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Kavanaugh’s Accuser Has Not Confirmed She’ll Attend

September 18, 2018 at 10:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) said that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has agreed to participate in Monday’s committee hearing but that his staff has not heard from Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused the judge of sexual assault while they were in high school, the Washington Post reports.

Said Grassley: “It kind of raises the question do they want to come to the public hearing or not. We still haven’t heard from Dr. Ford, so do they want to have the hearing or not?”

Grassley suggested the hearing could be called off if Ford declines to appear.

Not Much Has Changed on the Senate Judiciary Committee

September 18, 2018 at 9:49 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Anita Hill: “Today, the public expects better from our government than we got in 1991, when our representatives performed in ways that gave employers permission to mishandle workplace harassment complaints throughout the following decades. That the Senate Judiciary Committee still lacks a protocol for vetting sexual harassment and assault claims that surface during a confirmation hearing suggests that the committee has learned little from the Thomas hearing, much less the more recent #MeToo movement.”

High Stakes In New Kavanaugh Hearing

September 18, 2018 at 9:28 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “The danger for Republicans is that, in what’s already billed as another ‘Year of the Woman’ (with fired-up female voters and a record number of female candidates), there is not a single Republican woman who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, compared with four female Democrats. Another danger for the GOP was Kavanaugh’s shaky original performance before the committee (compare and contrast his testimony versus Neil Gorsuch’s a year ago). And then there’s President Trump, who could pour gasoline on this fire at any time (though he was remarkably restrained yesterday).”

“The peril for Democrats is that brass-knuckled fights over the culture wars have traditionally benefited the Republican Party, and that few issues fire up conservatives more than the courts. What’s more, a Kavanaugh vs. Christine Blasey Ford spectacle presents a level of unpredictability in an election season where Democrats currently have the advantage.”

“Given this danger for both parties, we wouldn’t be surprised if this hearing never happens — because Kavanaugh ultimately withdraws his nomination. He survived yesterday. But does he survive today? Or tomorrow? Or Thursday? Or Friday?”

Kavanaugh’s Accuser Told Friend About Assault Last Year

September 18, 2018 at 8:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rebecca White told the San Jose Mercury News that Christine Blasey Ford had told her about the alleged sexual assault by Brett Kavanaugh — without naming him — in late 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement and long before Kavanaugh was a Supreme Court nominee.

Last year, White had added her own #MeToo story about being raped as a teenager to a Facebook post.

Said White: “She reached out to me afterward, supporting me and my story and that she had something happen to her when she was really young and that the guy was a federal judge. She said she had been assaulted. She said hers had been violent as well, physically scary, fighting for her life.”

Democrats Press Their Advantage on Health Care

September 18, 2018 at 8:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sam Baker: “Democrats are serious about making health care the centerpiece of their midterm election strategy. Every day brings new ads, press statements and other election-season positioning — from moderates and progressives alike — that slams Republicans over threats to the Affordable Care Act.”

“Democrats’ health care strategy is well-established, so every new example of it isn’t newsworthy. But it’s still worth stepping back to appreciate just how quickly Democrats have gone back on offense on health care, after so many years of seeing mainly Republican ads about the issue.”

Flake Seen as Key Vote on Kavanaugh Nomination

September 18, 2018 at 8:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Swan: “Folks involved in the process seem to be most worried about Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) — even more so than Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), whom they’re quite worried about.”

Florida Governor Booed Out of Restaurant Over ‘Red Tide’

September 18, 2018 at 8:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With the noxious odor of red tide hanging in the air and a fresh wave of dead fish washing up on nearby Gulf beaches, a large crowd of people incensed about the devastating algae bloom that has plagued the region for months directed their anger at Gov. Rick Scott (R) during a campaign event,” the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports.

The protesters forced Scott “to enter the restaurant through the back door and leave the same way after just 10 minutes as members of the crowd shouted ‘coward.'”

“The Republican governor is on the defensive about his environmental record as he tries to unseat Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). Protesters gathered Monday took aim at Scott for cutting funding for environmental agencies early in his first term, arguing Scott’s cost-cutting and deregulation have kept the state from implementing measures that could have helped minimize naturally occurring red tide blooms.”

Harris Says She Believes Allegations Against Kavanaugh

September 18, 2018 at 7:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) told CBS News that she believes the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when the two were high school students in the 1980’s, noting that Christine Blasey Ford, the woman behind the allegations, has “nothing to gain” by stepping forward.

Said Harris: “I think it’s going to be about, it comes down to credibility…and it’s going to about listening to what each party has to say, but I believe her.”

Trump’s Base Makes Up Just a Quarter of Voters

September 18, 2018 at 7:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Even if those voters do show up in large numbers, Republicans could still come up short. The polling presented to White House officials, which was commissioned by the Republican National Committee, showed that Trump’s loyal supporters make up about one-quarter of the electorate. Another quarter is comprised of Republicans who like Trump’s policies but not the president himself and do not appear motivated to back GOP candidates. And roughly half of expected midterm voters are Democrats who are energized by their opposition to the president.”

“White House aides say Trump is getting regular briefings on the political landscape and is aware of the increasingly grim polling, even though he’s predicted a ‘red wave’ for Republicans on Twitter and at campaign rallies. Aides say Trump’s sober briefings from GOP officials are sometimes offset by the frequent conversations he has with a cadre of outside advisers who paint a sunnier picture of the electoral landscape and remind the president of his upset victory in 2016.”

Trump-Proof Aspects of Manafort Deal Rankle Lawyers

September 18, 2018 at 7:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Special counsel Robert Mueller’ plea agreement with Paul Manafort “took unusual and possibly unprecedented steps to undercut President Trump’s ability to pardon his former campaign chairman,” Politico reports.

“The plea deal Mueller struck with the former Trump campaign chairman contains several provisions that appear intended to discourage the former Trump aide both from seeking a pardon and to rein in the impact of any pardon Trump might grant.”

“Legal experts with sweeping views of executive power and attorneys who advocate for broad use of clemency criticized what they call an effort by Mueller’s team to tie the president’s hands.”

Iowa Already Seeing 2020 Political Ads

September 18, 2018 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

According to a Des Moines Register analysis of data from Kantar Media, “more than 10,500 television ads related to the 2020 presidential elections have already aired on broadcast and cable channels across the United States this year. More than half of those ads have been on Iowa television channels.”

McConnell Works Feverishly to Save Kavanaugh

September 18, 2018 at 6:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Mitch McConnell, preeminent cut-throat political tactician, is going with a softer touch to salvage Brett Kavanaugh’s suddenly endangered Supreme Court confirmation,” Politico reports.

“With Kavanaugh’s seemingly slam-dunk elevation to the Supreme Court facing resistance from a handful of key GOP senators, McConnell convened a marathon meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans and his leadership team on Monday.”

“Holed up for nearly two hours in McConnell’s Senate office, they devised a process to satisfy Kavanaugh’s defenders and appease Republicans uncomfortable with forging ahead until the nominee’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, gets a full public hearing.”

Trump’s Lawyers Operating In the Dark

September 18, 2018 at 6:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Trump’s lawyers have only a limited sense of what many witnesses — including senior administration officials and the president’s business associates — have told investigators and what the Justice Department plans to do with any incriminating information it has about Mr. Trump, according to interviews with more than a dozen people close to the president.”

“What is more, it is not clear if Mr. Trump has given his lawyers a full account of some key events in which he has been involved as president or during his decades running the Trump Organization.”

Red State Dems Have Excuse to Oppose Kavanaugh

September 18, 2018 at 6:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The sexual-misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh may remove pressure that some Democratic senators faced to back his confirmation as a way of reassuring conservative voters in congressional elections just seven weeks away,” Reuters reports.

“Since Kavanaugh was nominated to the high court by President Donald Trump, Democratic senators from states that Trump won in 2016 were locked in a dilemma. If they didn’t vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, they would have appeared to be out of step with voters at home and risked losing re-election.”

GOP Voters Don’t Believe Democrats Can Win House

September 18, 2018 at 6:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Public Opinion Strategies (R) poll finds most voters believe Democrats will win back the House—just not Republican voters.

“Fully half of self-identified Republicans don’t believe Democrats are likely to win back the House. And within that group, 57% of people who describe themselves as strong Trump supporters don’t believe Democrats have a chance (37% believe they do).”

Republicans Fear Kavanaugh Backlash In November

September 17, 2018 at 11:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans are bracing for political aftershocks from the sexual assault accusation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, with some expressing fear that the coming investigation will refocus the nation’s attention on an issue that could drive up the Democratic vote in the midterm elections,” the Washington Post reports.

“The initial hope that the conservative Kavanaugh’s appointment would encourage turnout by grateful GOP voters this fall has been tempered by new fears that more voters, especially independent women, might head to the polls with fresh anger about Republican handling of sexual impropriety after a new round of public hearings.”

Giuliani Confident Manafort Won’t Incriminate Trump

September 17, 2018 at 10:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s lead lawyer said Monday that attorneys for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort have reiterated that the president has nothing to fear from Manafort’s cooperation with federal investigators,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump attorney Rudy. Giuliani said that Manafort’s legal team assured him as recently as Saturday — the day after Manafort struck a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller — that he has no information that will incriminate the president or his family, including eldest son Donald Trump Jr.”

Trump Lets Kavanaugh Defend Himself

September 17, 2018 at 10:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump’s routine reaction to allegations of sexual assault is to deny, retaliate and repeat. He has dismissed accusations against himself as ‘phony’ and ‘false,’ and when presented with claims against other men, the #MeToo-era president tends to side instinctually with the accused,” the Washington Post reports.

“But in the case of federal judge Brett Kavanaugh — whose Supreme Court nomination is suddenly endangered after a woman accused him of sexual assault when they were in high school — Trump on Monday was uncharacteristically muted.”

“White House aides said they persuaded the president to refrain from tweeting a defense of Kavanaugh in the accusation’s immediate aftermath and deliberately worked to keep him from meeting personally with the nominee, even though the two men spent most of the day in proximity.”