None of us thought the GOP was going to attempt to hold an aboveboard nomination hearing for Brett Kavanaugh, much less investigate Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation of sexual assault. Just how little interest Republicans have in projecting a semblance of decency is still surprising.
Two women have come forward publicly, Dr. Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her during high school, and Deborah Ramirez, a college classmate who says he assaulted her at Yale. Ramirez’s account is backed up by classmates’ emails. A third yet-to-be-named woman is being represented by Michael Avenatti, of Stormy Daniels fame. A fourth allegation of sexual assault is being investigated by investigated by Montgomery County.
Republicans were already flailing. Exhibit A: Ed Whelan’s painstakingly ridiculous mistaken-identity theory, wherein he used Google Maps and Zillow floor plans to claim Dr. Ford had confused Kavanaugh with another classmate.
[W]hat’s most shocking about this thread, which Whelan has since deleted, is that Kavanaugh’s defenders appear to have genuinely believed that it would exculpate the nominee. Whelan is no random crank: He is a Federalist Society power broker who has played a major role in the selection of Donald Trump’s judicial nominees—including his good friend Kavanaugh.
Undeterred by fact, they’ve repeatedly launched attacks on women who share the same name as accusers. It’s not clear whether the misidentification was accidental or deliberate, as one tweet incorrectly linking Ramirez to George Soros was left up even after the right-wing perpetrator had admitted the error.
Republicans are growing ever more desperate, now truly worried about internal cohesion. It’s clear that Republicans should start over. Then again, they shouldn’t have selected Kavanaugh to begin with.
It was already a bad idea to push forward given the near certainty that Kavanaugh’s perjuries will be exposed (to an even greater degree) when his record becomes public, a three-year wait at most. Now, they’re faced with two credible allegations of sexual assault and a third TBD, along with prospective witnesses.
It’s truly become a no-win situation for Republicans. That said, it’s clear what the best of the bad options is.
If the Mitch McConnell-led Republicans who want to “plow ahead” with Kavanaugh succeed, he’ll be the most impeachable justice there ever was. They’ll also pay a hefty price. (Hey, Susan Collins.)
If the GOP cuts bait now, they’ll suffer less for attempting to force Kavanaugh’s confirmation, though that tack’s alienated the public and widened fault lines among Republicans. They’d also get a shot at another, less impeachable nominee.
Why haven’t they dumped Kavanaugh yet?
Ego, for one, and the need to enforce party discipline. Partisanship, for another: Kavanaugh’s the most political pick they could have made. His views on executive power are certainly the most favorable for Trump. Most of all, Republicans do not take sexual assault seriously. Let these factors be their downfall.