Trump wavers on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh

[webfact]

Trump wavers on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh

By Lawrence Hurley and Jeff Mason

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh listens during his U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he could withdraw his support for Brett Kavanaugh depending on the testimony in a high-profile Thursday hearing into multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against the Supreme Court nominee.

 

Trump defended Kavanaugh, now a federal appeals court judge, at a New York news conference, but the president's comments injected another note of uncertainty into Kavanaugh's already troubled bid for a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court.

 

"You know, believe it or not, I'm going to see what's said" at the hearing, Trump told reporters.

 

A third woman has accused Kavanaugh of aggressive sexual behaviour in the 1980s. The nominee has vehemently denied all of the allegations ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing coming up on Thursday where one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, will also testify to senators.

 

Trump dismissed the allegations against Kavanaugh as a "big fat con job" orchestrated by Democrats. He did not say that Kavanaugh's female accusers were lying.

 

"I can always be convinced," Trump said. "It will be interesting to hear what she has to say."

 

Trump himself has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. He said this has shaped his view of the allegations against Kavanaugh.

"I've had a lot of false charges made against me," he said. "When I see it, I view it differently than someone sitting home watching television where they say, 'Oh, Judge Kavanaugh this and that.'"

 

Blasey Ford will tell the committee a "visibly drunk" Kavanaugh and a friend locked her in a bedroom at a party in a Washington suburb in 1982, when she was 15 and he was 17, according to testimony released ahead of the hearing.

 

Blasey Ford says Kavanaugh climbed on top of her, tried to take off her clothes, and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream for help.

 

"It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought Brett was accidentally going to kill me," her testimony says.

 

Kavanaugh will deny all of the allegations but will tell the committee that he was "not perfect" in high school.

 

"I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now," he said in testimony released on Wednesday.

 

SWETNICK INTERVIEW SOUGHT

Republican Judiciary committee staffers on Wednesday were trying to interview another woman, Julie Swetnick.

 

Earlier in the day, she said she attended more than 10 house parties in the Washington area from 1981 to 1983 where Kavanaugh was present. She described gang rapes she said occurred in which boys would line up to rape incapacitated girls.

 

"In approximately 1982, I became the victim of one of these 'gang' or 'train' rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present," she said, mentioning the name of a close friend of Kavanaugh. She did not identify her attackers and did not accuse Kavanaugh of taking part.

 

"During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me. I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes (a sedative) or something similar placed in what I was drinking," she said.

 

She also said she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others "to cause girls to become inebriated and disoriented so they could then be 'gang raped' in a side room or a bedroom by a 'train' of numerous boys," adding she remembers boys including Kavanaugh getting in lines to take part in these rapes.

 

She did not identify the individuals directly involved in those assaults.

 

"TWILIGHT ZONE"

Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House, "This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don't know who this is and this never happened."

 

Reuters was not immediately able to verify her accusations.

 

Swetnick is represented by lawyer Michael Avenatti, who also represents adult film star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against Trump to void a nondisclosure agreement under which the president's former personal lawyer paid her $130,000 (98,784.2 pounds) not to discuss her alleged relationship with Trump years ago.

 

Swetnick and Avenatti did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

An attorney for Judge said he denied Swetnick's allegation.

 

On Twitter, Trump called Avenatti "a total low-life" and "a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations."

 

Avenatti responded on Twitter, calling Trump "a habitual liar and complete narcissist."

 

"TOTALLY FALSE"

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Kavanaugh was asked whether he ever participated in or was aware of any gang rape at a party he attended. "That's totally false and outrageous. I've never done any such thing," he responded.

 

Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself during a drunken dormitory party during the 1983-84 academic year when both attended Yale University. Kavanaugh has denied that allegation as well.

 

Republican staffers on the committee are also investigating an anonymous complaint that Kavanaugh shoved a woman in a sexual manner at a bar in 1998, according to a transcript released by the committee late on Wednesday.

 

Kavanaugh denied that account, as well.

 

Supreme Court appointments must be confirmed by the Senate. Trump's fellow Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 51-49 margin. So, Republican defections could sink the nomination.

 

The fight over the Supreme Court has been unfolding just weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which Democrats will seek to take majority control of the Senate and the House of Representatives from the Republicans.

 

Trump chose Kavanaugh, a conservative appeals court judge, for the court in July, after the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would cement conservative control of the court, as Trump moves to shift the high court and the broader federal judiciary to the right.

 

A committee vote on the nomination was expected on Friday, with a final Senate vote on Tuesday.

 

"STRIPPING PEOPLE OF THEIR HUMANITY"

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, the Judiciary Committee's chairman, said the hearing will go forward as planned and that the panel's staff is looking into Swetnick's allegations.

 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and all the Judiciary Committee's Democrats called on Kavanaugh to withdraw in light of the allegations, and said if he does not, an FBI investigation is needed before any Senate confirmation vote.

 

The pitched battle over Kavanaugh added to perceptions of Washington as paralysed by partisan rancour.

 

Senator Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican, issued a plea for civility. "We sometimes seem intent on stripping people of their humanity so that we might more easily disregard or defame them and put them through the grinder that our politics requires.

 

"We seem, sometimes, to even enjoy that," Flake said.

 

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Jeff Mason, David Morgan, Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-27

[wayned]

What could have happened when Kavanaugh was accused by Ford is that he went to Trump and "confessed" about his high school and college life and told him that if he authorized opening an FBI investigation he was going to withdraw his nomination. I think that he realized that if the investigation was reopened the FBI would dig deeper into his high school and college shenanigan's than in the initial background check.  Trump got on board and have dismissed that and the additional allegations saying that it didn't happen.  He also might be in jeopardy of purgery charges in his testimony the Congress and past appearances .

 

Yes, he has had 6 background checks, but it would only been the first one that went back to his high school days, if they went back that far.  Follow on checks would only cover the time since the last check and would not go back to square one.  I had my first background check done when I was a sophomore in college.  The  only checked my high school days by calling the principals office of the school that I attended and ask them a few questions.  I imagine the same thing was done on the Kavanaugh check and remember,  "what happens at Georgetown Prep stay at Georgetown Prep".

 

Trump has now dug the hole and Kavannaugh has jumped in with him and the only way out is to withdraw the nomination as more accusations come in.

[Thailand]

Going to need bigger buses and earthmover sized tyres to cater for the numbers getting thrown under a bus by Trump.

[Silurian]

Uh oh!!!

 

Donald gave Kavanaugh the kiss of death with saying he could be persuaded about the accusations. It gives Donald an out and lets him wash his hands of the whole thing.

 

The Kavanaugh ship is sinking rapidly.

[lannarebirth]

16 minutes ago, Silurian said:

Uh oh!!!

 

Donald gave Kavanaugh the kiss of death with saying he could be persuaded about the accusations. It gives Donald an out and lets him wash his hands of the whole thing.

 

The Kavanaugh ship is sinking rapidly.

 

Looks like, but you understand another right wing guy is waiting in the wings to replace him, right?

[Silurian]

12 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

Looks like, but you understand another right wing guy is waiting in the wings to replace him, right?

 

Or right wing woman with Amy Coney Barrett topping the list.

 

Since there are a number of plug and go replacements waiting in the wings, why not just pull the plug on Kavanaugh and go with someone else? I would think this would be the best option at this point. There is still plenty of time left if the Republicans want to do this.

 

If Republicans sour on Kavanaugh, here are 4 alternatives waiting in the wings

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by Silurian

[lannarebirth]

1 minute ago, Silurian said:

 

Or right wing woman with Amy Coney Barrett topping the list.

 

Since there are a number of plug and go replacements waiting in the wings, why not just pull the plug on Kavanaugh and go with someone else? I would think this would be the best option at this point. There is still plenty of time left if the Republicans want to do this.

 

 

One thing we've learned is that you and me and others may talk about this now, afterwards and for the next twenty years, but that won't change the fact that that person is still on the Supreme Court. See Clarance Thomas for an example. This guy only gets the heave ho if the votes aren't there.

[underlordcthulhu]

I love 4D chess!

[wayned]

It still could go either way and will depend on the credibility of the testimony tomorrow.  I would love to see it fail in the open vote with Flake being the deciding Senator giving McConnel the "McCain" salute.

 

If any more credible accusers come forward between now and the final vote he's toast and his nomination will most likely be pulled either by him or Trump.

[wayned]

I suspect that the Republican prosecutor will ask many questions  that Ford will have to answer "I don't know" or "I don't remember" in an attempt to discredit her testimony!

[Boon Mee]

All of the so-called witnesses have recanted their testimony so Trump's support of Judge K. is still strong. 

[Becker]

5 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

All of the so-called witnesses have recanted their testimony so Trump's support of Judge K. is still strong. 

And as usual I'm sure you can back up your statements with facts....

[wayned]

32 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

All of the so-called witnesses have recanted their testimony so Trump's support of Judge K. is still strong. 

But not to someone who can put them in jail for 5 years. Mark Judge should be first in line to spin his line to an FBI agent with his girlfriend standing right behind him as an anxious second!

[kamahele]

2 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

All of the so-called witnesses have recanted their testimony so Trump's support of Judge K. is still strong. 

Actually not but some of those who backed the judge have recanted.

[SheungWan]

Right now, the best news for Trump will be if Kavanaugh withdraws. Unless. Unless the witness completely folds. Other than that Kavanaugh's appointment will be toxic for Republicans. That is why Trump is backing off. The advisors are getting through to him on this one.

[Dogmatix]

I think it is wrong to take Trump's obviously insincere comment at face value.  He only said he might be persuaded after slagging off the women who are coming forwards as false accusers doing it to enrich themselves. He also falsely said that "the women" are being given their chance to testify before the Judiciary Committee, when, in fact, only Ford is getting this chance. If you listen to his whole speech, you will see that he has already made up his mind and will not be swayed by anything Ford might say. 

[Dogmatix]

I have heard of these type of gang rapes where males queue up to rape an incapacitated girl taking place at parties in the UK. The raped girls never reported it to the police out of shame.  They just tried to get on with their lives as best they could, pretending that nothing had happened.  No doubt the same thing also happens in the US.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Dogmatix

[SuperTed]

Major outlets not running with this story as Reuters is twisting Trump’s words. Trump will say, no matter what, that he supports Kav. Unless Senate refuses to confirm, in which case Trump will pull, support ahead of the Senate. White House Staff are hitting the phones hard this week with the Senators,


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[guest879]

8 hours ago, Silurian said:

 

Or right wing woman with Amy Coney Barrett topping the list.

 

Since there are a number of plug and go replacements waiting in the wings, why not just pull the plug on Kavanaugh and go with someone else? I would think this would be the best option at this point. There is still plenty of time left if the Republicans want to do this.

 

If Republicans sour on Kavanaugh, here are 4 alternatives waiting in the wings

 

good call on appointing a woman, like to see the democrats making up some bulls#it stories of #METOO against a woman. need to get this sorted before the mid terms.

[iroc4life]

All of you arm chair keyboard jurist sure do know a lot about something that supposedly happened 36 years ago, and without ay evidence, all witnesses deny ever happened, dont know time, date, place it happened etc. I truely hope noone make accusations against you from years ago to the media. Public opinion means nothing, accusations alone condemn no one except people like you who believe anything they hear without proof evidence etc. 

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, iroc4life said:

All of you arm chair keyboard jurist sure do know a lot about something that supposedly happened 36 years ago, and without ay evidence, all witnesses deny ever happened, dont know time, date, place it happened etc. I truely hope noone make accusations against you from years ago to the media. Public opinion means nothing, accusations alone condemn no one except people like you who believe anything they hear without proof evidence etc. 

Your reading comprehension of posts here and of news outlets is severely lacking.

[iroc4life]

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Your reading comprehension of posts here and of news outlets is severely lacking.

News? You mean the ones non-stop hanging the man being accused? Guilty until proven innocent? Yeah I think i will pass on the news and wait on the facts

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, iroc4life said:

News? You mean the ones non-stop hanging the man being accused? Guilty until proven innocent? Yeah I think i will pass on the news and wait on the facts

I mean the ones where you get information on the topic at hand, thereby preventing you from making more uninformed and incorrect statements here.

 

But if you don't like the truth, by all means only trust what you have in your head.

Edited September 27, 2018 by stevenl

[Tug]

All of this could have been avoided with a simple FBI check that would quiet the dems and the women this more than anything make me think there might be something to the allegations and rember Donald needs this guy to protect him

[JCauto]

2 hours ago, iroc4life said:

All of you arm chair keyboard jurist sure do know a lot about something that supposedly happened 36 years ago, and without ay evidence, all witnesses deny ever happened, dont know time, date, place it happened etc. I truely hope noone make accusations against you from years ago to the media. Public opinion means nothing, accusations alone condemn no one except people like you who believe anything they hear without proof evidence etc. 

 

Let's first dispense with the lies of this post. There is evidence, and eyewitness reports. No, "all witnesses deny ever happened" is not true. Several have provided corroborating evidence, and the 65 Trump supporters are starting to crumble.  Public opinion means everything in this case, had there been no public outcry, they'd have simply swept this under the rug.

 

I have no fear of people making accusations about me from years ago to the media (notwithstanding the fact that it is highly unlikely that the media would be interested in me). The reason is that I never did anything like what was alleged by this women, the other women who have come out with stories or any other thing that we did back in the day. This was a bunch of privileged frat boys in an all-male school who were engaging in male bonding rituals that were degrading to and physically inappropriate with any girls they came across. Based on the stories of the others who knew him in University, this laddish and inappropriate behaviour continued. 

Now is he on trial for sexual assault here? No, most assuredly he is not. But is this the sort of person who should be on the highest court in the land? And particularly the case when it becomes apparent that he has perjured himself? No, he is not. Some of the colleagues on the Right on this board have identified that there are four alternative possible judges they've had lined up in case this one doesn't get through, one of which is even female. Why not just withdraw gracefully and put one of those up? If this continues, it's not going to look good or go well for Kavanaugh.