Where to start? There were rumors and whispers about all of this last week. The White House, it was said, was bracing for additional women to come out and say that Brett Kavanaugh had abused them or assaulted them in some way. What’s interesting is that I’m pretty sure Kavanaugh let Senate Republicans know that he assaulted other women too, because they were already gearing up to fight any and all accusers. In fact, when the whispers of other Kavanaugh victims really started churning last week, that’s when Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley really tried to steamroll the nomination through to a vote, because none of the Republicans actually give a sh-t about women being raped or assaulted or abused.
As it turns out, shocking no one at this point, another woman has come forward. Brett Kavanaugh’s college years were just as rape-y and assault-y as his high school years, which is not surprising. Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer dropped their exclusive in the New Yorker last night – you can read it here. The opening:
As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The claim dates to the 1983-84 academic school year, when Kavanaugh was a freshman at Yale University. The offices of at least four Democratic senators have received information about the allegation, and at least two have begun investigating it. Senior Republican staffers also learned of the allegation last week and, in conversations with The New Yorker, expressed concern about its potential impact on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Soon after, Senate Republicans issued renewed calls to accelerate the timing of a committee vote. The Democratic Senate offices reviewing the allegations believe that they merit further investigation. “This is another serious, credible, and disturbing allegation against Brett Kavanaugh. It should be fully investigated,” Senator Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, said. An aide in one of the other Senate offices added, “These allegations seem credible, and we’re taking them very seriously. If established, they’re clearly disqualifying.”
The woman at the center of the story, Deborah Ramirez, who is fifty-three, attended Yale with Kavanaugh, where she studied sociology and psychology. Later, she spent years working for an organization that supports victims of domestic violence. The New Yorker contacted Ramirez after learning of her possible involvement in an incident involving Kavanaugh. The allegation was conveyed to Democratic senators by a civil-rights lawyer. For Ramirez, the sudden attention has been unwelcome, and prompted difficult choices. She was at first hesitant to speak publicly, partly because her memories contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident. In her initial conversations with The New Yorker, she was reluctant to characterize Kavanaugh’s role in the alleged incident with certainty. After six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections to say that she remembers Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his pen1s in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away. Ramirez is now calling for the the F.B.I. to investigate Kavanaugh’s role in the incident. “I would think an F.B.I. investigation would be warranted,” she said.
At this very moment, Kavanaugh is denying this ever happened, and the White House is still standing by him, although things could change very quickly, I think.
Around the same time on Sunday evening, Michael Avenatti – lawyer to Stormy Daniels and now something of a women’s rights lawyer – tweeted this:
I represent a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. We will be demanding the opportunity to present testimony to the committee and will likewise be demanding that Judge and others be subpoenaed to testify. The nomination must be withdrawn.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 23, 2018
My client is not Deborah Ramirez.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 23, 2018
And that’s not all! Avenatti suggests that he has information about Kavanaugh and Mark Judge being part of a group of guys who would get women drunk and then gang rape them.
My e-mail of moments ago with Mike Davis, Chief Counsel for Nominations for U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. We demand that this process be thorough, open and fair, which is what the American public deserves. It must not be rushed and evidence/witnesses must not be hidden. pic.twitter.com/11XLZJBTtY
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 24, 2018
This week is going to be crazy.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and Avalon Red.
Avenatti’s making quite the name for himself, isn’t he? Not surprised at all about Kavanaugh.
Am also not surprised they women are going with specific lawyers like Katz and Avenatti – I wonder if Kav will walk away or will he front it out to please his paymasters?
Did you hear the latest this morning? From Avenatti’s Twitter:
Brett Kavanaugh must also be asked about this entry in his yearbook: “FFFFFFFourth of July.” We believe that this stands for: Find them, French them, Feel them, Finger them, F*ck them, Forget them. As well as the term “Devil’s Triangle.” Perhaps Sen. Grassley can ask him.
HOW are KavaNOPE and his buddies not already registered sex offenders?? AND HOW DID THE SCHOOL ALLOW THIS (AND MORE) IN YEARBOOK QUOTES AND NOT WONDER WHAT THE F*CK WAS GOING ON AT THEIR SCHOOL??
Jan, I saw that multiple-F tweet and his yearbook entry. I guess some prep schools allow(ed) their paying students to write up anything they wanted.
There is no way that kind of nonsense would have been allowed at my public high school in the ‘80s. Your senior bio was strictly legitimate organizations/sports. You couldn’t have “100 Kegs Club” or “Surviving the “FFFFFourth of July” make it to publication.
Maybe other schools aren’t as strict, but I found that bio ridiculous.
Kavanaugh seems like the kind of guy who will deny until he draws his last breath…just like Trump.
Kristen, same with mine. Every entry was vetted, and if *anything* was remotely inappropriate, you were told to change it or it would be omitted.
Apparently now FOUR women have come out about KavaNOPE assaulting them, and one is said to have gone to the police at the time.
I worked on the yearbook in high school as well, a catholic school by the way, and there is no way any of that misogynistic crap they had in their yearbooks would have been allowed at my school.
Since this is an exclusive school, I believe those boys got away with a lot of things simply because their parents would give the administration a hard time (e.g. Do you know how much money we pour into your school? How dare you deny my little darling his needs blah blah blah). Not surprised about this at all.
I’m not super surprising at all. Actually, the allegations of gang rape surprise a bit. I figured he was more garden variety one on one malice.
And I know that rapists don’t “look like rapists,” but he does to me.
Am not American but from what I know of the frat culture, the predatory group that works together is fairly prevalent – there is at least always a ‘wing man’. Its like a pack of rabid dogs hunting their prey.
This is why the FBI really has to investigate all this. Investigation is what they do. How far back did their initial background check go? It’s not unusual for such checks to not go under 18. Did they skip college also?
Or worse – did the FBI actually unearth similar problems but reported directly to either Trump or Grassley and it was not shared with the Democrats or anybody likely to balk at confirming the guy if they knew?
McConnell had said something about Kavanaugh being a problematic choice. What exactly did he see as problematic? They seem to be pushing awfully hard to get him confirmed before more surfaces, suggesting that they know there is “more”.
jwoolman, from what I understand, the the FBI carries out a background check and compiles a report – with just the facts – that they give to the WH. It is then up to the WH to do what they want with that information. It is therefore, reasonable to assume that the FBI did uncover some of this behavior and the administration chose to ignore it.
This would also explain how Grassley had a list of 65 women ready to go within hours of Dr. Ford’s initial accusation.
apparently Kavanaugh’s previous appointment process took more than two years. and even after all of it he was allegedly only confirmed as “a favor” to GWB. what did they find during THAT vetting that made the confirmation process take so long?!
as for the other women coming forward, I am NOT AT ALL surprised about this. any woman who’s been sexually assaulted knows that she is not her perpetrator’s only victim.
to add, I am SO SICK of people like Lindsay Graham and others saying that they “don’t want to ruin his life”…um, his life is not being ruined, he’s just not going to get a lifetime appointment to the highest court.
“This would also explain how Grassley had a list of 65 women ready to go within hours of Dr. Ford’s initial accusation.”
Yep. They knew he was a predator. Grassley knew about the “2nd” accuser before he said that they were going to push the vote through. This entire rapid approval process was under the guise that they wanted him in before October SCOTUS session/midterms…but really, they wanted to push him through to escape the allegations that they ALREADY KNEW were coming at him.
The FBI are very thorough. I’ve been asked to vet one of our neighbors who has a high level job at the local DHS and they asked all sorts of questions such as whether that person spent beyond his means (that’s the question I’m sure the FBI has an answer to with Kavanaugh), did any drugs etc.
My father owned a restaurant and he employed a lot of part time teenagers at the time. About 40 years later, he retired for more than 20, the FBI somehow found him and asked that he vet one of his teenage waitresses. She had a high level job in the dept of defense. Yes FBI goes way way back to every insignificant job you ever held down.
I’m pretty sure they knew all of it. WH and GOP are just playing hide the ball at this point.
Are any of us surprised?
Nope. When I read the headlines last night I immediately thought of course there are more women. Friends of mine posted the same on social media.
NOPE.
Not at all surprised.
NOPE. Once someone breaks silence, others eventually step up.
Exactly.
When the GOP tells you who they are, believe them.
He has /had a problem with alcohol.In both incidents , alcohol was aproblem. The more troubling allegation about his best friend is really too scary to be ignored. Confessing to girlfriend that Judge and a friend got drunk a raped a girl. BK lies prior to the assault allegations were had enough and should be enough for a NO vote. This stuff is the icing on cake. he is a rich white guy who has never been held accountable or interact with the people he seeks to judge. Lied about openness to abortion, knowledge about Kozinsky hararrassing and inappropriate behavior, his mysteriously disappearing debts, renovations on house with no loans or increase in income.
Yeah, sounds like he was stumbling drunk a lot of the time when he was young. The New Yorker piece talks about how he was kinda shy when sober and booze unleashed a scary side of him. Sad and enraging to think that after all this time he is still deep in denial about his behavior. Astonishing and frightening that he’s a federal judge. It’s long past time that he be held accountable. At the very least his dishonesty merits disqualification from the SCOTUS!
I feel like it should be noted again that it was not a secret that Mitch McConnell knew Kavanaugh would be a problematic nominee. They all KNEW he was sketchy af and proceeded anyway, most likely at Trump’s insistence.
@ Esmom
The naked desperation with which they’re trying to ram this Sexual Predator and potential Rapist on to the Supreme Court makes me suspect that these guys are absolutely terrified of something coming down the pipeline…….eg perhaps Mueller has discovered/is discovering that half the gop is in Russia’s pockets.
Maybe this guy’s the only judge they’ve found dirty enough to safeguard them against it.
Whatever they’re guarding against though, it’s big.
He was definitely a binge drinker from the sound of it, but alcohol is not the core of the problem. Plenty of twenty-one year olds get hammered in college and never harm anyone. What drinking does is remove your inhibitions – i.e. you see who that person really is underneath. Add in the time period, the fraternity, the wealth and privilege, and it’s not hard to see how that all added up to revealing his true character under the influence. That’s just the convenient excuse.
yes, this. alcohol was the catalyst, but his privilege and entitlement combined with apparent hatred/overall disrespect of women is his real problem.
and Bella Du Pont, I totally agree that likely a large majority of the GOP elected officials are in the pocket of Putin and the Russians.
I went to plenty of parties in high school and university where guys were super drunk and they managed to not rape women. They usually did stupid stunts and hurt themselves only.
You would expect they drop him like a hot potato. But seeing how this new brand of Republican’s are just awful, I see them fighting for him & calling all these women liars working for the “deep state.”
Virginfangirl- right after Ramirez’s story broke, I saw a tweet connecting her to George Soros… Sigh. The loons will not stop with their nonsense.
One accuser is not credible, more than one accuser is a coordinated smear campaign…
It’s interesting that they’re not dropping him. They could easily find another hard right candidate. What they’re most concerned about then, we can infer, is that Kavanaugh will enable (Republican) president to act without legal consequence. He’s key for Trump specifically, that’s why they’re pushing him through still.
I feel so sorry for the daughters of the GOP, hearing their parents say these things. The sons, too.
It’s so clear that this nomination is going to be incredibly destructive for the gop and yet, they’re are all lock stock and barrel behind it…….that makes me think it’s bigger than just Trump……
McConnell is not putting his own job on the line (if Dems win house/senate) just to further trumps agenda…..I don’t believe the loyalty to him is that deep or genuine…..there must be far more to this…..
I read that they are doubling down on Kavanaugh because they believe getting him in will show Trump’s supporters how powerful he is.
I know right? I don’t understand the doubling down; like you can’t find another candidate who isn’t as dodgy??? I mean their candidate would still be problematic but maybe not as shifty as this guy. Sh*t.
It would be easy to find another right wing judge. It’s nearly impossible to find a judge whose opinions are so closely aligned with Kavenaugh’s. He is of the opinion, openly stated, that the president is above the law.
I still don’t understand the rush to get this guy on the Supreme Court. Investigate the claims before continuing with the hearings. Will it make that much a difference if the hearings are delayed for a few weeks?
Mueller must be rumoured to be ready to drop a huge bombshell regarding the Russia investigation. 45 and some senior GOP must be very nervous and want an ally on the court
@rbc: the GOP is afraid they are going to tank the midterms and the seat will remain open.
Eric is correct. BK was chosen for his beliefs about a sitting president being above the ability to prosecute. That’s the reason for the rush.
Muffie’s correct. This is going to make the Blue Wave a Blue Tsunami, I know so many women who are so pissed off about this! I’m about 8 years younger than Kavanaugh, and when I entered university, everything was clamping down at all the campuses. They were all trying to clean up the mess that the likes of Mike Judge and Brett Kavanaugh created in the 1980’s. We heard so many stories of “legendary” parties, but also of horrifying gang rapes from people who were a few years older than us. It was the era of hands-off parenting of latch key teenagers, 1980’s stock market money, and rich kid drug / alcohol mixing.
Mike Judge is a ringleader predator, and Brett Kavanaugh is one of the “wingmen” who liked the rich boys’ wolf pack, and the taboo things he could do while running with the pack. The psychology of the “thrill seeking” and social science of those packs needs a lot more analysis and publicity.
I anticipate today’s UN speech will be full of dog whistle statements to turn the media’s attention away from the Kavanaugh debacle. Kavanaugh needs to withdraw to save his reputation (and probably resign from the Federal circuit to save their reputation as impartial on sexual assault matters).
All Lisa Murkowski or Susan Collins need to do is make a speech that says “I am open to this candidate, but only if we return to regular order, as John McCain would have wanted us to do. And I want to hear all the complaints, and review *all* the documents from the GW Bush years.” That’s it! They don’t even have to vote against Kavanaugh. They just to have to demand regular order, and it’s game over, find yourself another right wing candidate, Donnie Numbnuts.
There are plenty of conservative judges out there who do not have ethical issues. They could have picked anyone but I think they picked this dummy because he is beholden to someone in the GOP (country club fees, million dollar home, erasure of debt).
I know a lot of judges. Many make their millions before they join the bench (partners in prestigious law firms). From what I understand. BK has always been a govt employee? He didn’t really make a dent in the private legal world? So yeah, where did he get that money to buy all that?
RBC, I thought the rush was just to get him confirmed before they got crushed in the mid terms but now it also seems it because they know there are more women out there and they need to “plow right through this” before they all come forward.
Serious question, were the GOP always this evil? I mean, I always disagreed with their overall platform but I’m really having a hard time with just how truly cold and callous they are. Grassley and Hatch are like comic book villians at this point.
If you read about the Bill Clinton era, they were just as evil. It was either less obvious or we were not as tuned in, maybe a bit of both for me. The right wing has been building to its current incarnation for a long time, well before Clinton.
I date their current state to the early 60s when the John Birchers started gaining influence and it accelerated from there to their current disgusting configuration. Nixon’s racist dog whistles, the courtship of the Religious Right Nutcases, the laser focus on abortion, the demonization of non WASPs. And on and on. And here we are. People they don’t give a flying flip about-poor, uneducated whites-are some of their biggest supporters. Even if Dems take over in November I don’t know how to reach the true believers.
Read this interesting/scary article about how the Dems just don’t seem to have a clue just what they’re dealing with in the current gop……
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5b3a935fe4b07b827cb9bd89
100%, Jerusha. This has been a long time coming.
Don’t forget that they stacked the Supreme Court with all right wing related cases for October. They need the extra conservative vote.
Bella DuPont
That article is spot on. The current political climate in America is due to the the failures of the Democratic Party.
We are experiencing the same thing in the UK. There would be no Brexit had the Labour party won in 2015.
Women have never been credible accusers because society doesn’t consider them people.
And we’re prone to hysteria, doncha know.
One of my high school classmates (Harvard grad, brilliant IP attorney) started posting “witch hunt” re Kavanaugh. When someone pointed out the witches that Mueller has been collecting he stated, there is no evidence of collusion. This drives me nuts. Here is an obviously high intelligent professional spouting the Faux bs.
These people all suck.
That repetition of the word ‘train’ in those questions is chilling and telling. Avenatti obviously has a fairly detailed account from his client.
I think the gop will dump Kavanaugh in the next few days and get going with some other doughey creep.
There it is – Doctor Ford’s courage has given other abused women the strength to come forward.
This is what the Republicans were afraid of. They tried to bully Doctor Ford to withdraw and smear but Republicans seems to have forgotten that this is the MeToo era.
Kavanaugh gets confirmed, Republicans are screwed as they will lose House & Senate. If he doesn’t get approved, they will lose their conservative base alongside the House & Senate.
Well deserved karma for the Republicans and those vile white men.
“There it is – Doctor Ford’s courage has given other abused women the strength to come forward.”
There must be SO many others. I am glad that Dr Ford, and this second accuser came forward. I am so grateful for their bravery…I cannot imagine being in their shoes. I have my own story that I have never told anyone…and cannot imagine if my abuser was about to come into that kind of power. On the one and, of course I would want to come forward…but on the other, I have NEVER done so in my entire life, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to come forward now….in public. Especially knowing what Dr Ford has been dragged through.
Imagine how many women in the legal profession must have stories but won’t come forward because that is near certain career suicide…….imagine a clerk trying to take on a Justice of SCOTUS……. the prospect must be terrifying
I’m so grateful for these women coming forward. I wish there was something I could do for them, I swear. These women are warriors, I have so much respect for them.
Pamela, I totally get what you’re saying, I don’t know if I could do the same either, especially if I thought I was the only one going against a bunch of powerful men. Unfortunately, we are rarely the only one. Peace to you.
Love the header pic where Kavanaugh’s doing the same “this is the size of my d*ck” hand gesture Trump always makes. That’s all I have to say because I don’t want to break the censors on this board.
What was it for? Why this guy? I know the GOP is in a hurry to establish their tax free Gilead, but we arent quite there yet; why him? There were so many others who would have given them the same idiotic conservative votes on the court. Was it to guarantee Donald’s get out of jail free card with Brett’s suddenly changed views on presidential power (like his old boss, Ken Starr, Brett now thinks that a president should not be subject to indictments while in office)? Was it to spit in Hillary and Bill Clinton’s eye?, Kavanaugh was the panty sniffing pervert who came up with prying and prurient questions. Was it just to further the criminal conspiracy of the GOP? If Grassley, Graham, McConnell, etc., knew about this, they need to resign now.
Or was it just blind stupidity?
Do you know what the message is, to me at least? “Women aren’t people to the GOP.”
Betsy.. I read an article yesterday but that basically said BK was groomed for this position for the past 30years. He had the right pedigree and people from University and Republicans who guided his path.
Well, I guess it’s difficult for the GOP to find someone absolutely corrupt enough to help them carry out their full agenda…….which is actually a good thing? Because I’d hate to think that there might be even worse choices out there.
There are women Republicans who are defending Kavanagh in multiple paid commercials. They consider themselves of less value than men.
One older woman even said something like what boy in high school hasn’t done such things?
I guess they will need to revise the commercials so she can say “what boy in college hasn’t done such things?”. Then as more surfaces, “What man in his twenties hasn’t done such things?” And then “What man in his forties….”
It is so disturbing when they go the “what boy doesn’t do this?” route. Most don’t. Who are these women who have been assaulted by their classmates at parties and it is common? They need help because it’s not normal or common.
Nic919, I agree. when people ask that, my answer is “my current bf. MOST if not ALL of my male friends in HS and college.” in fact, they were much more likely to be all “is that guy bothering you?”
I’ve worked in 2 careers with almost all male co workers, & only had 1 very scary experience. Nearly all my experiences with both boys and men have been void of sexual assault. So no, not all boys behave like this.
One of the women in that commercial withdrew her support. I don’t know if she can get that ad removed since she no longer supports good ole Brett.
Everything Trump touches dies.
Mitch McConnell may be about as much use to his actual constituents as a chocolate teapot in a volcano, but he’s politically smart and warned Herr Katzengrabbenführer that getting a man whose closet is 93% skeletons through the confirmation process would be a tough ask. And so it has come to pass.
I’m sorry but I have to do this 😉
“Katzengrabbenführer” is not a word. I mean, yes, we can make all kinds of words in German, so it’s technically a word, but a nonsense one. A literal translation would land somewhere in the region of “cat crabs leader”. Fun fact: “Grabben” is used in one of our northern dialects to express a stupid idea (I just learned this *lol*)
So, please, in the future use the term “Katzengrabscher” if you must. My German brain imagines one of the Beagle Boys stealing kitties from the street, but that’s not far off. He already has the bandit mask…
On the subject: I’m just speechless and send all my best wishes to these brave women.
No one is suggesting it’s a word. Katzen – cats, or the slang word that also means vaginal/vulvar area, grabben – grabs, fuhrer – speaks for itself. I don’t know if you remember but Brannon leaked that tape of Trump on the bus with Billy Bush in which Trump admitted to grabbing women by their genitals.
Well, on the one hand, as you also undoubtedly realize, I’m sure it was meant as the pseudo-German familiar to comedians, keeping it close enough to the English so English-speakers are likely to understand it.
On the other hand – it is wonderful to know a more grammatically correct rendition! I wonder what German media were actually using for the pussy grabbing concept? Probably something quite different, I would assume. They would have to find a crude German word for the actual body part that can also actually be safely used in reporting. That was a problem here, some newscasters didn’t really want to use the word. In any case, there would still be the problem in other languages explaining the pussy hats and their connection to pussy grabbing, if that connection is broken in their language. Localization is so hard…
Of course, unless I’m mixing this up with some other incident, Stephen Colbert reported on it from home (he was on break, I think), picking up his cat to help with the story.
@ Jwoolman
I’ve just checked some of the newspapers I read: They’re actually using the English transcript! They totally avoid the word “Pussy” or “Muschi” (what me and my fellow olds used back in the day). This is so awkward, wow.
After the translation of “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything” they just stop. Instead of continuing the translation they’re giving the reader the equivalent “And then he discribes sexual assault” or “and then he discribes parts of the female anatomy” or “then he discribes how he touches them between the legs” Whaaat?
I did not notice this at all.
For the record: Less “serious” outlets actually use “Pussy-Grapscher”
And @ Betsy I’m sorry my joke didn’t land 😉
Spikey – thanks so much for the info on German pussy grabbing translation difficulties. Now I’m wondering how other languages handled it… They might have done as German media did, used the English and tried to describe what it meant. This could make a good subject for a thesis in translation studies!
I’ve read and heard comments from English-to-X translators saying that Trump is very difficult to translate without making him seem more coherent than he actually is. The dilemma is whether they should try to clean it up for comprehensibility and if they do, how can they do it without deceiving the reader about his word salads. I myself would just let his disordered mind shine and use a lot of [sic] so the translator doesn’t get blamed. Providing the original English sounds like a sensible precaution.
This man is a deviant. Period. He needs to do what is right and walk away from this nomination. It’s all so shady and tainted. I’m also still curious to know how Kavannah had his 200k in debt paid off. It was all paid off before Justice Kennedy announced that he was stepping down from his position. How? He MAKES 200k a year an THIS year he pays it off? Someone paid it off for him, to clear him of any financial hurdles/ questions that it would cause. Who wants him on the supreme court that badly beside Agent Orange? This is like an episode of Scandal. Awful.
The whole $ thing confuses me too..if the FBI really did investigate him before wouldn’t this be a glaring red flag? Yet I hear no senator, on either side, ever bring this up. I’m growing so very tired of hearing where are witnesses..as if every rape occurs in front of an audience. Listen up you talking heads..you believe her or you think she’s lying..stop with the ‘uncover facts’ doublespeak..she’s giving the facts, and there’s no reason on earth anyone else would know them.
The alleged money trail is a huge concern. Why can’t our “leadership” discuss two things at once?
As for his shady past, I had a gut feeling someone would surface by the first of this week. Now Avenatti is involved, and he does not play softball.
It’s also disturbing how he spent so much money. He is a die-hard Washington Nationals MLB fan. He piled up that $200,000 buying season tickets and tickets to play-off games. He used three different credit cards to spread out his spending. This is insane and sounds like someone who also gambled. A guy who has a debt from baseball tickets that equals his entire salary is the best nominee for SCOTUS? He also wouldn’t answer questions about his drinking habits? Good grief! This guy is a hard drinking, rapey-minded a$$hole whose debt magically disappeared just before he was nominated? Honestly, has the GOP just become a good old boys club that covers for each other? I feel like screaming!
“has the GOP just become a good old boys club that covers for each other?”
yes, about 60 years ago. they just don’t try to hide it these days.
I used to work in mortgage banking, so I want to follow up on this one with more solid information. Per Vanity Fair, Mother Jones and WaPo sources, the Kavanaughs refi’d their $1.225m home in 2015 with a mortgage for $865k. They also pay $20,600 per year in tuition for their 2 girls in catholic school. Property taxes run 0.85% for Montgomery, MD, so about $10,400 per year. They belong to a country club that they recently joined for a $94,000 initiation fee, and annual dues of $9,000 so their girls can use the facilities.
In his letter of explanation to the FBI, Kavanaugh explained that he charges 4 luxury box season tickets on his own credit cards, and then his friends pay him back when they buy tickets from him on a game-by-game basis. Okay….
Additionally, he explained that his older home required multiple stages of renovations and he charged them to his credit card, and took out a loan against his TSP (federal government retirement fund). This included upgrading the HVAC system and replacing the roof, etc. Yes, all of that gets very expensive. But why didn’t he take out a HELOC or fixed second mortgage?
The Initiation Fee for the country club he says comes from family money (his father was millionaire executive at a private company). Okay….maybe.
Kavanaugh makes $220,000 annually as a Federal Judge. He also earned $27,000 last year as a part time professor at Harvard. His wife works part time for their township, earning $66,000 annually. So the total income is $313,000. Divide by 12 and their monthly income is $26,083.
Now, putting on my Loan Officer hat, an $865k loan is considered a “jumbo” loan, and the debt-to-income ratio should be about 30%, or max out at 36%.
$9390 is the maximum monthly debt they should carry at 36%
Here is what recurring debt / bills they do carry:
$4900 / month first mortgage principal & interest (assuming a rate of 5.0-5.5%)
$ 867 / month property taxes
$ 358 / month homeowner insurance (assuming $3.50 per $1000 of property annual)
$1717 / month tuition for Catholic Schiool
$ 750 / month dues to the country club
——————————————————–
$8592 / Total each month (33% debt-to-income ratio)
At this ratio, there is really no room for them to take on credit card payment debt, or qualify for a second mortgage. Kavanaugh has already tapped his TSP for a loan to cover home improvement expenses.
So where did the money come from to pay off the credit card debt? If it’s family money, that’s okay, but he needs to document that. Because this family has very liquid savings to access. Zero money saved for the girls’ college costs, and is running out of assets they can borrow against, given their debt-to-income ratio.
If I was still a Loan Officer, I would advise Kavanaugh to sit in $12 bleacher seats for baseball games, put his girls in public school, quit the country club, and save up the difference for a rainy day fund over 2 years. I might even advise him to sell the house, before the market collapses, rent or move in with his parents for two years, and then buy at the bottom of the market crash. His job as a Federal Circuit judge is probably secure, but his wife might get laid off in a market collapse.
That would be the ***fiscally conservative*** thing to do. But we all know conservatives aren’t really financially responsible.
Soooooo interesting, JayneBirkinB! Thank you for posting!
Even without all the other sexual assault accusations, Kavanaugh needs to document the financials completely. If he received a $200k loan from a family member, or a “gift” toward the country club initiation fee, he needs to document it completely. Because I can’t figure out how he got the funds without taking out a second mortgage or a (ahem) *private* loan from a benefactor.
As citizens we need to verify that our SCOTUS Justices and our Federal Circuit Judges are not beholden to anyone, especially a banker (see the Manafort loan) or a benefactor. Such a high debt level could even force him to recuse himself from cases that involve banking issues. If he really is gambling, that’s another area he could not rule on for SCOTUS. What happens if MLB has a case that reaches SCOTUS? He’s so financially invested in MLB that he would also need to recuse. SCOTUS also occasionally rules on sexual harassment or abuse related cases too. Will he have to recuse? If he withdraws or is not confirmed, what will he do as a continuing Federal Circuit judge?
It’s one thing for Scalia and Bader-Ginsberg to both be opera aficianados, but this is a whole ‘nother level.
As a judge he has to file a yearly financial disclosure report with the judiciary. It documents everything, what you own, where outside money comes from (stocks etc). They have all the paperwork.
Not just the outstanding debt but the million dollar home, the exclusive country club memberships, $40K for daughters’ education. He clearly buys more than he earns. Who’s his master?
This whole situation gets more depressing every day. I still fully expect Kavanaugh to be confirmed before the mid-terms. The GOP have nothing left to lose at this point, and 45 is absolutely not going to let his golden ticket walk away.
This is just the beginning of this particular shit show.
Even if GOP wanted to get rid of him, Emperor ShroomHead won’t let them. The perv is his get out of jail card on the SC – IQ45 knows what’s coming and he’s prepping his base and the party to protect him.
What did the dotard said, “deny, deny, deny, Never Admit”. So Kav is following the Dotard’s play book, deny, deny, deny.
These people are so afraid of Mueller it’s pathetic.
“Quelle suprise,” said no one.
And they are going to provide “calendars.” As is a risk-taking, consequences-be-damned, drunken misogynist like him would *EVER* keep a calendar- it is inconsistent with that behavioral profile- ask any detective or FBI agent… I doubt that even as a professional that he does– he relegates that task to his short-skirted, fresh- faced secretarial staff.
Disgusting, hypocritical, abusive pig. He deserves everything that is coming.
I heard the calendar claim this morning. As if the average high schooler or college student of the 1980s would keep a completely accurate calendar of their days and nights.
I won’t be surprised if the calendars show Bible study and volunteering every single evening. And he dug then out of his hope chest, no doubt.
And covered with Hello Kitty stickers and glitter.
If I was falsely accused of a murder that took place ONE month ago, I would go to jail if a “calendar” was an important aspect of the investigation. I cannot remember what I did a week ago…seriously. And my calendar only lists appts…so sure, if my cat had a vet appt the day of the murder, I might be ok…but otherwise…no.
That said, a person who is raped or sexually assaulted will often every detail of the attack, but if it was 30 years ago, they may not remember the day and time unless it was significant like “after the prom” etc.
Not only do they NOT keep a calendar (esp. one that is over 30 yrs old!!!), but WHO writes “drinking with buddies (or was it friends? Don’t remember) in a calendar AT 17???!!!
just saw a very funny tweet:
mom: did you have a party while I was away?
me: no
mom: then why is there a beer bottle in my bed?
me: not sure, but if you look at my calendar you’ll see I have no entry for a party on that date
mom: ok, carry on.
I truly don’t understand why Trump admin is bound and determined to confirm Kavanaugh. There’s literally a short list of conservatives on Federal courts that could make the Supreme Court conservative like the R’s want. Why this guy? I know he has a ton of friends in the nomination committee but damn.
The stunts these folks are pulling to protect this nominee is absurd.
I don’t think he was even on the original list that GOP gave IQ45, he was pushed forward by Trump because he switched his views on sitting presidents being prosecuted/indicted for crimes. He’s IQ45’s ticket to walking away scot free on colluding with a hostile nation, money laundering for said hostile nation and obstruction of justice charges. If Kav doesn’t get on the court, chances of the SC ruling to protect EZ are not good.
Kav has already stated that regardless of the evidence etc.. a sitting Pres shouldn’t be held accountable for crimes committed before or during office.
He’s a loyalist that’s why. Even with Gorsuch the Nazi was skeptical whether he can be a company man (it turns out he wasn’t.). Gorsuch may be a conservative but even he will follow the rule of the law. Ole Brett won’t that’s why Nazi is salivating over him.
45 wanted Brett because he is of the belief that Presidents are above the law. At this point, the GOP would have to really rush to replace him before the midterms. I honestly don’t think they’d have enough time to get a new candidate in and approved of in the next 6 weeks–so they are sticking with their original investment.
We need to continue to delay because these guys are hellbent on getting Kavanaugh confirmed ASAP. The crazy thing is that these revelations give Collins and Murkowski an easy out to say that they will not confirm based on the allegations. They’ll probably fall in line with the rest of the Rethugs though. If Kavanaugh had an ounce of class he’d withdraw his nomination entirely, but again, it’s the GOP–classless .
That’s what I’ve been wondering. Trump had about 12 names on his SCOTUS list, so they could have easily found someone else who is willing to overturn Roe v Wade. It’s got to be the combination of Roe AND a willingness to let the president off the hook for any illegal activity that makes this guy so unique that they have to ram him through, no matter how big of a rapey asshat he is.
It’s hard for me to believe that BK is the only conservative nominee on the short list to be on the HIGHEST Court in our nation that wouldn’t agree that a Sitting President shouldn’t be prosecuted. That’s not a hard ask especially in these times. Republicans run Congress. I could’ve swore the hyper religious Catholic judge said the same thing when names were being bandied about.
And it’s not like folks that vetted BK didn’t know about his sexual assault/harassment background – especially Whelan, Grassley, and McConnell. That’s why I’m so confused at how terribly it’s all been handled. They’ve had months to figure this out or at the very least had a plan B nominee. lol, I don’t even remember Gorush’s confirmation.
I hope Avanetti has the goods, because if this guy actually is a serial gang rapist, and they are going to put him on the court, we have gone beyond anything I could have imagined.
As to the why…people are right that he’s trump’s get out of jail free card, but…I think trump could find another one of those to put on the court. I think part of this is that trump is never going to let the bitches win. No bitch is going to tell him what to do. He wants to golden shower all of us. We’re nothing. We cannot win.
What did Kav said, “what happened at Georgetown stays in Georgetown”, I guess the pledge of keeping secrecy is no more. The women are coming home to tell their storied. I’m saying, stick a fork in him, he’s done, jmo.
If a sitting president can be impeached for *lying * about a consensual, of-age affair (a gross affair, but the affair itself wasn’t what got Clinton impeached) then let us ponder what we can do to a wannabe SCOTUS who has lied repeatedly about a series of nonconsensual, predatory attacks …
Remember the stink that was made over possibly smoking a joint as a young adult (“I didn’t inhale!”). What quaint times.
Indeed, let/s wonder. Bleasey Ford can also bring charges against him in Maryland since there is no statute of limitations. And even if Kav gets his seat he could be impeached once the Dems win the House, as Whitehouse has hinted at doing. The message is that this is not going to go away.
And yes, Trump hates women. That’s pretty clear. The rest of the GOP are old men whose best-by date has long since expired. They’ve been in their seats far too long. Maybe there should be term limits for Congress and Senate too so that they don’t lose touch with what real people have to deal with. Their entitlements (like health care) should be very limited. Maybe also consider a compulsory retirement age for both houses and SCOTUS. In Australia, the compulsory retirement age of High Court judges (highest court in the land) is 70.
As long as a person on the SCOTUS is of sound mind and in decent health, I don’t care if he or she is 52 or 92. The experience that comes with age is valued most places. (The same is true for Congress. And in Congress, a younger replacement does not take over the committee assignments of the elder, who achieved them via seniority.)
One reason for lifetime appointments is to prevent political pressures on the justices. But that also means that we are stuck with the bad ones, so it’s important to insist on a proper confirmation process. We already have a pervert on the bench, we really don’t need another one.
So, Kavanaugh gave the heads up that these stories were out there to the GOP. Or it came out during prior investigations. But now he is lying and saying it never happened. So the committee KNOWS he is lying and is still trying to ram him through. Think about that. And if he walks away or is forced out of this nomination, you know Trump and the GOP will be sooooo pissed at Democrats and women that they will nominate someone even WORSE out of spite. This is the country we live in, folks.
I was expecting this. It’s never just one incident and I knew Dr Ford was telling the truth. I’ve been avoiding twitter and the news in general lately but I really hope the Dems are framing this as a bigger issue than just one man: IMO this is about changing our culture. If we want young men to behave differently in the future and we want parents to teach their sons to behave differently I think we need some cautionary tales like this guy losing his shot at becoming a SCOTUS Justice. It’s simple incentives.
It must be good times in the Kavanaugh household right now.
I’m not shocked by a lot these days, given Emperor Zero’s track record. But I am a bit taken aback by Chuck Grassley and his attempt to ram EZ’s nominee through on a Monday (today) when he knew, last week, that there was a second credible person accusing Kav.
Grassley KNEW!
They ALL know.
Somehow I’d guess Kavanaugh’s wife isn’t bringing out baked goods to the media this week. And yeah, it should be surprising that Grassley knew about Ramirez but it’s not. Still, this debacle is beyond enraging. Kavanaugh’s face is more repulsive than Trump’s to me now.
Yeah, that’s going to be an interesting time at home. Wifey not so smug this week? She has to go along ‘cos Brett is her meal and status ticket. But what do they tell their daughters? They’ll hear things and when old enough, can find out as much as they care to about daddy’s dirty deeds. And what would daddy do if his girls became targets of boys just like him? I’ll bet they attend the sister school of GP or something very similar.
The moment for me was Kav’s refusal to shake Fred Guttenberg’s hand, showing utter disdain as if he were a bad smell. The Kavs of the world will hopefully lose everything ‘cos I’m pretty sure he could lose his current job because of this and previous perjury. Their enablers like the Chua chick and her filthy husband deserve to lose all they value: status and money. Yale Law School has a review of the husband underway where everything is up for review. They have not ruled out removing tenure. Ha! Ha! Ha! And Amy Chua is off sick, conveniently. What’s the bet YLS will show them the door? That’ll hit the pair where it hurts. Excellent.
.
Of course Grassley knew. And he knew about Dr. Ford the same day Feinstein did and tried to suppress it. There should be absolutely no surprises when it comes to how low Grassley will sink. He refused to hold confirmation hearings on Merrick Garland but is trying to rush Kavanaugh onto the court without examination of these serious allegations or of his record at the Bush White House. Those files still have not been made available to the Senate committee.
Grassley, McConnell, and Graham should face prosecution for this. It’s unconscionable. It beyond the pale.
It’s all so overwhelming isn’t it — the assaults on women that have been going on just as we thought we were gaining ground. And by assaults, I mean not just the physical but the political ones as well — at all levels of our lives — in our homes, our offices, our communities. All the while being admonished/silenced to be ladylike, professional, to lean in, etc. It’s enraging. BK is the embodiment of this continuum of misogyny. And if not for the actual rapes, he’d be moving smoothly through to confirmation, how scary is that. I think we need to impeach Thomas now too, and put Merrick Garland in. It feels like war at this point…the constitutional crisis is on…
Sue Denim, Yes. The Kavanaugh revelations are sickening, no matter what people say about how it’s not surprising that more revelations surface every day. Avanetti’s latest revelation is even more horrifying. And now hideous, ancient, pompous ass Orrin Hatch is saying written statements by Mark Judge are the equivalent of sworn statements. So Prof. Ford testifies in person while decaying frat boys only have to send in a note. Oh, and let’s just gaslight the hell out of everybody with doppelganger stories, calling people like disgusting Fast Eddie Whelan “ethical.” And Grassley’s communication director Garrett Ventry who knew about Prof. Ford and helped Fast Eddie with the doppelganger story.
And that entire Lean In, “you can do it all” kind of BS all while there is still a rampant culture of misogyny. I hate it.
Let’s hope Whelan et al get sued for everything they’ve got. I would not hesitate for a nano-second. Get everything, and kick them some more. And then again, just ‘cos.
It is overwhelming.
And during the same time that BK was shoving his parts into the faces of non-consenting women, you had Les Moonves at CBS silencing TV shows with strong female leads. It isn’t as horrible of a crime as assault, but it does show how there was this wide-spread effort to silence women on so many levels.
F*ck the patriarchy.
Shithouse.
Brett Kavanaugh is the quitenesstial 80s teen movie preppy villain. Cmon, his name is BRETT! The only way to top it would be if it were Chad.
Steff from Pretty in Pink.
That’s exactly who I was thinking of when the Ford story came out.
I thought Glenn Gulia from “The Wedding Singer”, but now I think that’s Mike Judge’s character, and Brett K was one of his wingmen.
As soon as Dr. Ford came forward, I believed it was because she suspected that there must be other women. I am sure there are more than these 3. There are most certainly former law clerks as well who are afraid to speak at risk of destroying their careers.
Hardly surprising. There’s never just one victim. Once you decide your entitlement to a person’s body overrides their autonomy, there’s nothing you can’t do. IMO, the problem with the term “serial rapist” is that it pretends most sexual assault perpetrators aren’t repeat offenders.
*Applause*
Nailed it.
YES! Sorry for shouting, but yes, yes, yes! So, I guess Kav and his buddies arrived at the decision by high school that they somehow deserved full access to female bodies. So, before Dr. Ford came forward, Kav brought his daughters and all the little girls from the team he coaches to see the room where he was going to be crowned. The girls were very cute, all excited and giggling. So, what is the magical age when girls go from being cute to being looked upon as prey. 16? 17? I feel sick.
I believe Dr. Ford was 15 at the time of her attack, so I guess that’s the magic number. They make me sick to my stomach! Castration with a dull spoon is too good for them!
Yup. And when they’re protected by enablers saying “boys will be boys” and “it was so long ago, it shouldn’t ruin HIS life” people like him don’t see any need to stop. Obviously their sense of common decency and respect for women is not enough for these monsters.
I bet if Kavanaugh was a minority those “oh it’s a boy thing” apologists won’t be spouting the same shit they are doing now.
Kavanaugh poses such a threat to women’s right to autonomy with regard to healthcare and reproductive decisions. I am so proud of these incredibly brave women who are coming forward with their stories. The way the Republican party seeks to destroy and discredit these woman is criminal, and I don’t know that I would be strong enough to withstand it.
I’ve been really struggling the past couple of weeks with all this. It’s not just BK but what the sordid situation has brought to light. It’s 2018 and no matter how many advances we think we’ve made, rape culture and the patriarchy as a whole are still ruining women’s lives. When will it end?
I should have read your comment first!
We’re struggling right there with you, Louisa. Hugs. We will get through this, and hopefully our society will be better off on the other side. Recognizing these wrongs gives us an opportunity to make them right.
Also, Bill Cosby gets sentenced this week. Hopefully justice will be served in some fashion on that case.
I’m so not surprised. Men rarely ever sexually assault just one woman. If they got away with it, they’ll do it again and again.
I’m finding all of this so incredibly depressing. I mean, I already know the reality–I’m a woman. I believe all these women because it’s happened to me and it’s happened to nearly every woman I know.
But the way these men are so openly defending sexual assault and making excuses and blaming the women–as has always been done–is wearing on me badly. It feels like for all the progress we’ve made as women, we’re still really at square one if we can’t even as a society acknowledge that THIS DOES HAPPEN and MEN NEED TO STOP.
I feel the same way Anastasia. It IS depressing. Especially for older women. Gen x’ers like me imprinted on the Hill hearings. Many of us fought hard, I was so enraged by how they treated Anita Hill, I was so young. I went door to door in the “year of the woman”.
We fought this battle. We were told we won.
And here we are, nearly 30 years later, back at square one.
I’m a Gen X, too. I feel all of this.
Men cannot be allowed to control women or their bodies. Period.
Same. I was in my early 20s when Anita Hill testified. I believed every word she said. That was the first time I began to realize that the sexual harassment I was experiencing at work at that same time was wrong. This whole situation is so infuriating and I just feel like I’m sputtering all the time and I can’t concentrate or speak clearly. Both of my despicable Senators are on the Judiciary committee and I resistbot them daily. It does no good, they are all in with the GOP misogyny agenda. I try to not hate people, but it’s just impossible these days.
Co-sign, I was 19 and my college roomie and I were glued to the TV after class every day. What struck me most was how many men would say (with alarm in their voices) in the years that followed “Why are women so sensitive? Why we can’t let men be men? Tailhook was just how men behaved, so was Clarence Thomas talking about porn”.
Mueller must be breathing down the GOP’s neck of they’re willing to force this through like this.
I just went into a rabbit hole of replies to one of Avenatti’s tweets regarding (in part) a reference to multiple F’s and what it means. Replies claim MA made it up; they have just never heard of such a saying.
I was a naive high schooler in a conservative area, and I heard a variation of the phrase (four Fs, but the same vulgar sentiment) in TENTH GRADE. Our school’s most egotistical jock told friends that was his motto.
This would have been in 1984, same general time period as this guy’s “FFFFFFourth of July” entry in his yearbook.
I predict he will withdraw (no pun intended)
McConnell saying they were going to plow right through with his nomination was sickening and I had the same reaction as an earlier poster. Have Republicans always been this evil?
I am not at all surprised there are more victims and the second account’s details ring so disgustingly true.
The more I read about this man and how Congress is handling this… I am becoming convinced that they knew all of this ALL along. The first clue should have been when just …hours?…. after the Ford allegations came out the WH had that letter from 64 women saying what a up-standing guy Kavanaugh is. Who the f has that at the ready? They God Damn know and don’t give a shit. I am just so angry. I’m so tired of this.
I don’t know i you’ve heard, but 63 of the 65 women withdrew their name from that letter. Apparently he didn’t tell them who the letter of support was really for.
@Lady D Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case. Politico reached out to all of them and reports that 7 women stand by their support of Kavanaugh. Five refused to comment, and the rest didn’t reply.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/16/trump-kavanaugh-allegations-response-826069
How much you wanna bet if he were a Democratic nominee, Trump would be calling him “Creepy Kavanaugh”?
Sorry to burst everyones bubble but this story started falling apart within a half hour of being published. There are plenty of denials from supposed witnesses in the story itself. You also have the NY Times, NBC, etc picking it apart. Ronan was defending himself on CNN this morning.
Think we’ll ever know the truth about anything in Trump’s government?
Brightdark
How’s Russia this time of year?
Asking for a treasonous GOP
falling apart?
Ronan Farrow is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who researches his stories extensively and doesn’t just make accusations without a LOT of evidence. he brought down Weinstein, let’s not forget (well, he and the multiple victims who were brave enough to speak out).
and there’s allegedly a fourth victim.
so, tell me again how it’s “falling apart”?
And Avenatti’s client, who is victim 3? And the woman, victim 4, whose claims are being investigated by police in Maryland ?
brightdark, you’re obviously a man, and I just have one question for you: how many women have you sexually assaulted?
“There are plenty of denials from supposed witnesses in the story itself.”
And there were also other students who remembered that it happened. Funny you left that out.
We should’ve voted the ERA admendment in as law in 1972. We need to consider it again. Why are rich white women afraid to lose their meal ticket hubby’s? For most they are well educated. Brainwashing is an incredible control mechanism. Come on ladies let’s wash our hair and brains and start the revolution needed since the 1950’s. If June Cleaver can learn jive we can learn to support each other in the fight for equal pay etc.
I just have to say BK looks like a typical frat boy. I’ve witnessed the cruelty displayed up close by these self entitled creatures. Scary and am thankful to never have been targeted by them.
Rosenstein just resigned. This is not good, guys.
where did you read that? CNN is just reporting that he “expects to be fired” today or very soon.
HE DID NOT RESIGN. HE IS STILL IN HIS JOB. He is meeting with Dump on Thurs., but for now, he is still Acting AG.
I’m crying and frightened. MSNBC is saying that he may be about to be fired.
He was the only person protecting the Mueller investigation. I really don’t know what happens now. SG Noel Francisco will be taking over. This is very scary…
Listen, my hands are shaking a bit, but I believe this; Mueller is prepared.
He knew this was coming. He is prepared.
I hope so Darla, I really hope so
Yes that is true, Darla–Mueller has Manafort and Cohen which is HUGE. This is still one of my worst fears though. We knew it could and likely would happen.
Jill Wine-Banks, who was a Watergate Prosecutor, said that during the Watergate investigation, they always “kept multiple copies” of their work product. Mueller will have copies of all of his product tucked away (hopefully for leaking!), so if they do fire him, this hopefully can become public, or at least get into the “right” hands.
CNN and Axios are reporting it. Everyone in the Twitterverse is reporting that he verbally resigned with the expectation that he would be fired shortly due to the NYT article.
I think it’s credible.
SHIT!
So what could that mean for the Mueller investigation?
Why would he resign?? He’s playing into Trumps hands by resigning, surely Trump firing him would have confirmed he had something to hide. What justification does he have? The investigation has led to convictions so hardly unjustified.
It’s not good for the investigation but it also doesn’t mean that he will fire Mueller next. Also, remember that Mueller has insurance policies with both Cohen and Manafort flipping.
Kitten, it looks to me as if the WH leaked to Axios that he resigned, but in fact other reporting is stating this is untrue. Rosenstein has refused to resign and has been summoned to the white house where he is going to force them to fire him. He has not resigned. That’s what trump wants us to believe. But Rosenstein is going out like a boss. He will not go quietly
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-rosenstein/u-s-deputy-attorney-general-rosenstein-resigns-axios-idUSKCN1M41RY
I don’t know, Darla… It has seemed like an inevitability since the NYT piece came out so it’s not a stretch to believe. But I could also completely believe that this is leaking from WH as well. I hope he stays strong.
I guess we are going to find out today. But NBC, and I forget his name but he is very well known, is it Pete Davidson? Has said Rosenstein told them he is not resigning, but he expects to be fired this morning. If he is fired and didn’t resign, I expect we may hear from Rosenstein himself, so then we will know for sure. There is more reporting now that he is resigning though. So you may be right. Why he would resign I don’t know. He should make them fire him.
I hope so, Darla.
Either way, he’s gone though. Hang tight, C/B friends, this is going to be a crazy week.
Kitten I know. I wish all I had to post about is my take on whether Jen and Justin were “really” married. And i have so much work to do, but it looks like this is the week it’s all going down. Time to hit the streets.
I read he’s resigning bc he got caught wiretapping Trump. No idea if that’s true or he’s framed.
This was a head fake. A trump leak, and now he is having Rosenstein come in on Thursday. We all know the Kavanaugh hearing is Thursday.
This guy. Man. This f’ing guy.
Oh no. Oh no, oh no.
MOTHERFU
So, he has not resigned and will be speaking with Orange Toilet on Thursday at the White House.
So either way it seems like here we go.
I feel for Deborah Ramirez who probably really did a lot of soul-searching before she came forward with this. She knew that like Christine Blasey Ford (I think that’s her full name?) everyone would try to discredit her, especially since this happened when she was inebriated and she even admits there are gaps in her memory. However the fact is while some people named at the party have refused to comment or say “that never happened I never heard of it” a number of people who went to Yale at the time have said they did hear the rumors of Kavanaugh disrobing his junk in Deborah’s face against her consent. If you heard the rumor and weren’t at the party, that means there is truth to the story. Rumors don’t get started for no reason–there is always an element of truth in them.
Seriously, how many women will it take for the GOP to stop trying to fast track this nomination? Michael Avenatti is hinting at a third, there must be more. It seems like the magic number is over 6 since MeToo started.
I’ve noticed the GOP is very careful to not call her Dr. Ford. Her title is rarely mentioned by them. I’m sure it’s intentional demeaning on their part.
Megan, reporters may be using her title and name, but Lady D is referring to the GOP. I’m not sure they have been doing that when caught in impromptu interviews. I think they’ve been avoiding giving her a name (“she”/“her”).
F*CK THIS DUDE AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO SUPPORTS HIM.
I’m a lawyer, and know we have so many distinguished jurists who have not engaged in this level of despicable, deplorable behavior. It’s not enough we overturn Roe, huh? We need a would-be rapist to really hammer it home. WTAF.
I always ask myself if the “other” side politically pulled this out of the hat at the last minute, would I still believe it? In this case, NO. I am so afraid for our country that we are becoming a country where we are not innocent until presumed guilty, but dragged thru the press and presumed guilty.
Lady Liberty is weeping.
this is not an average citizen. as a Supreme Court Justice, he is sitting on the most powerful bench in the country. he must be above reproach in all matters. this man is a flawed candidate. he isn’t being presumed guilty but it means there are questions about his suitability and his ethics. there are better candidates without this baggage.
people are presuming he’s guilty because he and his scumbag GOP supporters in congress are rushing this through and saying they don’t need an investigation and that Mark Judge (and other witnesses/character witnesses) don’t need to testify in person, under oath. it’s their behavior that makes people think he’s guilty. if you were innocent, wouldn’t you WANT a complete and thorough investigation to clear your name? wouldn’t you want people to come to testify, under oath, on your behalf? and be clear, the GOP KNEW about all of this and tried to rush his vote with no investigation. why?
but, let’s ask…why would these women lie? what do they have to gain from it? they get harassed, threatened, their and their families’ privacy is taken away, their trauma, embarrassment and shame they experienced from the assault has to be re-lived…
I’ll bet your next question will “but why now? why’d they wait so long?…” *INSERT EYE ROLL*
Your argument would be better if there wasn’t a hefty body of evidence that the prevalence of sexual assault victims is significantly out of sync with the actual statistics around rape indictments. People who know the limitations of the justice system understand exactly why victims stay silent until it matters. His own behavior and words at the time does not help undermine their stories by any means.
RR is not resigning. That’s spin from the WH. If EZ fires RR, kill switches get engaged and Mueller drops hammers on Trump kids.
Everyone relax.
Two words
Sealed Indictments
There was speculation that the Times story was planted, to encourage RR to exit. It’s also a convenient distraction from Kav’s growing mess.
I hope RR doesn’t give into bullying tactics. But if he does resign or is fired, may many indictments follow. Including obstruction of justice.
Do you really think EZ would protect his offspring at his own expense? I don’t. At some point he will throw them to the wolves to save his own orange peel lard ass.
But I guess if those sealed indictments become unsealed, EZ will go straight to jail.
He’s going to shoot himself right in the head at some point.
The 90k pages of FBI report not disclosed to the Dems…I’m betting it’s in there. The FBI knows..
This guy is being backed because of his stance on it not being legal to charge a sitting president and to dismantle Roe vs. Wade..
This guy had massive gambling and other debts that are said to be resolved way beyond his $200k salary.
I’m sure he thought he was a shoo in…he shouldn’t be on any bench let alone the USSC!
I sent a friend of mine the New Yorker article. I was in grad school with said friend, and she has a PhD. In political science. She argued that things Kavanaugh did when he did aged 17 – 25 shouldn’t derail his career. I study feminist theory and politics, so it’s arguments like this that send me into the stratosphere. I asked her if we found out Kavanaugh had murdered someone at 17, would that count? She got really quiet.
how does she feel about him lying under oath, repeatedly?
because that’s what could really “derail his career”.
if he withdraws himself from the nomination process, he’ll likely be able to finish his career in his current position as a federal judge. he’ll still get to keep his job and, contrary to what Lindsay Graham is crying about, it won’t “ruin his life”.
but if he continues?…and if he gets confirmed?…and the dems take back the house/senate? he’ll be impeached for perjury and his career WILL be over.
I hate the “derail his career” BS.
Noting being placed on the SCOTUS does not ruin a person’s life!!!!! It is an EXTREME PRIVILEGE, it is not an entitlement or an obligation to be elevated to the Supreme Court! He will STILL be a Federal judge even if he doesn’t get confirmed by the Senate.
Weird how no one ever considers the career of the rape victim being derailed
So this guy was a pig in his youth. It’s thirty years later and he’s married with young daughters. Why are these women coming out now? They aren’t just taking him down but disgracing his whole family. I saw a lot of this behaviour in my youth by drunk guys. It’s not uncommon unfortunately. Why make it public if they are so traumatized. Why not do something about it when it happened? He’s the bad guy. Not his wife and children. Two wrongs don’t make a right comes to mind.
So, you want to give a sexual predator a lifetime appointment deciding some of the most intimate and important issues of women’s lives so that his wife isn’t embarrassed?
do you really think a man with his attitude towards women should sit on the Supreme Court of the U.S.? the person who should have considered his wife and children is the same person who caused the problem. the women are coming out now because they know first hand how he treats women. he’s not fit to make law on women’s rights.
Read #WhyIDidn’tReport for a clue.
No, Kavanaugh is the one who has embarrassed and disgraced his family. His misogynistic behavior extends throughout his adulthood as he worked closely with disgraced former Judge Kosinski who had a habit of sending emails pornographic material to everyone. Kavanaugh lied and said he had no knowledge of this. There are so many questions about this guy. He disgraced his wife by putting his family in financial jeopardy by charging large debts for his entertainment, such as baseball tickets and gambling. He paraded young girls, who he should feel protective towards, as props during his nomination hearing. It’s Kavanaugh who has been a disgrace to his family.
Prof. Ford contacted her Congresswoman as soon as his nomination was announced. The Republicans knew about her complaint weeks before it came out in the Media. The Republicans are ramming through his nomination even though the entire affair has been by turns tawdry, heartbreaking and disgusting. Kavanaugh is hurting his family.
Thank you for your answer. I thought it was something from his university days only. I didn’t know this carried on throughout adulthood. One would think he’d grow out of that behaviour especially after having daughters. Men can be pigs. I was groped last week outside my office and made fun of at my expense. I was so surprised I didn’t react.
“One would think he’d grow out of that behaviour especially after having daughters.”
predators never “outgrow” it. they just start to choose their victims more carefully and cover their tracks. more often they grow INTO it.
Claire, this is the same guy who was Ken Starr’s right hand man during the Whitewater investigation. He is the one who went after Clinton’s private life and was the main instigator of revealing all of the sordid details of the Lewinsky affair. Bill Clinton also had a wife and a daughter, but that didn’t stop Kavanaugh from wanting to be even more invasive and salacious in the questioning of Clinton than the Republicans ultimately were.
Look at the horrible treatment these educated and accomplished women are receiving right now as I type this, and tell me again why you are questioning why they didn’t come forward sooner.
Not from the US. We have our own groper as PM and its rather strange that it has been swept under the carpet never to be brought up again. It’s hard to keep up with all of this. So much of it!!
Correction re young drunk guy behavior.
It’s not a “guy” thing. It’s young drunk “creep” behavior. We are not normalizing this behavior as typical male no matter how many creepy males and their supportive creepy female counterparts want us to.
Thanks, @Ali–that point really needs to be emphasized! This is not normal male behavior.
If it was “only” being a stupid teenager/young adult thing and having learned from these mistakes, then why is it so hard to acknowledge those past behaviours and say that you spent the rest of your adult life trying to atone for them? That, and an apology to the victims, could have been an acceptable thing to do and could have, perhaps, resulted in a confirmation. But he flatly denies ever had been drunk at parties… He’s lying and lying should not be acceptable when you’re trying to get a lifetime seat at the Supreme Court. There are other things that makes him a terrible candidate to begin with: excess bagage from his time working for W., ginormous debts for baseball season tickets, his unwillingness to give clear, detailed answer on Roe vs Wade, presidential immunity, etc. But he’s also a liar.
And he’s the one bringing ridicule to his family. He’s the one that brought the whole “as a father of daughters” BS and paraded his wife and daughters everywhere as examples of how nice he was to women. Those he abused have the right to say that they’ve met another side of him if they feel like it
He knows what he did. Ask yourself, Claire, what kind of entitled fool is Brett Kavanaugh that he knew what he did and he still thought he could slide to the SC with no problem?
If his wife and children are in misery, that’s on Brett’s actions, 100%.
So you got groped and mocked at your office, and admit that you didn’t react at the time because you were so surprised. Now keep in mind, you’re an adult. Some of these things happened to teenagers – who are a lot less equipped to do something about their situation than you would be.
“They aren’t just taking him down but disgracing his whole family. I saw a lot of this behaviour in my youth by drunk guys. It’s not uncommon unfortunately” – and that doesn’t make it okay. If you look at a serial killer who has a large body count – does it make it any less okay? Does it suddenly not be an illegal act because there’s plenty of other serial killers out there?
Kavanaugh alone disgraced his family. He lived his life with no concern for his victims – why should they suddenly have concern for his family? Time after time you see men like this who were allowed to behave however they wish, and even when women report to the police, nothing is done. They’re scum, and quite honestly the wife and daughters would be better off with this pig out of their lives. How would you as a parent feel if your child was friends with this dumpster fires children? How would you feel knowing she spent time at his home? I’d be pretty repulsed, personally.
Beyond that – ever have an altercation with someone – perhaps reflect on this groping incident you mentioned specifically – that you can sort of slowly push past, move on from. Then all of a sudden you see that person again, and the emotions rush in, your face gets hot, you start shaking. Now imagine if you’re seeing that person being lauded at a national level as a wonderful, moral person. How would you feel then?
Being an abusive creep isn’t something one tends to grow out of. And when there’s absolutely no consequences for ones actions, why would someone as arrogant and self centered as BK simply grow out of that behavior? Accountability needs to happen, and even then these people don’t tend to just have a miraculous epiphany and change their behavior. Many get to rely on their wife and children as a shield – knowing that they can use them as a way to guilt people out of reporting.
Lol Thanks for the lecture. I know this all too well unfortunately. Been there!
jeebus Christmas. are you for real? as someone said, google the hashtag “why I didn’t report”.
and you’re seeing in real time what happens when women DO report. they are harassed. they are threatened. their and their families’ lives are completely disrupted and the privacy taken. they have to re-live trauma and shame and embarrassment.
if I give you a dollar, will you go buy yourself a clue? SMDH.
No need to be rude!
you’re victim blaming, Claire. “disgracing his family” NO, HE did that. the victims did not disgrace anybody.
and you’re asking a question that has been answer AD NAUSEUM over the years…”why now?” do you know how f*cking HURTFUL that is to a survivor? and how many GD times it’s been explained?
you’re either willfully ignorant or you’re deliberately victim blaming. not sure which is worse. I may have been sarcastic and derisive, but I wasn’t rude.
whatWhat, I’m a survivor. I would never come out of the woodwork 34 years later and completely destroy another woman and her daughters because their dad was a creep in university. The guy showed a woman his penis and she’s so traumatized? Gimme a break! If she had really wanted to take him down why not do it privately instead of in front of the whole world. This is only creating more victims. His wife and kids. The whole thing is disgusting.
“Why not do something about it when it happened? ” You don’t know rape culture in the US. Sincerely, please read this article to get an idea of what happens to a teenager even when she reports it IMMEDIATELY after the rape.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/opinions/arlington-texas/?utm_term=.10d8e11c7129
Because he’s looking to be appointed as LIFETIME SUPREME COURT JUDGE whose decisions will IMPACT THE LIVES OF AMERICAN WOMEN FOR SEVERAL DECADES. Capitalized because apparently those stakes are somehow not enough for this to sink into people’s skulls about how serious the ramifications of this confirmation will be. These women came out NOW because they recognize that their silence is now complicity at an unprecedented level than that faced when they thought it was just their lives and reputations on the line.
Jesus Christ. All of this concern for Kavanaugh when, really, he could have avoided all of this coming out by not agreeing to the appointment. People with skeletons in their closet shouldn’t invite guests who are keen to open unlocked doors.
“These women came out NOW because they recognize that their silence is now complicity at an unprecedented level than that faced when they thought it was just their lives and reputations on the line.”
thank you for explaining this so succinctly. some people just don’t get it. and don’t want to try to “get it” either.
It’s not uncommon? Think of ALL the guys you knew, add them up. Now all those that sexually assaulted. Was it 50%? 20%? Because I’ve only TWO times in my life been sexually assaulted. Once a drunk guy reached behind me and grabbed my crotch & my bf punched him senseless. Police officer told us this guy was a badass criminal. The other guy was coworker 50 yrs my senior & our boss was shocked by my accusation. He could never work with me again, but was not fired. The worse any other guy did was try to get to the next base more than once that night but I NEVER felt scared they would force it on me. Where did you grow up, Creepyguyville?
*begin sarcastic rant*
Yes, Deborah Ramirez and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford are definitely being paid by to make these false allegations against BK. Clearly, these plans to destroy his SCOTUS chances were hatched at the same non-existent pizza parlor basement where Hillary Clinton runs her pedophile ring with Podesta. The whole radical leftist LBGTQ+ agenda gets a discount for hosting all their global cabal meetings there.
1pm- Clinton child trafficking ring mixer
2pm- Deep State Anti-Trump meeting, hosted by George Soros
3pm- Obama Kenyan Muslim Prayer Circle
4pm- Transgender bathroom takeover committee
5pm- Fake News course for liberal media
It’s obvious that this is an insidious plot because there is no way a guy who belonged to the t*ts and cl*ts fraternity could be a sexual predator.
*End sarcastic rant*
This sarcastic rant brought to you by the actual delusions on my FB and Twitter feeds.
lol
Like everybody else, I find Brett Kavanaugh’s calendars a ludicrous and laughable idea. Except, someone just pointed out a very plausible reason why he might have kept them. (Sorry in advance)
Trophies.
That was my first thought, like a serial killer. Because for the love of God, why else would anyone keep a calendar from 1982?
Throw the whole USA government away! Please and thank you!
There was a reason why Chuck G refused to let the Democrats see all of BK’s paperwork. He knew that BK has a history of attacking women. It is also crazy how his Ed W tried to push the mistaken identify defense and then today, BK used that same defense in his interview. If he has nothing to hide, then he needs to release his paperwork and allow the FBI investigation.
Brett and Mrs. Brett to do a Hail May TV appearance?
This stuff all sort of clicked for me about 3 years ago (when my oldest child was entering college). I was reading up on campus life and just couldn’t figure why why campus rape remained at the same dreadful level as when I attended so many years ago (20%).
It seemed unbelievable to me that one in five guys I knew were rapists. Then it clicked. It was likely that campuses had serial rapists. I then spent my time discussing with my son (who I am fairly sure is not likely to rape) that if he witnesses any sort of rapey behavior, it’s his obligation to do something.
It would be nice if the onus now goes to college boys to police the rapists in their midst, as frankly the onus being on college girls to (not get drunk, not be free, not go to parties without a chaperone, not dress in a “slutty” manner) manage rape hasn’t worked.