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Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) urged the FBI to investigate all “credible” allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, adding that he felt dismay that the Senate Judiciary Committee hadn’t been “doing due diligence” going into its Thursday hearing addressing the allegations, Politico reports.
Said Flake: “It does no good to have an investigation that gives us more cover.”
An attorney hired by Minnesota Democrats finds an ex-girlfriend’s allegation that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) once physically abused her could not be substantiated because she refused to provide video she said she had of the incident, the AP reports.
“Karen Monahan alleged in August that Ellison dragged her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities at her in 2016. Monahan said she had video footage of the incident and levied the allegation just days ahead of a crowded Democratic primary for Minnesota attorney general that Ellison went on to win.”
“The White House has authorized the FBI to expand its abbreviated investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh by interviewing anyone it deems necessary as long the review is finished by the end of the week,” the New York Times reports.
“The new directive came in the past 24 hours after a backlash from Democrats, who criticized the White House for limiting the scope of the bureau’s investigation into President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. The FBI has already completed interviews with the four witnesses its agents were originally asked to talk to.”
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“That’s OK. I know you’re not thinking. You never do.”
— President Trump, calling on a female reporter at a press conference at the White House.
President Trump claimed that he had “somewhat compromising” information on an unidentified Democratic senator as he eviscerated the party for its handling of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “I’ve seen that person in very, very bad situations. Somewhat compromising. And you know, I think it’s very unfair to bring up things like this.”
Asked later who the senator is, Trump declined to name the lawmaker and said he would “save it for a book like everyone else.”
“President Trump hailed a revised North American Free Trade Agreement as a victory for the United States, Canada and Mexico on Monday, saying his get-tough approach to trade, including his use of tariffs, was bringing results,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Trump portrayed the new agreement as the fulfillment of a campaign promise to terminate NAFTA, saying he had made good on his plan to rip up ‘the worst trade deal ever made’ and help American businesses and workers.”
Playbook: “This is exceedingly unlikely to be ratified this Congress. That’s what every senior Republican and Democratic aide on Capitol Hill says. It’s going to require a massive whip effort, and the House is out until after the election. If Republicans lose the House, there will be an effort to jam this through in the lame-duck. That will be really tough.”
A new Pew Research poll finds President Trump’s overall job rating stands at 38% and remains deeply divided by gender, race and educational attainment. While men are divided in views of Trump’s job performance (46% approve, 47% disapprove), more than twice as many women disapprove (63%) than approve (30%).
“As has been the case since he became president, Trump’s job approval ratings are divided along partisan lines; Trump’s job ratings are more polarized than any president dating to Dwight Eisenhower.”
“Similarly, there are large partisan divides in evaluations of Trump’s personal traits and characteristics, though the gaps are not as wide in views of Trump’s temperament and whether he stands up for his beliefs.”
A new Quinnipiac poll finds 48% of American voters think the U.S. Senate should reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, while 42% say Kavanaugh should be confirmed.
Key takeaway: Women oppose confirmation 55% to 37%, while men support it 49% to 40%.
“I can honestly say I never had a beer in my entire life. It’s one of my only good traits. Can you imagine if I had, what a mess I’d be?”
— President Trump, quoted by The Hill.
A new Stockton University poll finds Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) barely ahead of challenger Bob Hugin (R), 45% to 43% among likely voters, with Libertarian Murray Sabrin at 3%.
“Menendez, who was reprimanded by a Senate ethics panel after corruption charges were dismissed following a mistrial, is viewed unfavorably by 54%, with 30% having favorable views and 6% unsure.”
A new Siena poll in New York finds Andrew Cuomo (D) leading Marc Molinaro (R), 50% to 28% among likely voters.
Cynthia Nixon, the actress who lost to Cuomo in the Democratic primary election, remains on the November ballot on the Working Families Party line and gets 10%.
Washington Post: “If Rosenstein leaves, whoever replaces him could theoretically limit the scope of what Mueller can explore or who he can indict while also scaling back the amount of resources available.”
“And the public wouldn’t necessarily find out because such moves are not required to be immediately disclosed, according to several experts familiar with the special counsel law from both parties. Sources on the inside might leak that Mueller’s investigation was being undermined, but Trump and White House press people could vehemently deny these reports. The result might be the kind of confusion about what’s really going on that we’re left with this morning vis-a-vis Kavanaugh.”
Bloomberg: “The battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination is driving a wedge deeper into an already wide political chasm between men and women, leading to what could be an unprecedented gender gap in the 2018 midterm election vote.”
“With little more than a month before balloting to decide control of Congress, last week’s emotional Senate hearing and now an FBI probe of sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump’s nominee add to a combustible mix of social and political trends defining this year’s election. Those include the intense partisan split over the president, a potent movement to expose sexual harassment and assault and a record number of women running for office.”
The Portland Press Herald urged Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) not to vote for Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, “regardless” of what the FBI finds.
“Based on what he demonstrated in his own testimony, Kavanaugh lacks the character and judgment to serve on the Supreme Court…. Kavanaugh revealed that he has an explosive temper and resorts to bullying when he feels threatened… Kavanaugh also showed himself to be impermissibly political for a job that is supposed to be above politics. We’re not naïve. But we have never had a Supreme Court nominee who ripped off the nonpartisan mask the way Kavanaugh did Thursday… After his partisan rant, Kavanaugh will never be able to judge a case without the animus he expressed being considered a factor in his decision.”
Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DE) were interviewed by Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes:
PELLEY: If Judge Kavanaugh is shown to have lied to the Committee, nomination’s over?
FLAKE: Oh yes.
COONS: I would think so.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) described Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) as “cult-like” in the way that he’s garnered attention in his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), The Hill reports.
Said Abbot: “He’s been a cult-like, very popular figure the way that he’s run the campaign, but you don’t vote on cult, you don’t vote on personality when you get to the U.S. Senate. You vote on the issues.”
The Austin American Statesman reports O’Rourke held a rally over the weekend attended by more than 50,000 people.
“President Trump’s highly anticipated meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could be delayed again,” the Washington Post reports.
“White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Sunday that Trump and Rosenstein could meet this week — a date hasn’t been set — but she added that the meeting could be delayed again given the continued focus on Kavanaugh’s nomination.”
In light of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) defense of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh last week, it’s interesting to watch how he questioned Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor over her “temperament” back in 2009.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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