Column: Democrats manipulate Kavanaugh trial
On October 5, the U.S. Senate made Brett Kavanaugh a Supreme Court Justice with a 50-48 vote. This historic confirmation ended months of polarizing proceedings that will surely have a lasting impact on America and its institutions.
When President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh on July 9, the Senate began investigating the former federal judge’s credibility. In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Kavanaugh to a federal judge position where he developed a large resume with thousands of publicly accessible opinions. However, several sexual assault allegations diverted much of the Senate’s attention away from his judicial record.
On July 30, Christine Blasey Ford, an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, sent a confidential letter to California Senator Dianne Feinstein about an encounter she had with then Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh.
In the letter, Kavanaugh is accused of sexually assaulting Ford at a small gathering in the summer of 1982 when she was 15 years old. Allegedly, Kavanaugh and Mark G. Judge pushed Ford into a room, locked the door and played loud music that “precluded any successful attempts to yell for help.”
Ford said Kavanaugh forced himself on her and attempted to remove her clothing in a drunken state. At one point, she said she feared for her life as he held his hand over her mouth. Eventually, it’s alleged that Mark Davis intervened and, as the two “scrapped with each other,” Ford fled to a bathroom and eventually home.
At the time, Ford didn’t report this incident and no legal documentation could corroborate this alleged encounter.
Despite Ford’s repeated requests for confidentiality, her letter was leaked in early September.
It’s unclear who leaked the letter, but Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has recently expressed some interest in investigating. This revelation sparked weeks of political chaos that turned optimist into pessimist and diluted the seriousness of sexual assault.
Feinstein and her democratic colleagues gravely mismanaged Ford’s story and used it to poison public opinion because they opposed Kavanaugh.
When these allegations surfaced, Senate Democrats requested the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate these allegations before moving forward with any vote. As a result, the process was delayed so an investigation could be conducted.
Ford was asked to testify in front of the committee to reiterate her story and clarify any qualms. Likewise, Kavanaugh willingly agreed to testify in front of the committee to defend his respected name. In these dramatic proceedings, both parties passionately defended themselves but neither did much to discredit the other.
Despite the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation , Senate Democrats and some top Republicans publicly pushed the FBI to conduct a separate investigation. Trump responded by requesting an FBI investigation into the various allegations cast upon Kavanaugh. Moreover, to give the FBI time to investigate, the confirmation proceedings were delayed for a second time.
Unsurprisingly, Senate Democrats responded by criticizing the thoroughness of the FBI’s investigation.
The FBI’s investigation helped Republican Senator Susan Collins affirm her support for Kavanaugh. This revelation essentially guaranteed Kavanaugh would be confirmed to the Supreme Court. As we move forward, we do so with a disjointed understanding of two important American principles.
Somehow these proceedings have ushered in a new reality where believing in the presumption of innocence is an innate way of undermining sexual assault victims. This unfair and un-American narrative was evoked by the media and Senate Democrats throughout Kavanaugh’s hearings. Once again, these institutions have demonstrated their aggressive idiosyncrasy that pervades most of the Democratic party.
This facet of the political left has intensified in recent years, but these proceedings have unveiled its limitless levels of arrogance and intolerance.
I believe Ford’s testimony was riveting but invalid because no witnesses, forensics or documentation could corroborate her story. For this reason, I believe Senate Democrats manipulated this story to generate political chaos and to spitefully eradicate Kavanaugh’s reputation. This stance will surely infuriate some, but I’d ask these skeptics to consider the upcoming mid-term elections on November 6th.
Moreover, Article II of the Constitution grants the President with the power to appoint Supreme Court Justices with the advice and consent of the Senate. Republicans currently control the Senate with a 51-48 majority and Supreme Court Justices need a simple majority to be confirmed. This long-standing, proven decree is imperative to our judicial branch. In my opinion, it’s naive to believe the power-hungry Senate Democrats wouldn’t vigorously oppose Kavanaugh to delay his confirmation. If successful, they may have won a majority on election day and gained the power to nominate a justice they desired.
Retrospectively, I’m disappointed in our leadership’s ability to maintain order and astonished by the recklessness of these proceedings. This historic event has already impacted America, but it remains to be seen how much. Sadly, this confirmation intensified our ever-growing political divide and expanded it to unforeseen lengths in previously unimaginable ways.
While I’ll always have hope for this country, I believe our current political tendency of destabilizing fundamental principles may be the begging of our demise.
Columns written by editors and writers of Pacer Times do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff members or leadership. Letters to the editor may be emailed to Editor-in-Chief, Cecilia Maddox at cmy@usca.edu, and will be published at the editorial staff’s discretion.
