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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...e-in-the-near-future-dismisses-smear-campaign

McConnell Promises Kavanaugh Vote ‘In The Near Future,’ Dismisses ‘Smear Campaign’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made clear Monday that, regardless of the new allegations of sexual impropriety against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Sunday night, the Senate would proceed with a vote on his nomination “in the near future.”

In a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell echoed Kavanaugh’s own line, repeatedly calling the allegations a “smear campaign.”

“Even by the far left’s standards, this shameful, shameful smear campaign has hit a new low,” McConnell said, adding: “Senate Democrats and their allies are trying to destroy a man’s personal and professional life on the basis of decades-old allegations that are unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.”

“I want to make it perfectly clear, Mr. President,” McConnell concluded. “Judge Kavanaugh will be voted on here on the Senate floor. Up or down. On the Senate floor, this fine nominee to the Supreme Court will receive a vote in this Senate in the near future.”
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/se...kavanaugh-allegations-and-aims-for-final-vote

Senate GOP Waves Off Latest Kavanaugh Allegations And Aims For Final Vote

The revelation of a second woman’s sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh has not changed Senate Republicans’ plans to vote on his nomination to the Supreme Court after a scheduled committee hearing this Thursday for his first accuser.

Senators returned Monday to Washington after a tumultuous six days away from Capitol, during which Kavanaugh’s initial accuser negotiated for a delay in his confirmation hearing to give her a chance to tell her story, a leading light of the conservative legal movement mistakenly accused a Kavanaugh classmate of being the true assailant, and the second accuser came forward.

Yet, the move to delay the hearing until Thursday aside, none of the developments seemed to put at risk a vote on Kavanaugh by the full Senate.

In a floor speech McConnell bashed what he called a “shameful, shameful smear campaign,” while a promising that in the “near future” Kavanaugh “will be voted on here on the Senate floor, up or down.”

Senate Republicans were largely dismissive of the account published by the New Yorker Sunday evening of Deborah Ramirez, who alleged that while in college Kavanaugh exposed his genitals to her.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called the accusation “phony” and was asked by reporters why he thought it was phony.

“Because I know it is, that’s why,” Hatch said.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the No. 2 in Senate leadership, also brushed off the allegation.

“It sounds to me like she’s admitted she doesn’t — she may have made a misidentification … without it appears any corroboration,” Cornyn said.

The plan continues to be a Thursday Judiciary Committee hearing with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to go on the record about allegations against Kavanaugh, accusing him of drunkenly assaulting her when they were both in high school.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a closely watched vote on the nomination, indicated to reporters she wouldn’t not be making her mind up until after the hearing.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was similarly coy.



“You never know where our members are going to ultimately come down, and I expect probably it has a little bit to do, for a few maybe, with how Thursday goes, but I think that a lot of our members are really upset with the tactics Democrats have used,” Sen. John Thune (R-SD), a member of GOP leadership, told reporters.
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...interview-ive-never-sexually-assaulted-anyone

Kavanaugh Defiant In Fox News Interview: ‘I’ve Never Sexually Assaulted Anyone’


In a defiant interview Monday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said he would not withdraw his nomination in the face of on-record allegations from two women who say he engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior with them.

“I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone,” Kavanaugh, sitting beside his wife Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum Monday. “Not in high school, not ever. I’ve always treated women with dignity and respect.”

He repeated the line multiple times at various points: “I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone, in high school or otherwise.”

Christine Blasey Ford alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party as his friend Mark Judge egged him on. Deborah Ramirez, in a Sunday New Yorker report, alleged that, at a college party, Kavanaugh exposed himself to her, “thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away,” in the magazine’s words.

“At the end of the day, we know our faith is strong and we know that we are on the right path,” Ashley Estes Kavanaugh said at the top of the interview. “We’re going to stick to it.”

Speaking directly about the second allegation, that he exposed himself and approached Deborah Ramirez until she pushed him away at a college party, Kavanaugh said: “If such a thing had happened, it would have been the talk of campus.”

“Yes there were parties, and the drinking age was 18,” he acknowledged later. “And yes the seniors were legal and had beer. And yes, people might have had too many beers on occasion. And people generally, in high school, I think all of us have probably done things we look back on in high school and regret or cringe a bit. But that’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about an allegation of sexual assault. I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone.”

“I did not have sexual intercourse, or anything close to sexual intercourse, in high school or for many years thereafter.”

MacCallum eventually touched specifically on Kavanaugh’s drinking: “Was there ever a time that you drank so much that you couldn’t remember what happened the night before?”

“No, that never happened,” Kavanaugh said.

“You never said to anyone: ‘I don’t remember anything about last night?'” MacCallum asked.

“No, that did not happen,” Kavanaugh responded.

The judge repeatedly called for a “fair” process that would allow him to defend himself. He dodged a question on whether he thought the FBI should investigate the allegations — as Democrats have requested the White House direct the bureau to do — and another one about whether he felt “unprotected by the process.”

“Fair process means hearing from both sides, and I want to have an opportunity to defend my integrity, clear my name and have a fair process,” he responded. “A fair process, at a bare minimum, requires hearing from both sides before rushing to judgment.”
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Gonna be interesting if they do try to push the vote through how these "middle of the road" ass Republicans will vote..

Yeah it's easy to vote for janky shit when you aint up for re-election... but with the midterms coming up... I would think this would give some of them pause.

Some might see the writing on the wall and try to save their own ass.... some might see the writing on the wall and vote for this dude as a final "fuck you" before they are voted out.
 
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...rom-statement-disputing-new-yorker-allegation

Two Kavanaugh Allies Withdraw From Statement Disputing New Yorker Allegation

Two people who signed onto a statement sowing doubt about the New Yorker’s recent report of a second allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh withdrew their names from that statement on Monday, emphasizing that they were “not present” when the alleged incident occurred and therefore “cannot dispute” allegations from Deborah Ramirez.

Ramirez, in the New Yorker’s words, alleges that Kavanaugh “exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.”

Louisa Garry and Dino Ewing, the former of whom starred in a recent Judicial Crisis Network ad supporting Kavanaugh (pictured above), initially signed onto a statement printed in the New Yorker report asserting that, as “the people closest to Brett Kavanaugh during his first year at Yale […] we would have seen or heard about [the alleged assault]—and we did not.” Ramirez, the statement added, “never described this incident” until this year.

The New Yorker said in an update Monday that the statement had been “provided by [Kavanaugh’s] attorneys.”

The New Yorker subsequently removed Garry and Ewing’s names from the statement, adding:

(Two students who initially signed the statement, Louisa Garry and Dino Ewing, approached The New Yorker after the publication of this article and asked that their names be removed from it. “I never saw or heard anything like this,” Garry said. “But I cannot dispute Ramirez’s allegations, as I was not present.” Ewing also said he had no direct knowledge of the allegation and considered it out of character for Kavanaugh, but emphasized, “I also was not present and therefore am not in a position to directly dispute Ramirez’s account.”)

And a note at the end of the piece now reads:

This story was updated with comments from two former classmates of Kavanaugh, Louisa Garry and Dino Ewing, who initially signed a statement of support for Kavanaugh provided by his attorneys. They approached The New Yorker after this story was published and asked that their names be removed from the statement, saying that they did not wish to dispute Ramirez’s claims.
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/justice-department-drafted-rosenstein-exit-letter

Report: Justice Department Drafted Rosenstein Exit Letter


Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores drafted an exit statement for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to a Monday Axios report.

It reportedly does not include the word “resign,” but the statement attributed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions reads: “Rod Rosenstein has served the Department of Justice with dedication and skill for 28 years. His contributions are many and significant. We all appreciate his service and wish him well.”

It also reportedly says that Sessions’ chief of staff Matt Whitaker would take over as deputy and that Solicitor General Noel Francisco would serve as the Acting Attorney General overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Per Axios, the letter was drafted on Monday while conflicting reports flooded in when Rosenstein was summoned to the White House amid rumors that he was going to be fired. However, he still retains his job for now and is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday.

Ever since a New York Times report surfaced in which Rosenstein reportedly suggested wearing a wire to tape Trump and invoke the 25th Amendment, speculation has been rampant about if Trump would use the report as an excuse to fire Rosenstein and put someone more amenable to his agenda — and willing to fire Mueller — in his place. Rosenstein called the report “inaccurate” and “factually incorrect.”
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/mcconnell-ramps-up-blasey-ford-skepticism

McConnell Ramps Up Skepticism Of Kavanaugh Accuser’s Account

Two days before Christine Blasey Ford is set to appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss her allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh groped her when they were in high school, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) used his floor speech Tuesday to try to dismantle her account.

McConnell said that the committee was meeting Americans’ expectations in treating Ford’s allegations “seriously” and addressing them “promptly.”

“But the American people also insist that vague, unsubstantiated, and uncorroborated allegations of 30-plus-year-old misconduct, where all the supposed witnesses either totally deny it or can’t confirm it, is nowhere near grounds to nullify someone’s career or destroy their good name,” McConnell said. “Justice matters. Evidence matters. Facts matter.”

He then brought up a potential witness identified by Blasey Ford who had gone on to a offer a statement denying knowledge of the party where the incident allegedly occurred. McConnell went on to reiterate his promise that Kavanaugh would receive an up or down vote on the floor.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), in his floor speech Tuesday, brought up McConnell’s previous claim that the allegations — which also include a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her in college — were “smears.”

“Leader McConnell owes an apology to Dr. Ford for labeling her allegations a smear job, and he should apologize to her immediately,” Schumer said.
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/mcconnell-dead-set-floor-vote-kavanaugh

McConnell Warns GOPers To Make Up Their Minds, Wants Kavanaugh Vote Next Week


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made it obvious with his fiery rhetoric from the Senate floor on Monday that he views the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh to be nothing more than a “smear” campaign against the stalwart conservative. But, according to Politico, he also is reportedly warning his colleagues in private that they need to make a decision on the Supreme Court nominee.


According to Republican senators who spoke to Politico, McConnell is planning to hold a floor vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation as early as next week, regardless of what the Senate Judiciary Committee decides to do, a bold move given several key Republicans have indicated their votes rest on the outcome of the hearing on Thursday.

Kavanaugh, as well as Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, are set to share their testimony on Thursday.

McConnell is reportedly eager to force Senators to publicly decide where they stand on Kavanaugh, but he also has midterm motivations: he wants to put pressure on the red state Democrats his party hopes to defeat in November.
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https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livew...avanaugh-as-belligerent-aggressive-when-drunk

Kavanaugh’s Roommate Recalls Him As ‘Belligerent,’ ‘Aggressive’ When Drunk

Kate Riga

James Roche, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s freshman roommate at Yale, remembers Kavanaugh as a “notably heavy drinker,” even for college, who got “belligerent” and “aggressive” when drunk.

He also remembers Deborah Ramirez, another Yale classmate who accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a college party, as an “honest” and “trusting” person who could have been targeted by groups like Kavanaugh’s due to her insecurities about her relatively “less privileged background.”

That being said, Roche said that he did not witness the specific alleged episode Ramirez remembers.

Read Roche’s statement below:

Dn5l45EUcAAwMXD-600x553@2x.jpg
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