They are not trained investigators. They are politicians.
I would not equate the investigative training or resources of the FBI and that of Committee members. **Cross posted with @OHMomof2
Maybe she went to a lot of parties. When you do something often, the details of one particular occasion may not stand out, even if something unusual happened on that occasion.
On one night last year, I had a car accident while driving home from work. Except for the specifics of the accident itself, I don’t remember any details about that occasion. I can’t tell you what day of the week it was, what I was wearing, whether I left the office early or late, or whether I stopped on the way to do any errands. I would have to look at my bank statements to see when I paid for the repair to even pinpoint the month when it happened. But I can tell you exactly how the accident occurred, how my car was damaged, the details of the difficulties I had in getting it towed, and how long it was in the shop.
Blasey Ford’s experience might be similar. Just as my memories of the day of the accident are blurred by the many other occasions on which I have driven the same route, her memories of the party where she was assaulted may be blurred by memories of other, similar parties. But I remember the accident clearly, and apparently she remembers the assault clearly.
Interesting article about this situation. Written by a friend of Kavanaugh’s, but it’s not what you’d expect.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/kavanaugh-confirmation/571021/
Sure, they may be politicians now, but many are attorneys. Some do have direct investigative experience: Kamala Harris was a local DA before she became AG of California and then a Senator; Mike Lee was an Assistant US Attorney before he got into politics. (Just two I randomly looked up.)
More importantly, the Constitution gives the authority for advise and consent to the Senate, not the Executive branch, of which the FBI is part.
@OHMomof2, that is absolutely awful, and I am so sorry that happened to you! However, your situation is infinitely different than Dr. Fords. Far more traumatic, and you at least remember the friend that you went with. If you really needed more details (and I can understand why you wouldn’t), but if you did, because you were bringing charges or trying to prevent someone from going onto the Supreme Court, don’t you think you could get them? You could ask your friend, talk to others, figure out what hostel this was, pin down the timeframe.
It sounds like very little effort has been to pin down the details of Dr. Ford’s event has happened. One could figure out what friend they went with, why they were there in the first place, who invited them, what group of friends were there. Why she was wearing a bathing suit, was there a pool at the house? How about some details about the house, the neighborhood, the pool, anything. I would also think that if this event was terribly traumatic, she would not have attended many parties after that. There aren’t an infinite number of possibilities here, many details could be pinpointed.
I am terribly sorry for the trauma that was caused to you!
The FBI investigators and Attorneys are quite different. Trying to say otherwise seems like a big stretch and lacks credibility.
So basically that article says that since this woman has come up with something from 35 years ago, that he should withdraw from consideration for the job he has worked towards for many years. That is pretty much my point about why I am so disturbed about this whole thing. What does that say about ANY person being considered for a position in which there is an opposition contingent? Pretty easy to come up with something or find someone who can “remember” a flaw somewhere in the past. I say BS on the whole thing.
momofthree3boys makes a very point. How did Ford end up at this party? She couldn’t drive. Montgomery County didn’t really have anything in the way of public transport between residential neighborhoods, particularly in 1983. There was no uber. There was no cell phone. She has stated she ran out the door after the incident. And then what? How does no one recall taking her home? Or taking her to the party to begin with? It seems unlikely she re-entered the party to use a house phone to call her parents, since she didn’t want them to know she was attending this party to begin with. The distances in that area are too great for walking home. So why hasn’t someone come forward to say that yes, they gave distraught Ford a ride home? It just seems odd. Even if she doesn’t remember whoever saved her that night, how can that person not remember it?
I agree in part* jym, but that’s not the broader point, which is that there is nothing to investigate. Sure, a trained investigator could interview the two individuals and write up thier notes, but at what additional value that could not be ascertained by the Senators? An interview with JK could take all of five minutes. How many ways can he say ‘no, never happened’?
The interview with Dr. Ford wouldn’t take much longer, assuming her attorney allowed her to answer questions beyond what she told the WaPo and what is in her letter.
*I would hazard a guess that Senators Harris and Lee consider themselves excellent investigative attorneys.
Exactly why we need an investigation by law enforcement, not partisan politicians. The senate “investigator” was caught bragging on Twitter about how Kavanaugh was sure to be voted in. His account has since been deleted and I hope he isn’t asking anyone any questions.
Continuing with the accident theme, let’s say that someone in another town accuses you of hit-and-run on their car a few weeks ago (you didn’t do it). They claim you were drunk and your wife in the passenger seat was “laughing maniacally” at the time. They have your license plate number. The police look up the LPN in the state database and contact you and you insurance company about the accident. You deny any involvement in the accident, say that you don’t know the person, and that you were never in the town. Your car is undamaged. In addition, you work for a wine and spirits distributor and have plenty of alcohol products in your house, so you’re no stranger to it. How do you prove you’re innocent?
Every denial you make can be countered. If you say “my car is undamaged” they could counter with “you got it fixed quickly”.
If the police refuse to prosecute, should a “cloud” remain over your head from then on?
Note: this happened to our friends across the street (except for the laughing maniacally part).
Car repair places have records of repairs by car tag/vin number. Dont think it would be hard to see if a car was quickly repaired.
As for FBI investigators vs political interviewers- the former have, should they choose to use them, greater tools at their disposal. Don’t ask “what would they look up?” They know- I don’t.
@busdriver11 appreciate the kind words but I’ve dealt with it and I’m fine.
However,
I have no idea who she is and I do not remember her name. We traveled together for about 5 days in Europe that summer. I remember some things about her - she was from Chicago and was supporting her travels by making chalk art on the sidewalks. There is NO WAY I could find her or remember even her first name at this point.
Absolutely not. It was 1983. No credit card record, friend never seen again (we hadn’t known each other long and it’s not like we could text or FB friend each other to stay in touch).
Exactly why the FBI should investigate.
@droppedit , wow, what happened? Pretty dang easy for anyone to cite a license plate number! I’m looking outside and could get ten of them right now.
And what if they claim this happened 36 years ago, but they don’t know exactly when, they don’t know exactly where, and don’t have any witnesses to the event that claim to have seen it? And of course, they sold the car long ago.
But the FBI could potentially track the history of repairs in that town of cars of that make/model (no idea- I watch to much CSI)
Yes, it is easy for something from someone’s past to be dug up when they are being considered for a job. But for one thing, this ain’t just any job! This is for a lifelong appointment to the Supreme Court, having a great deal of power for the citizens of our country, including ruling on certain issues affecting women. Their past is open game. Anyone who wants to be in political life or be a judge knows that their entire life is open to scrutiny. It is part of the territory. Yes, anyone can come forward with an allegation. But those allegations should be investigated. What if the allegation is indeed true? That’s a general point. In this case, I think when a woman puts herself in the public eye and is sharing a sexual assault situation, it is brave, because many women do not come forward. While some might think she is lying, she sure would be taking a LOT of personal risk if lying. The fact that she even wants an FBI investigation is a sign that she is not lying. But my point isn’t really about this woman and her particular allegation, but simply that someone running for public office or being considered for the Supreme Court is rightfully open to scrutiny about their entire life. I don’t think it is pertinent that it happened 30+ years ago. After all, look at the allegations against priests many, many years after the fact, over sexual abuse to boys. Many many people who have been sexually assaulted never speak up. It is obvious to see why. Another issue is that this is not merely a “flaw” from someone’s past, IF he assaulted her without her consent as alleged. It is a certain mindset that doesn’t bode well with someone who will be making decisions about women by the nature of his potential job.
@OHMomof2, I am very glad you have been able to deal with it and are doing well. Many people would not get past that.
Perhaps a more apt comparison than yours would be something that happened to me 40 years ago at a party at age 15, very similar to Dr. Fords incident. Except mine went way worse than hers did. And of course I remember many details about the party, who I went with, people who were there, why I was there, whose party it was, how I departed, and that is through the fog of time and far too much alcohol. In your situation based upon the fact that you didn’t know the person you traveled with, I can see how you couldn’t track her down.
Soozie- Perhaps non-lawyers don’t understand how important his position on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is. He has been vetted and background checked SIX TIMES throughout his career advancement. His record is unblemished. Almost all sesxual offenders have a pattern of conduct and the offense is not limited to one incident. She needed to come forward WAY before this for me to give any credence to the “he’s being considered for an important position” argument. His prior positions also gave him incredible power to affect people’s lives and interpret laws. She had 3 /12 decades in which she was clearly watching his career. I believe she missed the window if this is even true at all. I think his record and the 6 background checks speak for themselves and I can assure you that hundreds of people were questioned regarding him and his character. NOTHING like this was revealed- not even a hint. But right on the eve of the vote…look who comes out of the woodwork.
Well now I’m also sorry that happened to you, @busdriver11 .
Perhaps we can agree that some people remember certain details and others, different ones.