Ford wants FBI investigation before testifying

[mystery-ak]

Byron York
‏Verified account @ByronYork
11m11 minutes ago

Folks: The FBI does background investigations as part of Senate confirmation process all the time. It's not about presence or absence of federal crime. FBI passes info on to Senate, which determines how to use it or not use it.

[Free Vulcan]

Byron York
‏Verified account @ByronYork

From CNN: Christine Blasey Ford lawyer sends letter to Senate Judiciary; says FBI investigation should come before hearing. Objects to televised questioning by skeptical senators: 'No sexual assault survivor should be subjected to such an ordeal.'

But it's ok to put Kavanaugh through such an ordeal.

[austingirl]

Sure, investigate an unknown time and place. FBI specialty. Ridiculous and should be treated as such. No more pious BS about treating the lying accuser with kid gloves.

[goatprairie]

Well,well, well.....it looks like the Dem case is collapsing faster than the bottom of a bag of soggy garbage.
A sane person would say that it's time to go ahead and confirm Kavanaugh as fast as possible,  but Dems are not sane.  Neither do they have a shred of integrity.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I think this is going to play out worse with voters than the Democrats think.

Even taking the facts as alleged, this was a drunk 15 year old, and a drunk 17 year old at a party.  There was no rape, her clothes didn't come off, there was no touching of her genitals, etc..  There is no evidence of physical harm at all.  I think a lot of people would be hesitant at holding that against a 17 year old for the rest of his life.   And that's if it was true.

I think a lot of ordinary people probably thought it was pretty weak to bring something like that up 36 years after the fact, and not be able to provide any details to corroborate the story.  There would have been a lot of skepticism there, and I think most would have sided with Kavanaugh.  But when the GOP offers her a chance to testify and she refuses....All but the true hardcore are going to start thinking "this was bullshit all along."

The Dems just gave voters a little taste of what things would look like if they were running Congress.  I don't think that's going to help them come November.

[mystery-ak]

Liz Cheney
‏Verified account @Liz_Cheney
30m30 minutes ago

If Ford is unwilling to appear, the Judiciary Committee should vote Thursday, as originally planned, on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination.

[Applewood]

There is nothing to investigate. 

I have no problem waiting till next week.  At the very least, the Dems cannot truthfully say that the accuser was ignored or not taken seriously.  But Grassley should lay down the law -- he should tell the accuser and/or her counsel that she has to show up on Monday to testify.  If she doesn't, then it's over and the vote should proceed.  Enough is enough.

Let's see if the Republicans will grow a pair and for once act like they are in charge.

[txradioguy]

DiFi is just spitting into the wind at this point.  She already knows the FBI passed on investigating this back when she first got the letter in July.

They aren't going to change their mind now.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

The GOP caucus appears to be united behind Grassley in pushing the nomination forward if she doesn't testify.  I suppose that's one retort to those who like to say there is no difference between the parties.  Sometimes, there really is.

[mystery-ak]

Laura Ingraham
‏Verified account @IngrahamAngle
15m15 minutes ago

Subpoena accuser.  She must testify.  Question Kavanaugh. Do it in closed session.  No circus.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Laura Ingraham
‏Verified account @IngrahamAngle
15m15 minutes ago

Subpoena accuser.  She must testify.  Question Kavanaugh. Do it in closed session.  No circus.

Nah -- issuing a subpoena to her would undo all the political gains the GOP has gotten out of this Democrat screw-up.  If she doesn't want to testify, let her not show.  That's really the best possible result.  If they still want to question Kavanaugh, then they can do that just to give him a chance to deny it under oath.

[mystery-ak]

Byron York
‏Verified account @ByronYork
14m14 minutes ago

In addition to Grassley statement, Judiciary Committee clarifies some issues raised in Ford lawyer's letter:

[RetBobbyMI]

Sure hope the FBI doesn't come looking for me for every breast I touched between the age of 15 to 25.

But it was ok for Al Frankenstein to brag about it.

[LadyLiberty]

What I suspect is that they know that the FBI won't investigate, so by making this demand they are manufacturing an excuse for her to avoid testifying.

[txradioguy]

The GOP caucus appears to be united behind Grassley in pushing the nomination forward if she doesn't testify.  I suppose that's one retort to those who like to say there is no difference between the parties.  Sometimes, there really is.

IT's just sad it takes something like this to bring them back together.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Byron York
‏Verified account @ByronYork
11m11 minutes ago

Folks: The FBI does background investigations as part of Senate confirmation process all the time. It's not about presence or absence of federal crime. FBI passes info on to Senate, which determines how to use it or not use it.

Nice, Byron, except the Dems are not asking for a background investigation, which already has been completed.  They are asking for a new investigation  that goes beyond the scope of what is included in a background investigation.

Specifically, the Democrats are asking for the FBI to investigate Kavanaugh's conduct as a minor, while he was in high school, and not just as to this one specific incident where no further investigation is really possible anyway.   That's something the FBI does not do as part of a background check.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

IT's just sad it takes something like this to bring them back together.

No question about that.  Far too often, the caucus fractures around the edges, and prevents the majority from acting like one.  Best example of that is McCain sinking efforts to start unwinding ObamaCare.

But, just because they're not with us all the time doesn't mean they're not with us more often than are Democrats, and that is particularly true with judicial nominations, which have a stronger party-line correlation than anything except voting for Majority Leader/Speaker.  If you can't get a true conservative out of a state like Maine, then it's better to get someone who is at least going to vote with you on some important issues.

[The_Reader_David]

Erick Erickson
‏Verified account @EWErickson
5m5 minutes ago

The only eye witness to something wants to waste taxpayer resources on an FBI investigation into something she should be able to explain herself as the only witness.

Ah, but there is another witness (supposedly):  Ford named a man (boy at the time of the purported incident), Mark Judge, whom she purports jumped on her and her assailant (whom she purports to have been Kavanaugh) allowing her to escape.  Judge, like Kavanaugh, has denied that any incident such as Ford described ever took place.

Of course the notion of an FBI investigation of what would have been at most a violation of state law that would, had it been reported at the time would have been handled by the juvie system or brushed aside with boys-will-be-boys (this was the early 1980's), for which the only "witnesses" are the accused, the accuser, and one other who supports the accused denials, is flat out absurd.

[kidd]

It is not the FBI's jurisdiction to investigate a rape or an assault. That is the job of the local police.

And it would've had much greater credibility if the investigation started 35 years ago, not a week before the confirmation vote
It even would've had more credibility if it occurred before his selection to many of the lower Federal courts that he served on.

This is doing a lot of damage to women who were actually assaulted.

[Restored]

It's proven itself to be merely a stalling tactic.

[jpsb]

Delay delay delay...that's all they want..will the Repubs cave to this...of course

So the rats want the FBI to investigate if a 17 yo boy touched a 15 yo girl's boob 36 years ago at a party. And the girl can't remember where and the girl can't remember when and the other person the girl said was there claims it never happened. LOL, good luck with that.

[rustynail]

Give Ford a Probe.

[mystery-ak]

Lawyer: Kavanaugh Accuser ‘Not Prepared’ to Testify on Monday, Before FBI Investigation
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/18/lawyer-kavanaugh-accuser-not-prepared-to-testify-on-monday-before-fbi-investigation/

[catfish1957]

It's proven itself to be merely a stalling tactic.

And to give cover to dim senators who are vulnerable come November. 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

No federal crime has been committed that we know.  The FBI only investigates under that purview.