Why does Judge figure in? He is already on record legally as saying he never saw Kavanaugh do anything like was described. What else are Senators going to ask him…
Judge figures in because he has written extensively about his blackout drinking during high school. There is no way he can categorically say it never happened.
To start with, they could ask whether Judge knew Ford. Whether he ever witnessed anyone harass her. Whether he ever witnessed Kavanaugh harass anyone else. How much of what Judge wrote in his book was based on real events…
@momofthreeboys and @bluebayou Did Mark Judge make a statement other than saying he didn’t remember and want to make a statement? All I’ve seen is
He could be subpoenaed. The FBI could interview him. He could be given immunity.
I’m not sure his letter via his lawyer is legally anything.
Yes, and I’ve posted about it twice before. It’s on the Judiciary Committee twitter feed. I could not post the link since the cc computers do not allow links to twitter.
Again, per the twitter feed of the Judiciary Committee, his official “statement” to them this week is written “under penalty of felony”. (whatever that means!)
Yes he could be subpoenaed by the Committee. Not sure he has to speak with the FBI. His lawyer can just tell them to go pound sand (aka go read my client’s written statement). Yes, the Judiciary Committee could give him immunity (altho from what, I’m not sure…)
Can any of the attorneys on cc opine on whether the Judiciary Committee can hold Judge in contempt if he refuses to talk?
Find us a link, because I’ve seen nothing saying his statement is binding.
Apparently the guy who created the Twitter feed promoting the idea that she was mistaken in her identity looked at her LinkedIn profile last week BEFORE her name was public. Guessing he didn’t realize people can see you stalking them on LinkedIn. I bet they are hurrying to vote before the link leaking from the committee to him is identified!
When I was 15 my parents were separated. My older cousin moved in to our guest room. My mom was a nurse and worked the night shift and my male cousin would be home with us. One night he had a party and I invited a few friends. I drank. A lot. And I passed out in my bed in my bedroom and woke up with some boy (who was a guest of someone else) on top of me raping me. I lost my virginity that night. My cousin knew and begged me not to tell because he would get in trouble. I felt ashamed and like it was my fault for being drunk. I can see that boys face but never knew his name. I never told my parents or anyone until I told my husband. That was probably 30 years after the fact. I’m sure it was either a Friday or Saturday night, but I don’t remember what month it was. I don’t know where my younger brother or much younger sister were that night. I didn’t tell any of my friends. I stuffed the bloody sheets and clothes in my closet and washed them the next night.
So, how dare any of you who have not had this happen question someones ability to remember those details. I remember exactly what it felt like to wake up with that boy on top of me and how much it hurt. I remember the shame. And not being able to tell anyone. Not even my friends. So, please don’t try to guess what someone can remember or not remember and tie that in to whether or not something happened. Please stop.
^^search Committee of the Judiciary on twitter (’@ senjudiciary’ but remove space)
Why though? Why do you feel Judge had bearing? Statute of limitations is long over so it is really about whatever she says and he says and whether the Senate feels that teen years are fair game for an appointee going forward. Judge is on record so they really don’t need anything more from him. It isn’t a criminal case at all. He isn’t going to jail or getting a fine or losing his house or being disbarred. It is about whether behavior as a teenager that was never brought to the police, prosecuted or charged is something that should be evaluated now and in the future for this position. It sounds like the answer is yes from the Senate so she needs to tell her story with enough detail to be believable that it was Kavanaugh to make Senators put aside the information they already have in the file. Frankly I think it is a dangerous precedent but I am not in the Senate and I think the Republicans especially have been incredibly accommodating under the circumstances. They are all giving up the right to keep teen behavior off the public record going forward and they are smart enough to understand what it means.
If he doesn’t get the nomination because the committee thinks he assaulted her and they feel that the teen years are an essential part of investigations going forward for this position and deny him the position and he feels he has been defamed and he really didn’t assault her, he’s a lawyer…he can use the civil courts and sue her to clear his name and a private investigator can do the legwork. I hate to see that because it reminds me of the college drunk hookup crap but that is the way it works.
We’ll see how important all this really is when she tells her story. If she fills in the blanks and it doesn’t sound far fetched there probably won’t be a ton of questions for her. Most of those Senators are presumable old enough to be or have been parents so they have probably heard it all if they didn’t have their heads in the sand.
@amom2girls My heart breaks for you. Thank you for having the courage to speak of it here today.
Thank you. It’s just infuriating to read some of these responses judging her ability to remember whatever details they have decided are important. That is just not how memory works with trauma.
Okay, I see the tweet. What exactly does his statement say? Without seeing it, and I bet with no one asking follow up questions, it is meaningless.
Twitter feed doesn’t link to any statement.
“Find us a link, because I’ve seen nothing saying his statement is binding.”
I don’t know who is telling the truth but I am tired of women being shamed for not speaking up. I saw a post today, “ Men who were molested by priests are praised if they speak up, but women are asked why did you wait so long”
Well Grassley supposedly says on Twitter he wants a response by 10 tonight or he is scheduling a vote. We shall see.
Coercing an assault survivor to appear on a particular date without consulting her and her schedule/mental readiness isn’t a good look. Really, what is the rush? The court has been down a judge for many months before.
Correct. The statement is not (yet?) public. I assume it only goes to the Committee members at this point?
Note: the Senate staffers’ tweet says the statement is “under penalty of felony”. I have no idea what that mens legally, but I’m guessing that the feds would not have posted it if it was not true. Or, at least they would have taken it down by now if it was incorrect.
@“Snowball City” They are going for the good look by trying to hire a female attorney to ask questions so that a panel of white old men aren’t seen victim shaming. While pretending it’s in her best interest while they shame her while defending a candidate they’ve already vowed to vote for.
If I were her I would not testify. Nothing to be gained and at great cost. Unless it will help her to feel validating those watching, but it only reinforces “why tell because he won’t be charged anyway?”
This is why only 20% of sexual assaults are reported.
And false claims are 2-10% of all reported assaults.
Powerful first person article about being a survivor
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/teenage-sexual-assault-kavanaugh_us_5ba3b77fe4b069d5f9d0c7ee
…t’s the Brock Turner effect, the reverence for the sanctity of the perpetrator’s future, his great promise. There are many problems with this line of reasoning, but the one that sticks in my craw, as the survivor of a sexual assault as a teenager, is the way it ignores my pain, my stolen promise…So when pundits ask, “Must a sexual assault when he was a teenager follow him around for his whole life?” Remember: Christine Blasey Ford didn’t get a choice.
edited to change my quote
Much of the Watergate hearings were conducted by counsel questioning. It is actually not that rare.