General Lets talk about the Kavanaugh allegations and confirmation

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Kav will be confirmed as Supreme Court Justice???

  • Yes, he's voted into the Supreme Court

  • No, the vote fails or his nomination is withdrawn


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Papi Chingon

Domesticated Hombre
Oct 19, 2015
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Is it not a lifetime appointment? A week or two won't hurt on a life time. Allegations are made and should be followed up on. Dude is innocent he is innocent. That won't change today or the next. Why try and ram it in. Truth prevails does it not. God forbid they vote a Roy Moore in.
Are they not allowing the process? They have bent over backwards to accomodate. First she would testify, then she wouldnt, then she would on her terms, now she is going to testify. Great! No one has issues with her doing so; actually contrary to that, everyone is happy.
 

Splinty

Shake 'em off
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Dec 31, 2014
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I understand those that feel the Democrats (like Feinstein who had this info) could want to time it or whatever.


But to date, what benefit do you think Kavanaugh's accuser get from this? I am trying to think, what motive could she have other than something did happen and she wants truth brought to it. It'd surely be easier for her not to speak up. There's a lot of character assassination of her in the news, her life its under public scrutiny, etc. That all seems like a terrible place to be. I'd never want to be part of that.
I'm not saying you have to make your whole argument about this one point. But humor me. Why would a white collar professional with a reasonable middle class family life upend all of that with this if they didn't feel they had to?
 

Hauler

Been fallin so long it's like gravitys gone
Feb 3, 2016
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I understand those that feel the Democrats (like Feinstein who had this info) could want to time it or whatever.


But to date, what benefit do you think Kavanaugh's accuser get from this? I am trying to think, what motive could she have other than something did happen and she wants truth brought to it. It'd surely be easier for her not to speak up. There's a lot of character assassination of her in the news, her life its under public scrutiny, etc. That all seems like a terrible place to be. I'd never want to be part of that.
I'm not saying you have to make your whole argument about this one point. But humor me. Why would a white collar professional with a reasonable middle class family life upend all of that with this if they didn't feel they had to?
My theory is she decided to send a letter off to Feinstein and Eshoo when she learned he was up for SCOTUS. More of a "Hey, here's some dirt on Kavanaugh" type thing. She didn't want it to blow up the way it did, but Feinstein convinced her to come forward.
 

Splinty

Shake 'em off
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Dec 31, 2014
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but Feinstein convinced her to come forward.
My understanding is that buzzfeed and other vultures outed her so she decided to speak up to remove the innuendo that was being added to her original statements.

California professor, writer of confidential Brett Kavanaugh letter, speaks out about her allegation of sexual assault

Feinstein soon released a statement: “I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” she wrote. “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

The FBI redacted Ford’s name and sent the letter to the White House to be included in Kavanaugh’s background file, according to a Judiciary Committee aide. The White House sent it to the Senate Judiciary Committee, making it available to all senators.

As pressure grew, the New York Times reported that the incident involved “possible sexual misconduct.”

By then, Ford had begun to fear she would be exposed. People were clearly learning her identity: A BuzzFeed reporter visited her at her home and tried to speak to her as she was leaving a classroom where she teaches graduate students. Another reporter called her colleagues to ask about her.

On Friday, the New Yorker reported the letter’s contents but did not reveal Ford’s identity. Soon after, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) released a letter from 65 women who say they knew Kavanaugh when he attended high school from 1979 to 1983 at Georgetown Prep, an all-boys school in North Bethesda.

“Through the more than 35 years we have known him, Brett has stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity,” the women wrote. “In particular, he has always treated women with decency and respect. That was true when he was in high school, and it has remained true to this day.”

As the story snowballed, Ford said, she heard people repeating inaccuracies about her and, with the visits from reporters, felt her privacy being chipped away. Her calculation changed.

“These are all the ills that I was trying to avoid,” she said, explaining her decision to come forward.

My theory is she decided to send a letter off to Feinstein and Eshoo when she learned he was up for SCOTUS. More of a "Hey, here's some dirt on Kavanaugh" type thing. She didn't want it to blow up the way it did,

I totally agree with that. But that doesn't seem surprising to me if the story is true.
If I knew a he said/ she said might come out with all the dirty politics involved, I'd want to give that info, send as much proof as I could, and let it be one data point in his file. Sleep at night knowing I at least spoke up and said my piece.

I guess I'm getting at, those that think she is making it up. What gain does she get, even if she had remained redacted? Why would anyone risk this public back and forth without an obvious benefit?
 

Hauler

Been fallin so long it's like gravitys gone
Feb 3, 2016
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I totally agree with that. But that doesn't seem surprising to me if the story is true.
If I knew a he said/ she said might come out with all the dirty politics involved, I'd want to give that info, send as much proof as I could, and let it be one data point in his file. Sleep at night knowing I at least spoke up and said my piece.

I guess I'm getting at, those that think she is making it up. What gain does she get, even if she had remained redacted? Why would anyone risk this public back and forth without an obvious benefit?
I think something happened or she has at least convinced herself that the way she remembers it is the way it happened.
I just don't think a man's career should be completely derailed because of something that might have happened 36 years ago.

If Kavanaugh was a total dirtbag, I would think the #metoo movement would have other women coming out all over the place with their own stories. The fact that not a single person has said anything speaks volumes. Not even a "He grabbed my ass at a party" story. Nothing. On the contrary, 65 women have signed a letter vouching for his character, both present day and dating back to his high school days.

I guess I'm more concerned with his track record as a judge and the character he carries today than I am of his behavior on a single drunken night back when he was 17.
 

Truck Party

TMMAC Addict
Mar 16, 2017
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Maybe I need more coffee but I'm not understanding what he's getting at with those tweets.

Is he saying that because she initially went to her local rep instead of Feinstein that it may not be held to the same standards?
Yes, if this is a false statement sent to Eshoo it's not illegal, but if she had sent a false statement to Feinstein it would be
 

SuperPig

Enjoy yourselves
Aug 7, 2015
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Yes, if this is a false statement sent to Eshoo it's not illegal, but if she had sent a false statement to Feinstein it would be
Got ya.

So naturally the critics will be trying to prove that she did that on purpose instead of just doing the natural thing by going to the local rep and having them evaluate and escalate accordingly.

It'll be smart to attack that if they can do it in a reasonable way. It's also smart if this is all a sham and they conspired accordingly to do it in this way. But out of all of the questions that I have about all of this, that's the smallest of them. Unless I was trying to garner attention for myself I'd reach out locally before I would consider going to bigger and bigger names.
 

Truck Party

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Mar 16, 2017
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Got ya.

So naturally the critics will be trying to prove that she did that on purpose instead of just doing the natural thing by going to the local rep and having them evaluate and escalate accordingly.

It'll be smart to attack that if they can do it in a reasonable way. It's also smart if this is all a sham and they conspired accordingly to do it in this way. But out of all of the questions that I have about all of this, that's the smallest of them. Unless I was trying to garner attention for myself I'd reach out locally before I would consider going to bigger and bigger names.
Those will be the two interpretations of it, depending on the views held before hand. Feinstein sat on the letter, & if a man that had tried to rape me was about to get a lifetime nomination to the Supreme Court I might try to write someone on the Senate Committee unless I knew that Feinstein would wait to bring it up at the most politically advantageous time beforehand. I guess we'll see if I'm right in the next week, but everything about this says to me that this is a professional political operation designed to delay the vote until after November.
 

SuperPig

Enjoy yourselves
Aug 7, 2015
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everything about this says to me that this is a professional political operation designed to delay the vote until after November.
I'm in the middle on this, I suppose, in that I think that everything after the initial letter to Eshoo has been a political operation designed to delay the vote and/or eliminate Kav as an option and thus delaying a vote on anyone.

I also think that Kav did it and that warrants a deeper dive into him before confirming or eliminating him from a lifetime appointment.

Maybe I'm naive in this one but the story is generally believable as it's something that's happened to countless women over the years and was never reported. Add in the fact that she seemed reluctant to come forward and I think that she was mainly just wanting to put more info out about someone that was about to get a lot more power. From there, the political machine of the shiesty Democrats took over and now the two machines are battling. Both trying to smear Kav and Ford to push their party's agenda.
 
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Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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What is the time frame does she have to testify by, the end of this week?
And there you go, adding in stipulations and time frames.

You said you bet she never testifies under oath in regards to her allegations. I didnt see now week time frame attached to that offer.
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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Are they not allowing the process? They have bent over backwards to accomodate. First she would testify, then she wouldnt, then she would on her terms, now she is going to testify. Great! No one has issues with her doing so; actually contrary to that, everyone is happy.
Bent over backwards to accommodate?

It has been 2 weeks since this shit went public. Less than a week since Kavanaugh agreed to testify under oath.
 

Splinty

Shake 'em off
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Dec 31, 2014
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And there you go, adding in stipulations and time frames.

You said you bet she never testifies under oath in regards to her allegations. I didnt see now week time frame attached to that offer.

well one of you needs to hurry up and leave this forum!
We can't have a "well forever hasn't happened yet!" argument going on and on! We need some action here!







don't leave me!
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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well one of you needs to hurry up and leave this forum!
We can't have a "well forever hasn't happened yet!" argument going on and on! We need some action here!







don't leave me!
Either the senate will first listen to the accusations or they will move on and vote on Kavanaugh.

Simple as that.

We all know it wont take forever or even months. The Republicans are in a rush here, remember.
 

Truck Party

TMMAC Addict
Mar 16, 2017
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And there you go, adding in stipulations and time frames.

You said you bet she never testifies under oath in regards to her allegations. I didnt see now week time frame attached to that offer.
So you thought I was offering a lifetime freeroll..
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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So you thought I was offering a lifetime freeroll..
This situation will move on one way or another within a couple weeks max.

She has agreed to testify. Why are you now trying to add in time frames which would reduce the risk you are taking?

Either the bet stands as you originally stated it or you back out. Pretty straight forward.
 

Truck Party

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Mar 16, 2017
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I'm in the middle on this, I suppose, in that I think that everything after the initial letter to Eshoo has been a political operation designed to delay the vote and/or eliminate Kav as an option and thus delaying a vote on anyone.

I also think that Kav did it and that warrants a deeper dive into him before confirming or eliminating him from a lifetime appointment.

Maybe I'm naive in this one but the story is generally believable as it's something that's happened to countless women over the years and was never reported. Add in the fact that she seemed reluctant to come forward and I think that she was mainly just wanting to put more info out about someone that was about to get a lot more power. From there, the political machine of the shiesty Democrats took over and now the two machines are battling. Both trying to smear Kav and Ford to push their party's agenda.
I think any thought for me that Kav might've done it went out the window when all of Ford's corroborating witness sent letters under the penalty of perjury that they had no knowledge of the incident. I guess we'll see if she testifies
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
26,916
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View: https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1042180930620796928


View: https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1042183227740446725


View: https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1042908203804188672


View: https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1042908344770453504


View: https://twitter.com/GarrettVentry/status/1042921295820873729


View: https://twitter.com/mattdizwhitlock/status/1042983141617491970


PR firm helped Whelan stoke half-baked Kavanaugh alibi
It turns out that the Keystone Cops detective work by conservative legal activist Ed Whelan — which set Washington abuzz with the promise of exonerating Brett Kavanaugh, only to be met by mockery and then partially retracted — was not his handiwork alone.

CRC Public Relations, the prominent Alexandria, Virginia-based P.R. firm, guided Whelan through his roller-coaster week of Twitter pronouncements that ended in embarrassment and a potential setback for Kavanaugh’s hopes of landing on the high court, according to three sources familiar with their dealings.


After suggesting on Twitter on Tuesday that he had obtained information that would exculpate Kavanaugh from the sexual assault allegation made by Christine Blasey Ford, Whelan worked over the next 48 hours with CRC and its president, Greg Mueller, to stoke the anticipation. A longtime friend of Kavanaugh’s, Whelan teased his reveal — even as he refused to discuss it with other colleagues and close friends, a half dozen of them said. At the same time, he told them he was absolutely confident the information he had obtained would exculpate the judge.

The hype ping-ponged from Republicans on Capitol Hill to Kavanaugh’s team in the White House, evidence of an extraordinarily successful public relations campaign that ultimately backfired when Whelan’s theory — complete with architectural drawings and an alleged Kavanaugh doppelgänger — landed with a thud on Twitter Thursday evening.

The coordinated effort was a testament to the far-reaching but frenzied attempt among conservatives to save Kavanaugh, which appeared to have spun out of the White House’s control. Indeed, Whelan told associates that he had kept his friend Kavanaugh and those working with him in the White House in the dark about his plans.

Thanks in part to the anticipation Whelan ginned up, Republicans who had gotten excited by the prospect that he really did have information that would solve Kavanaugh’s problems drew attention to Whelan. They later insisted they were kept in the dark until he went public, and fled from any association with Whelan’s theory.

CRC, however, was right there with him all along.

On Friday, hours after Whelan called his decision to name and post photographs of Kavanaugh’s high school classmate “an appalling and inexcusable mistake of judgment,” CRC helped organize a news conference featuring an array of women who dismissed Ford’s allegations.

Best known for its work with the Swift Boat Veterans in 2004, CRC bills itself as a full-service communications firm “specializing in media relations, social media and issues management,” according to its website. It has long been the go-to communications firm for conservative organizations in Washington and across the country. Its current clients include the Federalist Society and the Judicial Crisis Network, the chief outside groups working to help confirm Kavanaugh.

After unsuccessful attempts to persuade reporters to chase down a theory he put forward on Twitter — that the high school party described by Ford may have taken place at the home of a particular high school classmate of Kavanaugh’s, and that that classmate may have been the perpetrator of the alleged attack — Whelan worked with CRC's Mueller to devise a strategy that would draw attention to his theory, according to two sources familiar with his plans. That involved teasing the idea that he would make a big reveal but remaining mysteriously tight-lipped about what he had uncovered.

Neither Whelan nor the CRC's president responded to a request for comment.

In a series of Twitter posts on Tuesday evening, Whelan strongly suggested he had obtained information that would clear Kavanaugh’s name. “By one week from today, I expect that Judge Kavanaugh will have been clearly vindicated on this matter.” He continued, “Specifically, I expect that compelling evidence will show his categorical denial to be truthful. There will be no cloud over him.”

For 48 hours, he declined to share that “compelling evidence” with close colleagues or Kavanaugh allies. Several have said privately that they regret that decision because they would have advised Whelan against the course of action that CRC advised, and that he eventually took.

Kavanaugh himself, who largely remained cloistered in the White House preparing for a hearing since Ford went public with the allegations on Sunday, was also ignorant of Whelan’s plans, according to two sources close to him.

But Whelan’s tweets piqued the interest of Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee and inside the White House.

It is unclear to what extent Whelan was coordinating with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and other Republicans on Capitol Hill.

A former CRC employee, Garrett Ventry, had been working for Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) until Saturday, when he resigned after news surfaced that he had faced accusations of sexual harassment in the past. NBC News first reported the resignation.

Ventry did not respond to an email seeking comment and said in a Twitter post that the Committee had no foreknowledge of Whelan’s plans. It is not clear whether Ventry remains an employee of CRC, where he worked as recently as July.

But Whelan was in communication with at least one Republican member of the committee this week, and that member told associates he was aware Whelan’s theory involved the home of a Kavanaugh classmate near the Chevy Chase Country Club.

Matt Whitlock, deputy chief of staff to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah), directed people to Whelan’s Twitter feed on Wednesday in a tweet of his own and later deleted his tweet.

“Keep an eye on Ed’s tweets the next few days,” Whitlock wrote.

After Whelan unveiled his theory Thursday evening, Whitlock deleted the tweet, explaining that he “didn’t want to promote” anything that “dragged an unrelated private citizen into this unfortunate situation.”

“I had no idea," Whitlock added, "what Ed was planning.”



View: https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1043117304152817664
 

Truck Party

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Mar 16, 2017
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This situation will move on one way or another within a couple weeks max.

She has agreed to testify. Why are you now trying to add in time frames which would reduce the risk you are taking?

Either the bet stands as you originally stated it or you back out. Pretty straight forward.
Ok, if the terms are she has 2 weeks to testify, before the Senate Judiciary & under oath, I'm in
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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Ok, if the terms are she has 2 weeks to testify I'm in
The terms are as you originally stated or nothing.

Either back the bet you puffed up your chest and threw down or walk away.

The bet ends with the Kavanaugh vote happening without Ford's testimony OR by Ford testifying. If the Republicans drop Kavanaugh as a nomination and Ford doesnt testify it is a push.

You flip flop more than Grassley.
 

Truck Party

TMMAC Addict
Mar 16, 2017
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The terms are as you originally stated or nothing.

Either back the bet you puffed up your chest and threw down or walk away.

The bet ends with the Kavanaugh vote happening without Ford's testimony OR by Ford testifying. If the Republicans drop Kavanaugh as a nomination and Ford doesnt testify it is a push.
Book it.