "swamp creature" political maneuvering surrounding this planned reversal paints for the American people a hideous and disturbing portrait of the Arizona senator.

[Edit: FS] We will be updating this thread throughout the day. Mark Judge has denied the allegations made by Julie Swetnick, the latest client of porn lawyer Michael Avenatti.  Swetnick alleges that Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge were present at parties in the 1980's when girls were drugged and raped by multiple high school boys.

After a wild and crazy Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh today. Chairman Chuck Grassley said debating will begin at 9:30AM ET. Procedural vote in the Senate will occur on Saturday with the final confirmation vote by Tuesday. Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona sex crimes prosecutor who questioned Christine Blasey Ford, said she would not have prosecuted Kavanaugh or had the ability to obtain a search warrant.

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.

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.