It's clear that the Judiciary Committee Chair, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and others of the "old white guys" crowd still don't get it. But at least they're listening to younger staff members who must be advising them that it would be political suicide to attack the woman accuser.
So, we have a he-said, she-said hearing coming up -- without any investigation or attempt to determine facts preceding the hearing, as Dr. Blasey Ford has asked for. The real Republican posture is not to get to the truth but to hold a fake "hearing" so they can claim they gave the accuser a chance -- and then rush through the vote to pack the Supreme Court with another conservative who seems to be Donald Trump's dream come true -- a man who will vote to protect and even expand presidential power and vote to protect Trump from any charges, subpoenas, or depositions while in office.
But . . . not so fast. There is a remedy. Even if Republicans ram this through and put Kavanaugh on the court with a lifetime appointment, he can be impeached once in office.
This is already being talked about in Democratic circles. If they take control of the House, that's where an impeachment of justices, like presidents, would arise. And it takes only a simple majority to bring impeachment charges. The House would then do the investigation that the Republicans are now refusing to ask the FBI to do.
Even if we do not take control of the Senate, which must vote by 2/3 majority to convict, the investigation will have occurred in the House before presenting its evidence to the Senate.
So we may yet get that investigation -- and depending on the outcome -- it could lead to Kavanaugh's resignation or impeachment. Or, on the other hand, it could clear his name. So, if he is innocent, why would he not want to have such an investigation?
It seems suspicious that he and Republicans are fighting so hard to prevent the kind of full investigation and hearing that could clear him. Instead, he will sit on the court, along with Clarence Thomas, under a cloud of suspicion of sexual abuse that just won't go away, especially now with another allegation of sexual misconduct while a Yale undergraduate. And then we would have a court, where one-third of the six men have that cloud over them, when they vote on important cases concerning women and their rights.
Ralph
PS: Two new developments. Another woman has come forward charging that, as Yale freshman, Kavanaugh exposed himself and force a young woman to touch his penis at a party. And now his freshman roommate, a friend of this woman, says that Kavanaugh was an especially heavy drinker, even in that drinking culture -- and that, when he was drunk, he would become "aggressive and belligerent."
PS: Two new developments. Another woman has come forward charging that, as Yale freshman, Kavanaugh exposed himself and force a young woman to touch his penis at a party. And now his freshman roommate, a friend of this woman, says that Kavanaugh was an especially heavy drinker, even in that drinking culture -- and that, when he was drunk, he would become "aggressive and belligerent."
No comments:
Post a Comment