Sexual Misconduct Allegations against Kavanaugh

[ESF]

This was posted by pitta12 in the daily Trump news dump thread and we talked about it a little bit in yesterday when the reporting had not really been developed. But now Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer are covering it. It feels too significant to be buried in a miscellenous thread.  So I'm starting a new one for it.

here's the story.

www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-sexual-misconduct-allegation-against-the-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaugh-stirs-tension-among-democrats-in-congress


I have no idea what to think. I was skeptical yesterday because I hate the Intercept, but now it appears to be true that Feinstein did receive a letter detailing these allegations, sat it on for a couple months, and then only recently turned it over to the FBI.

I understand Feinstein wanted to protect the victim, who probably would have been (and now will be) outed and raked through the mud, for nothing, because the GOP would still confirm this asshole. But I also don't like how she handled it.

I want to call her office to voice my displeasure but I'm not sure exactly what I want her to do or how I think she should have handled it.

What a mess.

Update:victim has come forward

www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/california-professor-writer-of-confidential-brett-kavanaugh-letter-speaks-out-about-her-allegation-of-sexual-assault/2018/09/16/46982194-b846-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html

[pitta12]

Grassley released a letter signed by 65 (!) women who knew Kavanaugh in high school who say golly gee, he's just swell.  So, they knew.

Link to letter

[pixy0stix]

Vox article on the 65 person acquaintance letter - www.vox.com/2018/9/14/17860488/brett-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-georgetown-prep-defense

They knew this was coming.

ETA: Fixed to include right link.

[msmerymac]

Is it significant? Yes. Of course. Will the GOP do a gosh darn thing about it? Do I even have to ask?

[msmerymac]

Also, remember a time in our lives when we were all, "Man, those Clarence Thomas hearings. I can't believe that was the early 90s! That would NEVER happen now!"

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

LOL. Ask Anita Hill if this will matter. Fuck these people and all 65 of the people who signed that shit. A guy who harassed me all through HS and threatened to beat me up when I told his girlfriend (who is now his wife and was a friend of mine) is always in our hometown newspaper. He is a cop. I could find 65 people to say he is just the bees knees!

[ESF]

Do you think the women who signed on to that letter were told in advance that it would be used to defend Kavanaugh against a claim of attempted rape? I'm guessing they were not. There's a lot of people about whom I'd say "yeah, I knew him way back when, he was a great guy, always super polite and respectful in class and on campus" but who I would not say, "there is no way they would ever try to force a woman to have sex with them, simply not possible, must be a lie."

[pixy0stix]

Sept 14, 2018 11:15:55 GMT -5 ESF said:

Do you think the women who signed on to that letter were told in advance that it would be used to defend Kavanaugh against a claim of attempted rape? I'm guessing they were not. There's a lot of people about whom I'd say "yeah, I knew him way back when, he was a great guy, always super polite and respectful in class and on campus" but who I would not say, "there is no way they would ever try to force a woman to have sex with them, simply not possible, must be a lie."

I'm going to guess they didn't know what the letter was for. I have a hard time tracking down 5 signatures for work stuff, let alone 65 in the 2 days before this broke.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 14, 2018 11:17:56 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:15:55 GMT -5 ESF said:

Do you think the women who signed on to that letter were told in advance that it would be used to defend Kavanaugh against a claim of attempted rape? I'm guessing they were not. There's a lot of people about whom I'd say "yeah, I knew him way back when, he was a great guy, always super polite and respectful in class and on campus" but who I would not say, "there is no way they would ever try to force a woman to have sex with them, simply not possible, must be a lie."

I'm going to guess they didn't know what the letter was for. I have a hard time tracking down 5 signatures for work stuff, let alone 65 in the 2 days before this broke.

YUP. And this is 100% evidence that Grassley and likely many other GOP leaders knew this was coming. I don't think they told the women they asked to sign the letter what it was for, but this is overly defensive to only be about the women's health angle. 

[seeyalater52]

Also completely agree with ESF that Feinstein handled this terribly.

[ESF]

Sept 14, 2018 11:17:56 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:15:55 GMT -5 ESF said:

Do you think the women who signed on to that letter were told in advance that it would be used to defend Kavanaugh against a claim of attempted rape? I'm guessing they were not. There's a lot of people about whom I'd say "yeah, I knew him way back when, he was a great guy, always super polite and respectful in class and on campus" but who I would not say, "there is no way they would ever try to force a woman to have sex with them, simply not possible, must be a lie."

I'm going to guess they didn't know what the letter was for. I have a hard time tracking down 5 signatures for work stuff, let alone 65 in the 2 days before this broke.

It would be spectacular if some of them recanted.

I'm also reading on Twitter that he went to an all boys high school.  Of course he would have interacted with women at various events and activities and stuff, but it's hard to believe that there would be 65 women who knew him well enough to speak convincingly on his character if none of them were in class with him all day long, and their interactions were limited to the occasional party or dance.

[phunluvin82]

Sept 14, 2018 11:05:50 GMT -5 Miss Phryne Fisher said:

LOL. Ask Anita Hill if this will matter. Fuck these people and all 65 of the people who signed that shit. A guy who harassed me all through HS and threatened to beat me up when I told his girlfriend (who is now his wife and was a friend of mine) is always in our hometown newspaper. He is a cop. I could find 65 people to say he is just the bees knees!

Yeah, I can't stand this notion of having others come to the defense of those accused like, 'Golly gee, he never did anything like that to ME PERSONALLY so he must be an upstanding human...'

If you have harassed or assaulted even one person, I really DGAF how many people you have NOT harassed or assaulted.  

[mbcdefg]

Sept 14, 2018 11:22:52 GMT -5 phunluvin82 said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:05:50 GMT -5 Miss Phryne Fisher said:

LOL. Ask Anita Hill if this will matter. Fuck these people and all 65 of the people who signed that shit. A guy who harassed me all through HS and threatened to beat me up when I told his girlfriend (who is now his wife and was a friend of mine) is always in our hometown newspaper. He is a cop. I could find 65 people to say he is just the bees knees!

Yeah, I can't stand this notion of having others come to the defense of those accused like, 'Golly gee, he never did anything like that to ME PERSONALLY so he must be an upstanding human...'

If you have harassed or assaulted even one person, I really DGAF how many people you have NOT harassed or assaulted.  

Where's that scumbag Don Jr. now, with his tweet about the "one poisoned Skittle in a bowl of thousands" or whatever. 

[msmerymac]

Also, I know I told you guys last week that I was supposed to see Ronan Farrow with Emily Chang and Tarana Burke last week, and he canceled last minute. Emily Chang implied he was working on a story, so I wonder if this was it.

[aurora]

Sept 14, 2018 11:02:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Vox article on the 65 person acquaintance letter - www.npr.org/2018/09/14/643073024/paul-manafort-to-plead-guilty-in-agreement-to-avert-a-second-federal-trial

They knew this was coming.

This one is about Manafort...

ETA because we live in a reality where we're reading scandal articles about multiple people in the administration every day!!!

[aurora]

Sept 14, 2018 11:00:13 GMT -5 pitta12 said:

Grassley released a letter signed by 65 (!) women who knew Kavanaugh in high school who say golly gee, he's just swell.  So, they knew.

Link to letter

Yeah, you don't have a letter ready if you don't know this is coming.

Bastards.

[pixy0stix]

Sept 14, 2018 11:27:03 GMT -5 aurora said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:02:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Vox article on the 65 person acquaintance letter - www.npr.org/2018/09/14/643073024/paul-manafort-to-plead-guilty-in-agreement-to-avert-a-second-federal-trial

They knew this was coming.

This one is about Manafort...

ETA because we live in a reality where we're reading scandal articles about multiple people in the administration every day!!!

HA! Hold on, I had the vox article open, but copied the wrong one.

[mbcdefg]

53 percent.

The women who signed this letter could've very well known.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 14, 2018 11:35:35 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

53 percent.

The women who signed this letter could've very well known.

This is totally possible, but to avoid leaking the story themselves in the process of getting people to sign on I'm very sure they didn't bring it up as the official reason to be asking for signatures. 

[msmerymac]

Sept 14, 2018 10:40:35 GMT -5 ESF said:

I understand Feinstein wanted to protect the victim, who probably would have been (and now will be) outed and raked through the mud, for nothing, because the GOP would still confirm this asshole. But I also don't like how she handled it.

I want to call her office to voice my displeasure but I'm not sure exactly what I want her to do or how I think she should have handled it.

What a mess.

But apparently the FBI just handed it over to the white house and they did nothing about it. 

Also, could she be playing the timing of the whole thing? If this had been released in July, it would be buried by now, but NOW is when they are close to confirmation.

[downtoearth]

I am so sorry for this woman and the fact that Kavanaugh's nomination has made her struggle worse. I don't believe that (July or now) he'll ever be held accountable and it sounds like the FBI isn't doing anything other than adding to his file, not that it excuses Feinstein or the other representative who received the letter. I can't imagine holding on to this, but I also don't know how this would change any of the (mostly white, older males) people supporting him since he's denying it and his friend from high school is anyway.

I hope that woman who wrote the letter gets to find out - through news - that we support her, hear her, and are so frustrated and upset on her behalf.

[Gato]

Lol, I guess it's time for me to write another letter to Susan. She just loves hearing from us (haha)!

But I truly believe she will lose her reelection bid if she votes for him. For a lot of us, it's kind of the last straw between "okay, I'm not voting for her anymore" and working all out to defeat her.

[NewOrleans]

I mean, why the fuck not? The US government is the safest place for harrassers, molesters, predators, and pussygrabbers. He can sit next to Thomas.

[mbcdefg]

 

[wildrice]

Sept 14, 2018 11:22:18 GMT -5 ESF said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:17:56 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I'm going to guess they didn't know what the letter was for. I have a hard time tracking down 5 signatures for work stuff, let alone 65 in the 2 days before this broke.

It would be spectacular if some of them recanted.

I'm also reading on Twitter that he went to an all boys high school.  Of course he would have interacted with women at various events and activities and stuff, but it's hard to believe that there would be 65 women who knew him well enough to speak convincingly on his character if none of them were in class with him all day long, and their interactions were limited to the occasional party or dance.

And how do they even remember him?

I'm 36 and people often come across my Facebook feed where I am like "wait...did I know that person?". I barely remember 80% or more of the people I knew in high school, and I saw many of them daily. Do we really believe 65 women from what, 40 years ago remember a guy they talked to a few times?

And that's aside from the fact that it's very possible to act like a nice guy and still sexually assault someone when nobody is looking. Acting like a good guy in public means exact nothing.

[cville]

My husband is acquainted with someone who has been rather famously outed as a dirtbag. My husband has 0 doubt that the dirtbag is a dirtbag, but before the outing would have said "oh, X is a nice person." Because that was his isolated experience with the dirtbag--someone who was a nice person TO MY HUSBAND.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 14, 2018 11:48:58 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Also, could she be playing the timing of the whole thing? If this had been released in July, it would be buried by now, but NOW is when they are close to confirmation.

That may have been her thinking. If so I think it was a mistake. It feels like it would have been easier to tank the nomination earlier on in the process when Kavanaugh was brand new and would have been more likely to withdraw or be asked by party leadership to withdraw vs now close to the vote when they are dug in on him as their guy.

[mbcdefg]

[curbsideprophet]

Sept 14, 2018 18:47:46 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Sept 14, 2018 11:48:58 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Also, could she be playing the timing of the whole thing? If this had been released in July, it would be buried by now, but NOW is when they are close to confirmation.

That may have been her thinking. If so I think it was a mistake. It feels like it would have been easier to tank the nomination earlier on in the process when Kavanaugh was brand new and would have been more likely to withdraw or be asked by party leadership to withdraw vs now close to the vote when they are dug in on him as their guy.

I don’t think this would have caused him to withdraw or be asked to withdraw if it was announced earlier. The GOP does not care. See Roy Moore or #45 himself.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 14, 2018 20:19:09 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Sept 14, 2018 18:47:46 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

That may have been her thinking. If so I think it was a mistake. It feels like it would have been easier to tank the nomination earlier on in the process when Kavanaugh was brand new and would have been more likely to withdraw or be asked by party leadership to withdraw vs now close to the vote when they are dug in on him as their guy.

I don’t think this would have caused him to withdraw or be asked to withdraw if it was announced earlier. The GOP does not care. See Roy Moore or #45 himself.

I’m not saying they would care. Of course they don’t really care. But it is plausible to me that if some of these Senators had heard this early on there would have been a better chance of sabatoging the confirmation than there is at this late stage in the game. If dems held it back for political reasons that was a miscalculation.