Woman accuses Kavanaugh of sexual assault decades ago

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

The Dems are really getting desperate to block Kavanaugh. Sen. Dianne Feinstein suddenly has a secret letter a week before the Judicial Committee votes and wants an investigation and a delay in the confirmation. I say BS and just Feinstein throwing a turd in the punch bowl. If true I will wipe egg off my face but I think this is just "here we go again."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/13/feinstein-releases-cryptic-statement-about-brett-kavanaugh-nomination-amid-intrigue-over-secret-letter.html

[Mikey 16,566]

The Dems started a "go fund me" campaign for some Senator's campaign chest and then said she'd only get the money if she voted against confirmation. She told them she didn't take bribes. They are the most hopeless mess I've ever seen and it's richly deserved.

[AUDub 11,141]

Nothing Feinstein could do or say would scare me, were I Kavanaugh. 

But Ronan Farrow throwing his hat in the ring would. This guy has already taken down Weinstein, Les Moonves and NYAG Schneiderman. 

 

[PUB78 1,357]

19 hours ago, Proud Tiger said:

The Dems are really getting desperate to block Kavanaugh. Sen. Dianne Feinstein suddenly has a secret letter a week before the Judicial Committee votes and wants an investigation and a delay in the confirmation. I say BS and just Feinstein throwing a turd in the punch bowl. If true I will wipe egg off my face but I think this is just "here we go again."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/13/feinstein-releases-cryptic-statement-about-brett-kavanaugh-nomination-amid-intrigue-over-secret-letter.html

Yeah, the Democrats will probably whine that he wasn't potty trained until he was 3 years old.

[AUDub 11,141]

Grassley knew about this.

No other way this could have been compiled so quickly.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Kavanaugh quickly issues a strong denial of any wrongdoing. So the ball is back in Feinsteins's court to put up or shut up.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/14/supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaugh-categorically-denies-claim-about-alleged-behavior-in-high-school.html

[AUDub 11,141]

8 minutes ago, Proud Tiger said:

Kavanaugh quickly issues a strong denial of any wrongdoing. So the ball is back in Feinsteins's court to put up or shut up.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/14/supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaugh-categorically-denies-claim-about-alleged-behavior-in-high-school.html

This coming from a guy that defended Ol' Roy.

When has anyone said "Sexual assault? Why yes I DID do that!"

Let's see if anything else comes out. These are rarely isolated incidents. And as I said, Feinstein wouldn't scare me. Ronan Farrow does. He's now the most feared journalist of this generation. 

[TitanTiger 20,472]

I am all about the MeToo moment we're having.  It's long overdue.  But at some point we're going to have to come up with some minimum standard of evidence or proof or corroboration or something.  It's getting to where the mere accusation can ruin a man's reputation and derail his career.  Does it (a false accusation) happen often?  I don't think it does, at least in the general population of men.  But might it happen more often when the stakes are high?  Absolutely.  Especially if it can be done anonymously.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

I'll also say this:  I agree with AUDub that Grassley and the GOP (including Trump) knew of this already.  That's how they were able to put out a letter with 35 women vouching for Kavanaugh so quickly.  They were prepared for it.  

That also means that Feinstein has known about it for a while.  And the fact that the Democrats held on to this until all other efforts to derail his nomination failed and he looks like he'll be confirmed rather easily tells me a lot about their confidence level in this information.  They don't really believe it is solid enough either, it's just a Hail Mary pass as time is running out to see if it by some miracle lands.  They're hoping to heave this onto the airwaves in hopes that someone else or multiple others will come forward to give it some semblance of credibility.

[AUDub 11,141]

Just now, TitanTiger said:

I'll also say this:  I agree with AUDub that Grassley and the GOP (including Trump) knew of this already.  That's how they were able to put out a letter with 35 women vouching for Kavanaugh so quickly.  They were prepared for it.

65, and he went to an all boys high school too. 65 in twelve hours? Laughable. Yeah, they knew.

Just now, TitanTiger said:

That also means that Feinstein has known about it for a while.  And the fact that the Democrats held on to this until all other efforts to derail his nomination failed and he looks like he'll be confirmed rather easily tells me a lot about their confidence level in this information.  They don't really believe it is solid enough either, it's just a Hail Mary pass as time is running out to see if it by some miracle lands.  They're hoping to heave this onto the airwaves in hopes that someone else or multiple others will come forward to give it some semblance of credibility. 

Feinstein's handling of this was very stupid.

I can't speak for how solid it is, but they were indeed holding on to it. They wanted to set off a grenade here and it looks like they've succeeded.  Who knows what might fall out if you shake the tree hard enough, especially, and I can't stress this enough, now that Farrow is involved.

[alexava 6,973]

I think the dems need to just let this thing be over with and concentrate on something that can be controlled. Metoo is getting boring. I don’t like Kavanaugh but.....

[AUDub 11,141]

2 minutes ago, alexava said:

I think the dems need to just let this thing be over with and concentrate on something that can be controlled. Metoo is getting boring. I don’t like Kavanaugh but..... 

metoo is chugging along just fine. CBS' CEO was just ousted as a result of Farrow's reporting.

[shabby 1,956]

This is an accusation of attempted rape.

“The allegation dates back to the early nineteen-eighties, when Kavanaugh was a high-school student at Georgetown Preparatory School, in Bethesda, Maryland, and the woman attended a nearby high school. In the letter, the woman alleged that, during an encounter at a party, Kavanaugh held her down, and that he attempted to force himself on her. She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand. She was able to free herself.”

“Although the alleged incident took place decades ago and the three individuals involved were minors, the woman said that the memory had been a source of ongoing distress for her, and that she had sought psychological treatment as a result.”

I am not saying Kavanaugh is innocent or guilty but doesn't this justify delaying the confirmation hearing until we get a better idea of the truth. Think of the implications if nominated and confirmed only to have credible witnesses manifesting confirming the accusation. What if we confirm from the therapist that treated her that she actually acknowledged the attempted rape early on and sought treatment for it.  Shouldn't we know these things first? I mean, What if we actually appoint an attempted rapist to the supreme court?

[TitanTiger 20,472]

1 minute ago, shabby said:

This is an accusation of attempted rape. I am not saying Kavanaugh is innocent or guilty but doesn't this justify delaying the confirmation hearing until we get a better idea of the truth. Think of the implications if nominated and confirmed only to have credible witnesses manifesting confirming the accusation. What if we actually appoint an attempted rapist to the supreme court?

Feinstein's office has known about it since July.  Something tells me if there was anything there, not only would they have discovered it, but it would have been front and center in his nomination hearings, not lobbed into the room at the last second.

[shabby 1,956]

1 minute ago, TitanTiger said:

Feinstein's office has known about it since July.  Something tells me if there was anything there, not only would they have discovered it, but it would have been front and center in his nomination hearings, not lobbed into the room at the last second.

I am not disagreeing. I am just saying we don't know yet for sure whether there is anything to it or not. We should know before proceeding. 

[AUDub 11,141]

4 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

Feinstein's office has known about it since July.  Something tells me if there was anything there, not only would they have discovered it, but it would have been front and center in his nomination hearings, not lobbed into the room at the last second.

Why indeed.

Quote

Given the heightened attention to issues of sexual misconduct amid the #MeToo movement, the political risks of mishandling the allegation were acute, particularly for Feinstein, who is up for reëlection this year and is facing a challenge from her left. During Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, in 1991, the Senate was accused by some of failing to take seriously enough Anita Hill’s allegations that Thomas had sexually harassed her while acting as her boss at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After the Thomas hearings concluded, it emerged that Senator Joe Biden, who was the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee at the time, had failed to call three additional women to the witness stand who had been willing to offer testimony confirming Hill’s complaints about Thomas’s inappropriate behavior toward women. Last December, Biden, who may run for President in 2020, publicly apologized for failing Hill, saying, “I wish I had been able to do more.”

Sources familiar with Feinstein’s decision suggested that she was acting out of concern for the privacy of the accuser, knowing that the woman would be subject to fierce partisan attacks if she came forward. Feinstein also acted out of a sense that Democrats would be better off focussing on legal, rather than personal, issues in their questioning of Kavanaugh. Sources who worked for other members of the Judiciary Committee said that they respected the need to protect the woman’s privacy, but that they didn’t understand why Feinstein had resisted answering legitimate questions about the allegation. “We couldn’t understand what their rationale is for not briefing members on this. This is all very weird,” one of the congressional sources said. Another added, “She’s had the letter since late July. And we all just found out about it.”

 

[TitanTiger 20,472]

4 minutes ago, shabby said:

I am not disagreeing. I am just saying we don't know yet for sure whether there is anything to it or not. We should know before proceeding. 

You can't know for sure unless the woman herself recants.  And even then, you'd have to hold out some possibility that she was either paid or threatened to recant.

There's a very narrow window here for other women to come forward who have more proof possibly.  But if this is all there is, I can't see how it meets any minimum bar to delay or scuttle the vote.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

6 minutes ago, shabby said:

I am not disagreeing. I am just saying we don't know yet for sure whether there is anything to it or not. We should know before proceeding. 

JMHO but I disagree. If the woman can't come forward with nothing more than an accusation or another witness(s) after all this time, I see no reason to stop going forward. It could go on forever. I am very suspicious these days of women coming forward like this at last minutes. Could someone be paying them a big sum in a situation worth a bunch for someone, i.e., well heeled Democrats in this case?

[shabby 1,956]

But she can offer more proof. She apparently had lots of therapy. She may choose to release that evidence. Further as you note Tiger, this has just gone public. Give it a little time to see if other women come forward. Republicans refused to give Garland a hearing stating it was too close to an election. Is there any legitimate room for them to oppose delaying a vote to investigate a rape allegation?  what's the harm in delaying this?

[alexava 6,973]

I think the consequences would be too high to pay a faux victim. Especially several victims like Moore had. But with only one victim and no solid support there could so much discrepancy between the two without either actually lying. I would certainly support looking into it though. 

[alexava 6,973]

2 minutes ago, shabby said:

But she can offer more proof. She apparently had lots of therapy. She may choose to release that evidence. Further as you note Tiger, this has just gone public. Give it a little time to see if other women come forward. Republicans refused to give Garland a hearing stating it was too close to an election. Is there any legitimate room for them to oppose delaying a vote to investigate a rape allegation? 

I’ll go with this too. 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

11 minutes ago, shabby said:

But she can offer more proof. She apparently had lots of therapy. She may choose to release that evidence. Further as you note Tiger, this has just gone public. Give it a little time to see if other women come forward. Republicans refused to give Garland a hearing stating it was too close to an election. Is there any legitimate room for them to oppose delaying a vote to investigate a rape allegation?  what's the harm in delaying this?

Having therapy doesn't prove anything unless she named Kavanaugh at that time. This whole thing just smells to me. The Dems are desperate for anything at this time. If the process is delayed they are hoping to regain the Senate in such case Kavanaugh is doomed......even if nothing comes of an investigation. JMHO but I think this is politics at it's worse.

[AUDub 11,141]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

I am all about the MeToo moment we're having.  It's long overdue.  But at some point we're going to have to come up with some minimum standard of evidence or proof or corroboration or something.  It's getting to where the mere accusation can ruin a man's reputation and derail his career.  Does it (a false accusation) happen often?  I don't think it does, at least in the general population of men.  But might it happen more often when the stakes are high?  Absolutely.  Especially if it can be done anonymously.

Apparently, Farrow knows who she is and flew to Cali to speak with her. She probably won’t be anonymous for long. 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

65 women defend Kavanaugh as good man.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/14/65-women-defend-kavanaugh-as-good-person-amid-allegations.html

[alexava 6,973]

2 hours ago, AUDub said:

Apparently, Farrow knows who she is and flew to Cali to speak with her. She probably won’t be anonymous for long. 

Let me reiterate, I don’t support Kavanaugh. But if he did do some version of this as a teenager( likely something happened and his version is much different from hers)is he permanently deemed a rapist? I think you would need an actual rape or pattern of abuse for this to matter. He was a kid. It was decades ago?