Conservative Blogger
Friday, October 5, 2018
Partisans predictably praise, pummel FBI's Kavanaugh probe
Nothing
was more predictable than Republican senators embracing the FBI
investigation of Brett Kavanaugh and Democrats denouncing it.
Hours after the findings were delivered to all 100 senators, Mitch McConnell made clear that he’s ready to push through the Supreme Court nominee based on a report that vindicates Kavanaugh, and Chuck Schumer made just as clear that he’ll keep attacking the report as woefully inadequate.
And President Trump naturally welcomed the findings of the investigation he ordered under pressure from Jeff Flake and other swing lawmakers, tweeting of his nominee that "this great life cannot be ruined by mean & despicable Democrats and totally uncorroborated allegations!"
The less-than-a-week probe was always a Hail Mary pass for Kavanaugh opponents, unlikely to break new ground in what was a limited background check, not a criminal investigation.
And with uncommitted senators such as Flake and Susan Collins expressing satisfaction with the report, Kavanaugh is virtually certain to join the high court.
Stripping away the rhetoric, the GOP hoped an FBI inquiry would provide political cover for voting to confirm Kavanaugh despite the sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford and others. And the Democrats hoped that the inquiry would turn up new evidence that would require further investigation or provide enough of a delay that new accusations might surface, tipping the scales against Kavanaugh.
FBI agents spoke to nine of the 10 witnesses they tried to reach. It's hard to fathom, at least as a matter of optics, why those witnesses didn't include Ford and Kavanaugh, even though they'd already testified. This gave the minority party an opportunity to dismiss the investigation and Ford's lawyers a chance to blast the bureau for rejecting their plea to have her questioned about what she says happened when she was 15.
Not even Democrats claimed the probe had unearthed new evidence of misconduct. Instead, they said the bureau's attempt was so limited that nothing of importance could be turned up. But the Republicans are exercised too, with Chuck Grassley lecturing reporters on their bias and Orrin Hatch decrying the process that Kavanaugh was put through.
The FBI did interview the second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who told the New Yorker that despite her memory gaps, she concluded that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party while they were students at Yale. Her lawyers ripped the bureau for not interviewing 20-plus witnesses about her allegations.
As for other stories that have burst into the news this past week, the Washington Post reported that the White House had restricted the FBI from examining his drinking habits or any discrepancy between his testimony and past alcohol consumption.
The likelihood that this limited investigation was going to derail the nomination was always extremely small. The question now is whether the lingering impact of this raw and ugly battle will linger over not just the midterms but the country’s cultural conversation.
Hours after the findings were delivered to all 100 senators, Mitch McConnell made clear that he’s ready to push through the Supreme Court nominee based on a report that vindicates Kavanaugh, and Chuck Schumer made just as clear that he’ll keep attacking the report as woefully inadequate.
And President Trump naturally welcomed the findings of the investigation he ordered under pressure from Jeff Flake and other swing lawmakers, tweeting of his nominee that "this great life cannot be ruined by mean & despicable Democrats and totally uncorroborated allegations!"
The less-than-a-week probe was always a Hail Mary pass for Kavanaugh opponents, unlikely to break new ground in what was a limited background check, not a criminal investigation.
And with uncommitted senators such as Flake and Susan Collins expressing satisfaction with the report, Kavanaugh is virtually certain to join the high court.
Stripping away the rhetoric, the GOP hoped an FBI inquiry would provide political cover for voting to confirm Kavanaugh despite the sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford and others. And the Democrats hoped that the inquiry would turn up new evidence that would require further investigation or provide enough of a delay that new accusations might surface, tipping the scales against Kavanaugh.
FBI agents spoke to nine of the 10 witnesses they tried to reach. It's hard to fathom, at least as a matter of optics, why those witnesses didn't include Ford and Kavanaugh, even though they'd already testified. This gave the minority party an opportunity to dismiss the investigation and Ford's lawyers a chance to blast the bureau for rejecting their plea to have her questioned about what she says happened when she was 15.
Not even Democrats claimed the probe had unearthed new evidence of misconduct. Instead, they said the bureau's attempt was so limited that nothing of importance could be turned up. But the Republicans are exercised too, with Chuck Grassley lecturing reporters on their bias and Orrin Hatch decrying the process that Kavanaugh was put through.
The FBI did interview the second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who told the New Yorker that despite her memory gaps, she concluded that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party while they were students at Yale. Her lawyers ripped the bureau for not interviewing 20-plus witnesses about her allegations.
As for other stories that have burst into the news this past week, the Washington Post reported that the White House had restricted the FBI from examining his drinking habits or any discrepancy between his testimony and past alcohol consumption.
The likelihood that this limited investigation was going to derail the nomination was always extremely small. The question now is whether the lingering impact of this raw and ugly battle will linger over not just the midterms but the country’s cultural conversation.
Facebook executive's Kavanaugh support triggers backlash for Zuckerberg
Facebook's vice president of global public policy, Joel Kaplan, attended the Kavanaugh hearing last week.
(Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images, File)
Hundreds of Facebook employees have criticized a top executive after he attended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's hearing last week in a show of support for the federal judge, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday.
Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president of global public policy, is a longtime friend of Kavanaugh, whose nomination has been threatened by sexual misconduct allegations dating from his time in high school and college in the early 1980s. Kaplan attended the dramatic Sept. 27 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which lawmakers heard testimony from Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford.
The Journal reported that Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked about Kaplan's attendance at a weekly Q-and-A session with employees last Friday. Zuckerberg said that he wouldn't have made the same decision as Kaplan, but that the executive had not violated any company policies.
However, Zuckerberg's response has failed to quell the furor, with employees taking to an internal discussion thread to criticized Kaplan's decision. That same Friday, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said in an internal discussion board post that she had talked to the exec "about why I think it was a mistake for him to attend, given his role in the company.
FACEBOOK COULD BE FORCED TO PAY YOU THOUSANDS AFTER DISASTER HACK ATTACK
"We support people’s right to do what they want in their personal time but this was by no means a straightforward case," Sandberg added.
The Journal reported that Zuckerberg and other executives are planning a company town hall on Friday to address the matter, with Kaplan calling into the forum from Washington, D.C.
FACEBOOK: 50 MILLION ACCOUNTS AFFECTED BY SECURITY BREACH
Kaplan, who, like Kavanaugh, is a former official in the George W. Bush administration, apologized in an internal forum for what The Journal described as "surprising employees by his appearance," and said he did not expect his decision to be controversial.
"Sexual assault is an issue society has turned a blind eye to for far too long — compounding every victim’s pain," Facebook spokeswoman Roberta Thomson told the paper. "Our leadership team recognizes that they’ve made mistakes handling the events of the last week and we’re grateful for all the feedback from our employees."
As Kavanaugh vote looms, GOP Sen. Daines says he's going to daughter's wedding
Sen.
Steve Daines, R-Mont. told Fox News exclusively on Thursday that
although he will walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding in
Montana on Saturday, his plans won't affect Supreme Court nominee Brett
Kavanaugh's confirmation vote scheduled for the same day in Washington.
Speaking to host Shannon Bream on "Fox News @ Night," Daines said he personally called Kavanaugh Thursday evening and told him, "I'm going to be there to vote for you as needed."
He continued: "I've got a wedding on Saturday. My goal this weekend is to walk my daughter down the aisle, and to see a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice put on the court."
Because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., started a procedural clock Thursday evening, Republicans cannot technically delay the final confirmation vote on Saturday unless they secure the consent of all 100 senators. (50 affirmative votes are needed for Friday morning's procedural vote to invoke cloture, meaning to formally end debate and move forward to Saturday's final vote.)
CHRISTINE FORD'S EX-BOYFRIEND CONTRADICTS HER TESTIMONY ON POLYGRAPH, PTSD
The GOP could, however, hold the session open for several hours, allowing Daines to vote late Saturday or even Sunday if needed. "Votes are held open all the time," Daines said.
He added: "The next most important vote is [Friday] at 10:30 [a.m. ET]. ... We're going to find out a lot tomorrow. And we've got a plan ready to go."
But Daines said Thursday he hoped they would vote to confirm, adding that he spent three hours reviewing the FBI's confidential background check into Kavanaugh earlier in the day, and that "there's absolutely zero corroborating evidence to support" the sexual misconduct allegations against the nominee.
Daines’ office told Fox News that the timing of the FBI’s recent probe into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh was fluid, meaning it was not known that there would be a conflict with his wedding until recently.
KAVANAUGH DECRIES 'VICIOUS' ATTACKS IN OP-ED, ADMITS HE 'MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOO EMOTIONAL' AT HEARING
Daines will be in attendance Friday morning when the Senate takes a vote to end debate on Kavanaugh's nomination.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Speaking to host Shannon Bream on "Fox News @ Night," Daines said he personally called Kavanaugh Thursday evening and told him, "I'm going to be there to vote for you as needed."
He continued: "I've got a wedding on Saturday. My goal this weekend is to walk my daughter down the aisle, and to see a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice put on the court."
Because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., started a procedural clock Thursday evening, Republicans cannot technically delay the final confirmation vote on Saturday unless they secure the consent of all 100 senators. (50 affirmative votes are needed for Friday morning's procedural vote to invoke cloture, meaning to formally end debate and move forward to Saturday's final vote.)
CHRISTINE FORD'S EX-BOYFRIEND CONTRADICTS HER TESTIMONY ON POLYGRAPH, PTSD
The GOP could, however, hold the session open for several hours, allowing Daines to vote late Saturday or even Sunday if needed. "Votes are held open all the time," Daines said.
He added: "The next most important vote is [Friday] at 10:30 [a.m. ET]. ... We're going to find out a lot tomorrow. And we've got a plan ready to go."
"My goal this weekend is to walk my daughter down the aisle, and to see a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice."Republicans command a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, and several key swing-vote senators haven't yet announced how they will vote on Kavanaugh.
— Steve Daines, R-Mont.
But Daines said Thursday he hoped they would vote to confirm, adding that he spent three hours reviewing the FBI's confidential background check into Kavanaugh earlier in the day, and that "there's absolutely zero corroborating evidence to support" the sexual misconduct allegations against the nominee.
Daines’ office told Fox News that the timing of the FBI’s recent probe into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh was fluid, meaning it was not known that there would be a conflict with his wedding until recently.
KAVANAUGH DECRIES 'VICIOUS' ATTACKS IN OP-ED, ADMITS HE 'MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOO EMOTIONAL' AT HEARING
Daines will be in attendance Friday morning when the Senate takes a vote to end debate on Kavanaugh's nomination.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Judiciary Committee releases executive summary of supplemental FBI report on Kavanaugh
Senate
Judiciary Committee Republicans released an executive summary of the
FBI's confidential supplemental background investigation into Supreme
Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh late Thursday, which key swing-vote
senators vowed they would continue to review Friday ahead of a
major vote on his confirmation.
According to the summary of the report, FBI agents interviewed 10 people and reached out to 11. They focused exclusively on witnesses with potential first-hand knowledge of alleged sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh.
"The FBI provided to the Senate 12 detailed FD-302 reports summarizing their interviews with the witnesses as well as supporting materials cited by the witnesses during their interviews," the summary reads. Only senators and top aides are being allowed to review the full report in a secure facility on Capitol Hill.
Notably absent from the witness list were any individuals directly related to the allegations of Julie Swetnick, who claimed in a sworn statement that she had witnessed Kavanaugh participating in systemic gang rapes decades ago.
Swetnick's credibility has taken a beating in recent days, with one ex-boyfriend telling Fox News she "exaggerated everything" and had threatened to kill his unborn child. Another ex-boyfriend similarly cast doubt on her credibility, as reports surfaced that she had previously been sued for allegedly concocting false sexual harassment claims. Swetnick is represented by anti-Trump lawyer Michael Avenatti.
Among those questioned were Mark Judge, PJ Smyth, and Leland Keyser, the three individuals Christine Blasey Ford claimed were present when Kavanaugh allegedly threw her on a bed and sexually assaulted her sometime in the 1980s (Ford has variously claimed the episode occurred in the mid-1980s and early 1980s, before testifying that it occurred in 1982).
Judge was also questioned "extensively" about other allegations besides Ford's, according to the Judiciary Committee. Democrats had called for Senate Republicans to subpoena Judge, a longtime friend of Kavanaugh's, so that they could question him about the nominee's drinking habits and high school yearbook references.
FORD'S EX-BOYFRIEND CONTRADICTS HER SWORN TESTIMONY ON POLYGRAPH PREP, PTSD, FEAR OF FLYING -- GRASSLEY SOUNDS THE ALARM
Additionally, the FBI interviewed two individuals named in Kavanaugh's July 1, 1982 calendar entry, which some observers said could have described the gathering where Ford was purportedly attacked. Those individuals were his longtime friend Christopher Garrett and Timothy Gaudette, whose house Kavanaugh visited for beers on July 1, according to his calendar. An attorney for one of those witnesses was also interviewed.
Finally, the FBI interviewed Deborah Ramirez, the woman who claimed in an explosive New Yorker piece that Kavanaugh had exposed himself to her at a Yale party. The FBI also interviewed two alleged eyewitnesses identified by Ramirez, and tried to interview a third, but that individual refused to cooperate. Agents also interviewed one of Ramirez's close friends from college.
"The Supplemental Background Investigation confirms what the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded after its investigation: there is no corroboration of the allegations made by Dr. Ford or Ms. Ramirez," the Judiciary Committee Republicans wrote.
Ramirez had previously acknowledged to The New Yorker that, as recently as last month, she was not sure Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself to her. She then changed her mind after speaking to an attorney for less than a week, according ot the magazine. Kavanaugh testified last Thursday that he had heard Ramirez was asking former classmates at Yale about the alleged episode during the summer, apparently trying to "refresh" their memories in a manner he implied was inappropriate.
FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW KAVANAUGH SLUGFEST BOOSTING GOP ENTHUSIASM AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
One of Ramirez's lawyers complained on Twitter this week that the FBI did not appear to be conducting a "serious" investigation because, he claimed, the agency failed to reach out to some of the dozens of witnesses he had suggested.
Nevertheless, for several hours on Thursday, senators from both parties filed in and out of the Capitol Building's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), where they pored over the FBI's full report in a private, secured setting. Senators were not allowed to take the report out of the SCIF.
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, considered a key potential swing vote on Kavanaugh, said Thursday that the bureau’s supplemental background probe “appears to be a very thorough investigation.” On Thursday afternoon, however, she remained in the SCIF for more than an hour and a half, causing some consternation among Republicans.
“All of that time, she still doesn’t know?” one source asked Fox News.
And Arizona Republican Sen. Flake, who originally requested the FBI re-open its investigation into the sexual assault claims leveled against Kavanaugh by Ford, agreed with Collins' assessment.
“No new corroborative information came out of it,” Flake said. “Thus far, we’ve seen no new credible corroboration — no new corroboration at all.”
However, Flake continued to keep the public guessing, returning to view the report again and saying he has "more reading" to do. He pulled a surprise last week when he publicly backed Kavanaugh, then demanded the FBI probe before a final vote.
Top Democrats, though, minced no words about the FBI's report, saying the bureau's inquiry should not have been restricted to one week. President Trump has said the FBI had the authority to interview "whoever" they wanted, but Democrats also alleged that the administration had meddled in the investigation.
"Well, that report -- if that's an investigation, it's a bull---- investigation," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told a man as he walked through the Capitol complex on Thursday. "The reality is, that was not a full and thorough investigation."
The investigation's one-week time limit, Flake and other Republicans said, was necessary to avoid bogging down Kavanaugh's nomination with a never-ending probe into various uncorroborated, lurid accusations, which all related to alleged events more than three decades ago. President Trump has said that the FBI had the authority to interview "whoever" it wanted, but he openly cast doubt this week on the legitimacy of many claims against Kavanaugh.
Ford's attorneys also sharply criticized the FBI for not reaching out to interview their client, who testified at length during Thursday's hearing. They told Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that they would only turn over Ford's therapist notes if the FBI interviewed their client.
Ford has extensively cited her 2012 therapy notes as a kind of corroboration for her claims but has not provided them -- even in part -- to investigators. (The Washington Post said Ford had shared a "portion" of her notes with their reporters, but under oath on Thursday, Ford said she could not recall whether she had actually done so, or merely described the notes).
GOP SENATOR HEADING TO DAUGHTER'S WEDDING IN MONTANA ON DAY OF FINAL KAVANAUGH VOTE
Late Thursday, Grassley ripped into Ford's attorneys for their request, and suggested in an exasperated letter that they simply wanted to stall Kavanaugh's confirmation at any cost.
"Your response on behalf of your client is a non-sequitur," Grassley wrote in the letter. "It’s not even clear to me what purpose turning over these materials to the FBI would accomplish. The FBI would simply turn over that evidence to the Senate. That is precisely the outcome I seek with this request."
Furthermore, Grassley added, "The U.S. Senate doesn’t control the FBI. If you have an objection to how the FBI conducts its investigations, take it up with [FBI] Director [Christopher] Wray."
Grassley concluded by implying that Ford's attorneys weren't disclosing her therapist notes because they did not, in fact, back up her claims.
A final vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation is expected Saturday. A key procedural vote to end debate on his nomination is set for Friday morning.
According to the summary of the report, FBI agents interviewed 10 people and reached out to 11. They focused exclusively on witnesses with potential first-hand knowledge of alleged sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh.
"The FBI provided to the Senate 12 detailed FD-302 reports summarizing their interviews with the witnesses as well as supporting materials cited by the witnesses during their interviews," the summary reads. Only senators and top aides are being allowed to review the full report in a secure facility on Capitol Hill.
Notably absent from the witness list were any individuals directly related to the allegations of Julie Swetnick, who claimed in a sworn statement that she had witnessed Kavanaugh participating in systemic gang rapes decades ago.
Swetnick's credibility has taken a beating in recent days, with one ex-boyfriend telling Fox News she "exaggerated everything" and had threatened to kill his unborn child. Another ex-boyfriend similarly cast doubt on her credibility, as reports surfaced that she had previously been sued for allegedly concocting false sexual harassment claims. Swetnick is represented by anti-Trump lawyer Michael Avenatti.
Among those questioned were Mark Judge, PJ Smyth, and Leland Keyser, the three individuals Christine Blasey Ford claimed were present when Kavanaugh allegedly threw her on a bed and sexually assaulted her sometime in the 1980s (Ford has variously claimed the episode occurred in the mid-1980s and early 1980s, before testifying that it occurred in 1982).
"There is no corroboration of the allegations made by Dr. Ford or Ms. Ramirez."All three of those individuals had already provided statements to the Judiciary Committee under penalty of felony denying any knowledge of the alleged assault. Keyser, Ford's lifelong best friend, denied ever knowing Kavanaugh. When questioned about Keyser's statement at last Thursday's hearing, Ford suggested Keyser was having serious medical issues and had apologized for her denial.
— Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans
Judge was also questioned "extensively" about other allegations besides Ford's, according to the Judiciary Committee. Democrats had called for Senate Republicans to subpoena Judge, a longtime friend of Kavanaugh's, so that they could question him about the nominee's drinking habits and high school yearbook references.
FORD'S EX-BOYFRIEND CONTRADICTS HER SWORN TESTIMONY ON POLYGRAPH PREP, PTSD, FEAR OF FLYING -- GRASSLEY SOUNDS THE ALARM
Additionally, the FBI interviewed two individuals named in Kavanaugh's July 1, 1982 calendar entry, which some observers said could have described the gathering where Ford was purportedly attacked. Those individuals were his longtime friend Christopher Garrett and Timothy Gaudette, whose house Kavanaugh visited for beers on July 1, according to his calendar. An attorney for one of those witnesses was also interviewed.
Finally, the FBI interviewed Deborah Ramirez, the woman who claimed in an explosive New Yorker piece that Kavanaugh had exposed himself to her at a Yale party. The FBI also interviewed two alleged eyewitnesses identified by Ramirez, and tried to interview a third, but that individual refused to cooperate. Agents also interviewed one of Ramirez's close friends from college.
"The Supplemental Background Investigation confirms what the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded after its investigation: there is no corroboration of the allegations made by Dr. Ford or Ms. Ramirez," the Judiciary Committee Republicans wrote.
Ramirez had previously acknowledged to The New Yorker that, as recently as last month, she was not sure Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself to her. She then changed her mind after speaking to an attorney for less than a week, according ot the magazine. Kavanaugh testified last Thursday that he had heard Ramirez was asking former classmates at Yale about the alleged episode during the summer, apparently trying to "refresh" their memories in a manner he implied was inappropriate.
FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW KAVANAUGH SLUGFEST BOOSTING GOP ENTHUSIASM AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
One of Ramirez's lawyers complained on Twitter this week that the FBI did not appear to be conducting a "serious" investigation because, he claimed, the agency failed to reach out to some of the dozens of witnesses he had suggested.
Nevertheless, for several hours on Thursday, senators from both parties filed in and out of the Capitol Building's Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), where they pored over the FBI's full report in a private, secured setting. Senators were not allowed to take the report out of the SCIF.
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, considered a key potential swing vote on Kavanaugh, said Thursday that the bureau’s supplemental background probe “appears to be a very thorough investigation.” On Thursday afternoon, however, she remained in the SCIF for more than an hour and a half, causing some consternation among Republicans.
“All of that time, she still doesn’t know?” one source asked Fox News.
And Arizona Republican Sen. Flake, who originally requested the FBI re-open its investigation into the sexual assault claims leveled against Kavanaugh by Ford, agreed with Collins' assessment.
“No new corroborative information came out of it,” Flake said. “Thus far, we’ve seen no new credible corroboration — no new corroboration at all.”
However, Flake continued to keep the public guessing, returning to view the report again and saying he has "more reading" to do. He pulled a surprise last week when he publicly backed Kavanaugh, then demanded the FBI probe before a final vote.
Top Democrats, though, minced no words about the FBI's report, saying the bureau's inquiry should not have been restricted to one week. President Trump has said the FBI had the authority to interview "whoever" they wanted, but Democrats also alleged that the administration had meddled in the investigation.
"Well, that report -- if that's an investigation, it's a bull---- investigation," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., told a man as he walked through the Capitol complex on Thursday. "The reality is, that was not a full and thorough investigation."
The investigation's one-week time limit, Flake and other Republicans said, was necessary to avoid bogging down Kavanaugh's nomination with a never-ending probe into various uncorroborated, lurid accusations, which all related to alleged events more than three decades ago. President Trump has said that the FBI had the authority to interview "whoever" it wanted, but he openly cast doubt this week on the legitimacy of many claims against Kavanaugh.
Ford's attorneys also sharply criticized the FBI for not reaching out to interview their client, who testified at length during Thursday's hearing. They told Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that they would only turn over Ford's therapist notes if the FBI interviewed their client.
Ford has extensively cited her 2012 therapy notes as a kind of corroboration for her claims but has not provided them -- even in part -- to investigators. (The Washington Post said Ford had shared a "portion" of her notes with their reporters, but under oath on Thursday, Ford said she could not recall whether she had actually done so, or merely described the notes).
GOP SENATOR HEADING TO DAUGHTER'S WEDDING IN MONTANA ON DAY OF FINAL KAVANAUGH VOTE
Late Thursday, Grassley ripped into Ford's attorneys for their request, and suggested in an exasperated letter that they simply wanted to stall Kavanaugh's confirmation at any cost.
"Your response on behalf of your client is a non-sequitur," Grassley wrote in the letter. "It’s not even clear to me what purpose turning over these materials to the FBI would accomplish. The FBI would simply turn over that evidence to the Senate. That is precisely the outcome I seek with this request."
Furthermore, Grassley added, "The U.S. Senate doesn’t control the FBI. If you have an objection to how the FBI conducts its investigations, take it up with [FBI] Director [Christopher] Wray."
Grassley concluded by implying that Ford's attorneys weren't disclosing her therapist notes because they did not, in fact, back up her claims.
A final vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation is expected Saturday. A key procedural vote to end debate on his nomination is set for Friday morning.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
California efforts vs. Trump costing state taxpayers millions: report
By
Bradford Betz | Fox News
Since President Trump took office in January 2017, California has filed 44 lawsuits against the administration, while the federal government has filed three against California. For the 2017-18 fiscal year, the state's tab for legal fees has been more than $9 million – up from nearly $3 million the previous year, the Sacramento Bee reported.
State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, has downplayed the costs involved in the California vs. Trump war, pointing out that it amounts to less than 1 percent of the state Department of Justice’s $894 million annual budget. He said the costs were a small price to pay to fight federal overreach.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUES CALIFORNIA OVER FEDERAL LAND SALES
“When you put into perspective that less than one percent of our budget is going to defend our people, our values and our resources, I think most people would say ‘Don’t stop,’” Becerra said. “[A]ny one of those items … would dwarf what we’d have to spend for all the litigation efforts that we’ve undertaken to defend the state of California against the federal government’s intrusion.
“Just because California and its Democratic leaders disagree with something the president or his administration does, that doesn’t mean the courts are the place to have that disagreement.”By not fighting back against Trump, Becerra said, California risks losing billions per year in externalities. But Republicans have accused Democratic leaders of wasting taxpayer money.
— Harmeet Dhillon, Republican National Committee
“Just because California and its Democratic leaders disagree with something the president or his administration does, that doesn’t mean the courts are the place to have that disagreement,” said Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney for the Republican National Committee. “Xavier Becerra is misusing the courts to score political points.”
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said the ongoing lawsuits amount to “little more than political posturing by California politicians.”
“Compared to the $120 billion state general fund, it may not seem like much, but it’s symbolic of an attitude of waste and foolish pursuits by our state government officials,” Coupal said.
Of the 44 lawsuits filed in the last 21 months against the Trump administration, the majority are still pending, the Bee reported.
Capitol police probe additional doxxing incidents targeting senators, including Rand Paul
Capitol
Hill police on Wednesday were investigating two additional doxxing
incidents after a former Democratic congressional intern was accused
of posting the personal information of at least three Republican
senators during last week's Judicial Committee hearing, sources said.
Fox News has learned that the latest alleged doxxing incidents involve at least two more senators, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
The probe comes amid the arrest of Jackson Cosko, 27, a democratic congressional intern, who earlier Wednesday was arrested for allegedly publishing the private information of at least three Republican senators during last week’s hearing about sexual assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, authorities said. Paul called for an investigation at the time.
It was not clear whether Cosko was connected to the most recent doxxing probe involving Paul.
Personal information of Sens. Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch were posted on their respective Wikipedia pages Thursday. All three have professed their belief that Kavanaugh is innocent of the claims brought against him by Ford, with Graham telling the federal judge "you've got nothing to apologize for" amid a fiery rant denouncing Democrats' handling of the allegations.
The intentional publication of the information was first caught by a Twitter bot that automatically tracks any changes made to Wikipedia entries from anyone located in the U.S. Congress and publicizes them on the social media site. The bot account later deleted the tweets because the edits contained personal information. According to the bot, whoever posted the information did so from a computer in the House of Representatives.
The home addresses of the senators appeared to be correct, though the phone numbers didn't appear to be entirely accurate. A "home" phone number listed for Graham appeared to direct callers to the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group.
Cosko was most recently working as an unpaid intern for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, senior congressional sources told Fox News. In the past, Coscko has worked with other democratic lawmakers including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California.
Cosko was charged with burglarly, threats in interstate communication, unauthorized access of a government computer, indentity theft, second-degree burglary and unlawful entry.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Samuel Chamberlain contributed to this report.
Fox News has learned that the latest alleged doxxing incidents involve at least two more senators, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
The probe comes amid the arrest of Jackson Cosko, 27, a democratic congressional intern, who earlier Wednesday was arrested for allegedly publishing the private information of at least three Republican senators during last week’s hearing about sexual assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, authorities said. Paul called for an investigation at the time.
It was not clear whether Cosko was connected to the most recent doxxing probe involving Paul.
Personal information of Sens. Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch were posted on their respective Wikipedia pages Thursday. All three have professed their belief that Kavanaugh is innocent of the claims brought against him by Ford, with Graham telling the federal judge "you've got nothing to apologize for" amid a fiery rant denouncing Democrats' handling of the allegations.
The intentional publication of the information was first caught by a Twitter bot that automatically tracks any changes made to Wikipedia entries from anyone located in the U.S. Congress and publicizes them on the social media site. The bot account later deleted the tweets because the edits contained personal information. According to the bot, whoever posted the information did so from a computer in the House of Representatives.
The home addresses of the senators appeared to be correct, though the phone numbers didn't appear to be entirely accurate. A "home" phone number listed for Graham appeared to direct callers to the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group.
Cosko was most recently working as an unpaid intern for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, senior congressional sources told Fox News. In the past, Coscko has worked with other democratic lawmakers including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California.
Cosko was charged with burglarly, threats in interstate communication, unauthorized access of a government computer, indentity theft, second-degree burglary and unlawful entry.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Samuel Chamberlain contributed to this report.
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