The Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination fight is about to enter a nasty phase. It’s ironic. Politics is always a gutter game, though voters don’t like seeing the mud slinging. The fact of the matter is that it works. Right now, the Democrats are slinging a lot of crap towards the GOP and Brett Kavanaugh ever since two women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
Christine Blasey Ford alleges a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh tried to sexually assault her at a high school party. Deborah Ramirez alleges Kavanaugh exposed himself at a party during his Yale years. Both instances have no corroborative witnesses. Those listed as potential witnesses have refuted the accounts of the accusers. Key details are missing—and it’s not like these allegations were dredged up two months ago. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) office put this thing into motion by referring a letter written by Ford about the allegation to the FBI. Her office received the letter in July, but sat on it for weeks, keeping it from her Senate colleagues. The timing is what makes the entire episode suspect. It broke during zero hour, just days from the committee vote.
Ramirez’s story is so shallow and shoddy that The New York Times, unlike The New Yorker, refused to do a formal story because they couldn’t confirm anything. These stories are unprovable, unsubstantiated gossip, but they’ve been weaponized because Democrats hate Trump, Kavanaugh, and they’re desperate to avoid being decapitated by their base who demand resistance to this White House, even going so far as to shred due process and individual rights because they’re still sour and incensed over their 2016 loss.
So, she also has a lawyer, John Clune, who went on anti-Trump CNN to bash Republicans for reportedly refusing to speak with them, giving them the runaround:
John Clune, the attorney for the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her when they were in college, said only Democrats showed up for a phone call they had scheduled with Senate Judiciary Committee staff earlier Tuesday
Clune also said in an interview Tuesday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that Republicans seem to be "game-playing" and changing the rules for their communications.
Clune represents Deborah Ramirez, 53, who attended Yale with Kavanaugh and told Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer of The New Yorker that she remembers Kavanaugh exposing himself to her at a dormitory party. Kavanaugh denies the allegation.
Clune told Anderson Cooper that his team has had a number of email communications with the committee, "but the difficulty is every time we try to set up a phone call, the majority party either changes the rules of the phone call or they want additional information as a condition of even having a phone call with us."
"We finally had a phone call scheduled for 7 o'clock Eastern this evening, we got on the phone, and only the minority party showed," Clune said. "So, feels like there's a lot of game-playing that's going on right now by the majority party."
Uh, well, that’s not exactly true. Shocker—something on CNN isn’t true. The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberley Strassel obtained emails between Republicans, Democrats, and Ramirez’s legal team. It clearly shows the GOP going to great lengths to collect information. She wants to be interviewed by the FBI, while the majority pervasively asks if there’s any further information she can give to the committee. A call was obviously going to happen, but they wanted to know if she had any further evidence other than the Mayer-Farrow New Yorkerpiece. The Democrats step in, apologize for how Republicans have been acting (how dare they ask if she has, you know, evidence), offer to get Ramirez in contact with the FBI; they blitzed the GOP’s attempt to do their job in verifying these serious allegations, despite the numerous plot holes. On GOP’s sixth time asking for more information before going forward with a call, Clune goes on CNN to trash Republicans for giving them the runaround.
“This is a serious accusation. No law enforcement would commence investigation without such statement--this is basic request, in line with any committee probe. Yet every polite request for basic on record statement is ignored, rebuffed, delayed, denied. GOP has bent backwards,” Strassel wrote on Twitter. Someone’s lying. Gee—how apropos, given this nonsense:
1) Breaking: So Debra Ramirez's attorney, John Clune, went on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 tonight. In interview, he accuses "game playing" by "majority party" with regards her testimony. But read the emails that have gone back and forth (I have), and that is downright false
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
2) First majority email goes Sunday, Sept 23, two days ago, hours from when New Yorker story runs, 7:43 pm. It goes to attorneys, notes story, asks when Ramirez is available for interview. Says it is "determined" to take statement and "investigate further."
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
3) At 10:30 pm, a Ramirez attny says will get back. But not till Monday, 3 PM, does Ramirez attny say she wants FBI. Says she might be open to be "interviewed in person"--though only "on appropriate terms (and unclear if by committee or FBI). Attnys suggest call . . next morning.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
4) Few mins later,majority says thanks, but asks again if Ramirez has evidence/statements she is willing to provide to committee? Ramirez attnys defer to as-yet-undefinite call. Majority responds that before "next steps" (call), does Ramirez have evidence/testimony? (3rd ask)
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
5)That evening (still Monday), Ramirez attnys refer to New Yorker article as "evidence," again demand FBI investigation, say client won't talk before more "details of whatever process you are contemplating."
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
6) Majority instantly responds it "welcomes" any evidence in form of "email or letter" to chairman/ranking, or same from counsel, or statement to committee investigators. (4th ask)
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
7) Next morning (Tues., sept. 25) Ramirez attny ignores request again but says since he hasn't had "confirmation on this call" he is "now unavailable." Now suggests everyone talk end of day.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
8) Majority responds, again, that before next steps (call), they need to know if Ramirez has evidence other than that in New Yorker article, and will she provide evidence/testimony to investigators? (5th ask) Again they would "welcome" that evidence, in any official form.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
9) (Democrat staff now intervenes with email apologizing for Majority "preconditions." Offers to put Ramirez attnys in touch with FBI. And offers to get on evening call, undercutting majority request for information.)
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
10) A few hours later, Majority makes 6th request for information/statement. Then Mr. Clune goes on CNN to complain at length about Majority "game playing."
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
11)This is a serious accusation. No law enforcement would commence investigation without such statement--this is basic request, in line with any committee probe.Yet every polite request for basic on record statement is ignored, rebuffed, delayed, denied. GOP has bent backwards.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
12) Finally, as you can read, claim by Clune that GOP "blew off scheduled call" (CNN headline) is flat out falsehood. Majority always said testimony/evidence first.Says something that an attny resorts to such deceptions. And that CNN wud report w/o checking.
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
And alas, that’s the playbook right there: ignore, rebuff, delay, and deny. The Democrats want to run out the clock. The GOP better not cave on the votes for this nomination which are set to go into motion this Friday.
Here's an @NBCNews headline. Truth is exact opposite. They need to get facts straight. (see my prior tweets):
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) September 26, 2018
"John Clune, attorney for second woman who has accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, says Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are giving her the runaround."
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