Supreme Court Justice Kennedy to Retire
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David Brock on NBC: “I used to know Brett Kavanaugh pretty well. And, when I think of Brett now, in the midst of his hearings for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, all I can think of is the old "Aesop's Fables" adage: "A man is known by the company he keeps." And that's why I want to tell any senator who cares about our democracy: Vote no. Twenty years ago, when I was a conservative movement stalwart, I got to know Brett Kavanaugh both professionally and personally. Brett actually makes a cameo appearance in my memoir of my time in the GOP, "Blinded By The Right." I describe him at a party full of zealous young conservatives gathered to watch President Bill Clinton's 1998 State of the Union address — just weeks after the story of his affair with a White House intern had broken. When the TV camera panned to Hillary Clinton, I saw Brett — at the time a key lieutenant of Ken Starr, the independent counsel investigating various Clinton scandals — mouth the word "bitch."
But there's a lot more to know about Kavanaugh than just his Pavlovian response to Hillary's image. Brett and I were part of a close circle of cold, cynical and ambitious hard-right operatives being groomed by GOP elders for much bigger roles in politics, government and media. And it’s those controversial associations that should give members of the Senate and the American public serious pause.
Call it Kavanaugh's cabal: There was his colleague on the Starr investigation, Alex Azar, now the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mark Paoletta is now chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence; House anti-Clinton gumshoe Barbara Comstock is now a Republican member of Congress. Future Fox News personalities Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson were there with Ann Coulter, now a best-selling author, and internet provocateur Matt Drudge.
At one time or another, each of them partied at my Georgetown townhouse amid much booze and a thick air of cigar smoke. In a rough division of labor, Kavanaugh played the role of lawyer — one of the sharp young minds recruited by the Federalist Society to infiltrate the federal judiciary with true believers. Through that network, Kavanaugh was mentored by D.C. Appeals Court Judge Laurence Silberman, known among his colleagues for planting leaks in the press for partisan advantage.
When, as I came to know, Kavanaugh took on the role of designated leaker to the press of sensitive information from Starr's operation, we all laughed that Larry had taught him well. (Of course, that sort of political opportunism by a prosecutor is at best unethical, if not illegal.
Another compatriot was George Conway (now Kellyanne's husband), who led a secretive group of right-wing lawyers — we called them "the elves" — who worked behind the scenes directing the litigation team of Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment. I knew then that information was flowing quietly from the Jones team via Conway to Starr's office — and also that Conway's go-to man was none other than Brett Kavanaugh.
That critical flow of inside information allowed Starr, in effect, to set a perjury trap for Clinton, laying the foundation for a crazed national political crisis and an unjust impeachment over a consensual affair.
But the cabal's godfather was Ted Olson, the then-future solicitor general for George W. Bush and now a sainted figure of the GOP establishment (and of some liberals for his role in legalizing same-sex marriage). Olson had a largely hidden role as a consigliere to the "Arkansas Project" — a multi-million dollar dirt-digging operation on the Clintons, funded by the eccentric right-wing billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife and run through The American Spectator magazine, where I worked at the time.
Both Ted and Brett had what one could only be called an unhealthy obsession with the Clintons — especially Hillary. While Ted was pushing through the Arkansas Project conspiracy theories claiming that Clinton White House lawyer and Hillary friend Vincent Foster was murdered (he committed suicide), Brett was costing taxpayers millions by pedaling the same garbage at Starr's office.
A detailed analysis of Kavanaugh's own notes from the Starr Investigation reveals he was cherry-picking random bits of information from the Starr investigation — as well as the multiple previous investigations — attempting vainly to legitimize wild right-wing conspiracies. For years he chased down each one of them without regard to the emotional cost to Foster’s family and friends, or even common decency.
Kavanaugh was not a dispassionate finder of fact but rather an engineer of a political smear campaign. And after decades of that, he expects people to believe he's changed his stripes.
Like millions of Americans this week, I tuned into Kavanaugh's hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee with great interest. In his opening statement and subsequent testimony, Kavanaugh presented himself as a "neutral and impartial arbiter" of the law. Judges, he said, were not players but akin to umpires — objectively calling balls and strikes. Again and again, he stressed his "independence" from partisan political influences.
But I don't need to see any documents to tell you who Kavanaugh is — because I've known him for years. And I'll leave it to all the lawyers to parse Kavanaugh's views on everything from privacy rights to gun rights.
But I can promise you that any pretense of simply being a fair arbiter of the constitutionality of any policy regardless of politics is simply a pretense. He made up his mind nearly a generation ago — and, if he's confirmed, he'll have nearly two generations to impose it upon the rest of us."
But there's a lot more to know about Kavanaugh than just his Pavlovian response to Hillary's image. Brett and I were part of a close circle of cold, cynical and ambitious hard-right operatives being groomed by GOP elders for much bigger roles in politics, government and media. And it’s those controversial associations that should give members of the Senate and the American public serious pause.
Call it Kavanaugh's cabal: There was his colleague on the Starr investigation, Alex Azar, now the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mark Paoletta is now chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence; House anti-Clinton gumshoe Barbara Comstock is now a Republican member of Congress. Future Fox News personalities Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson were there with Ann Coulter, now a best-selling author, and internet provocateur Matt Drudge.
At one time or another, each of them partied at my Georgetown townhouse amid much booze and a thick air of cigar smoke. In a rough division of labor, Kavanaugh played the role of lawyer — one of the sharp young minds recruited by the Federalist Society to infiltrate the federal judiciary with true believers. Through that network, Kavanaugh was mentored by D.C. Appeals Court Judge Laurence Silberman, known among his colleagues for planting leaks in the press for partisan advantage.
When, as I came to know, Kavanaugh took on the role of designated leaker to the press of sensitive information from Starr's operation, we all laughed that Larry had taught him well. (Of course, that sort of political opportunism by a prosecutor is at best unethical, if not illegal.
Another compatriot was George Conway (now Kellyanne's husband), who led a secretive group of right-wing lawyers — we called them "the elves" — who worked behind the scenes directing the litigation team of Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment. I knew then that information was flowing quietly from the Jones team via Conway to Starr's office — and also that Conway's go-to man was none other than Brett Kavanaugh.
That critical flow of inside information allowed Starr, in effect, to set a perjury trap for Clinton, laying the foundation for a crazed national political crisis and an unjust impeachment over a consensual affair.
But the cabal's godfather was Ted Olson, the then-future solicitor general for George W. Bush and now a sainted figure of the GOP establishment (and of some liberals for his role in legalizing same-sex marriage). Olson had a largely hidden role as a consigliere to the "Arkansas Project" — a multi-million dollar dirt-digging operation on the Clintons, funded by the eccentric right-wing billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife and run through The American Spectator magazine, where I worked at the time.
Both Ted and Brett had what one could only be called an unhealthy obsession with the Clintons — especially Hillary. While Ted was pushing through the Arkansas Project conspiracy theories claiming that Clinton White House lawyer and Hillary friend Vincent Foster was murdered (he committed suicide), Brett was costing taxpayers millions by pedaling the same garbage at Starr's office.
A detailed analysis of Kavanaugh's own notes from the Starr Investigation reveals he was cherry-picking random bits of information from the Starr investigation — as well as the multiple previous investigations — attempting vainly to legitimize wild right-wing conspiracies. For years he chased down each one of them without regard to the emotional cost to Foster’s family and friends, or even common decency.
Kavanaugh was not a dispassionate finder of fact but rather an engineer of a political smear campaign. And after decades of that, he expects people to believe he's changed his stripes.
Like millions of Americans this week, I tuned into Kavanaugh's hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee with great interest. In his opening statement and subsequent testimony, Kavanaugh presented himself as a "neutral and impartial arbiter" of the law. Judges, he said, were not players but akin to umpires — objectively calling balls and strikes. Again and again, he stressed his "independence" from partisan political influences.
But I don't need to see any documents to tell you who Kavanaugh is — because I've known him for years. And I'll leave it to all the lawyers to parse Kavanaugh's views on everything from privacy rights to gun rights.
But I can promise you that any pretense of simply being a fair arbiter of the constitutionality of any policy regardless of politics is simply a pretense. He made up his mind nearly a generation ago — and, if he's confirmed, he'll have nearly two generations to impose it upon the rest of us."
DutchJazzer
Banned
lol democrats moved the bar!
well good news is we can fire the other 8 spereme court justices. seeing as those surely lied about their past too. and now nobody can ever be in power. cus they all lied! no more government. we are finally on the same page
DutchJazzer
Banned
yep. because the mods are antifa fan boys.
i claled democrats racist, and suggested something actors like johny depp said that shoul happen to trump and got banned.
meanwhile is this thread thriller has said far worse things about republicans and he is allowed to do so.
dutch : democrats are racist, and prollly will do what some atcors suggets should happen after an actor did it way bacl *DUTCH BANNED*
thriller: omg republicans are vile depolorabele evil racist nazis *mods are cheering thriller on*
Red
Well-Known Member
Wow. Thanks for this.
The Thriller
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Soooo this happened:
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Were we expecting anything different? Republicans put the victim on trial and grilled her with a Maricopa prosecutor. Shouldn’t they be grilling K instead? I hope this bites the republicans in the *** so hard. So deplorable.
How that the SC go forward with an albatross like this as their 9th justice?
The Thriller
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LogGrad98
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This whole thing is nuts. They just need to move on to the next candidate, if they can find one that isn't a potential rapist and it appears that is a tall order anymore. They need to put forth a woman, it is highly unlikely a woman was molesting and potentially raping anyone in high school or anywhere else. I also hope they really do conduct some kind of investigation. If there is enough corroboration then he needs to pay for what he has done.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Why do republicans keep questioning her about her fear of flying? How is this helping with anything? I’m not following this line of questioning.
And yeah, Orrin Hatch is a joke. He and Grassley are walking examples of why we need term limits. The way these two have treated the women involved in these accusations have been deplorable. But that’s what you should expect when your party is led by a man who bragged about, “grabbing women by the *****.”
And yeah, Orrin Hatch is a joke. He and Grassley are walking examples of why we need term limits. The way these two have treated the women involved in these accusations have been deplorable. But that’s what you should expect when your party is led by a man who bragged about, “grabbing women by the *****.”
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
These guys know that an election is just right around the corner, right?
Zombie
Well-Known Member
Whatever their strategy is it's not working. Dr Ford is coming across as even more sympathetic and believable with her responses to the prosecutor.
The optics of this are terrible for the GOP, they look like spineless cowards who are putting the sexual assault victim on trial.
This is ugly. It's becoming a question of what Kavanaugh was like when he got ****-faced drunk. Ford's testimony of the attack seems credible. She just can't seem to get a corroborating witness.
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It feels like they're trying to paint her as paranoid and overly cautious. An attempt to innoculate themselves against the accusations; belittle them.
Zombie
Well-Known Member
I think that by going after how she chose her lawyers, who paid for the polygraph etc, they were attempting to establish a narrative that she's being manipulated into this somehow. Suffice to say that fell flat.
Maybe the most remarkable part of the entire hearing was Mitchell's final statement essentially calling these proceedings a sham, and inferring that Ford is to blame for the format somehow??
So strange.
Anyway any Republican Senator who decries the lack of corroboration for her story needs a swift kick in the ***. They had ample opportunity to order an FBI investigation or at minimum have present the individuals who could have provided such corroboration. It's incredibly telling that neither occurred.
Maybe the most remarkable part of the entire hearing was Mitchell's final statement essentially calling these proceedings a sham, and inferring that Ford is to blame for the format somehow??
So strange.
Anyway any Republican Senator who decries the lack of corroboration for her story needs a swift kick in the ***. They had ample opportunity to order an FBI investigation or at minimum have present the individuals who could have provided such corroboration. It's incredibly telling that neither occurred.
Thee Idiotic Minivan K
Well-Known Member
The funny thing is, it’s up to the president to order an FBI investigation, so he’s calling his president a sham
The decision to hire this prosecutor has been pretty bizarre in execution. She's treating it like it's a deposition rather than a public hearing and doesn't seem to know how to develop a line of questioning within the (arbitrary) time limit.
Honestly, if I were the Dems I'd be framing this as "11 men chose to vote for this nominee and refused to even speak to his accuser directly before doing it." I remain of the belief that Kavanaugh will be confirmed anyway.
Honestly, if I were the Dems I'd be framing this as "11 men chose to vote for this nominee and refused to even speak to his accuser directly before doing it." I remain of the belief that Kavanaugh will be confirmed anyway.
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