The Serious Side - part 6

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6196983/Kavanaugh-accuser-agrees-testify-Senate-Judiciary-Committee.html

[size=34]Kavanaugh accuser 'to testify in front of Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday': Dr. Blasey Ford 'accepts request to provide first-hand knowledge of SCOTUS nominee's sexual misconduct'[/size]

• News of Christine Blasey Ford's decision to testify came just as the Senate Judiciary Committee's extension ran out at 2.30pm EST Saturday
  
  
• A statement from Ford's lawyers said: 'Dr Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct'
  
  
• She is expected to appear in front of the committee on Thursday 
  
  
• The White House said Kavanaugh is looking forward to 'clearing his good name' 
  
  
• Senator Chuck Grassley reluctantly gave Ford the extension Friday night  
  
  
• Attorney Debra Katz called Friday's deadline for a response 'arbitrary', saying 'its sole purpose is to bully' Ford 
  
  
• Grassley said the panel will vote to confirm Kavanaugh Monday without an agreement between Ford's lawyers and the Senate Judiciary Committee 
  
  

By MEGAN SHEETS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 14:45 EDT, 22 September 2018 | UPDATED: 20:34 EDT, 22 September 2018


Dr Christine Blasey Ford has agreed to testify about her sexual assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh next week, her lawyers have revealed.
In a 15-minute phone call between the Senate Judiciary Committee and Ford's attorneys on Saturday night, a source claimed to Politico the panel tentatively agreed to a Thursday hearing in private, despite publicly trying to rush the confirmation of Kavanaugh along. 
Negotiations are expected to continue over the weekend, with Ford's team and the panel still not able to agree on crucial details of the hearing. 
While all parties have agreed on only using pool cameras, keeping Ford and Kavanaugh separate and providing police security for the renowned psychologist, there is still no consensus on whether Mark Judge will be subpoenaed. 

Ford's complaint centers around an incident that took place at a high school party in the 1980s, where she alleges Kavanaugh and Judge, his friend, followed her upstairs when she went to the bathroom and pushed her into a bedroom. 


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Ford (left) is expected to testify against Kavanaugh (right) on Thursday of next week, before the Senate holds vote to determine whether he will be seated on the Supreme Court
There, she alleges the Supreme Court nominee held her down, covered her mouth, groped her and tried to rip off her swimsuit .
'I thought he might inadvertently kill me,' she told the Washington Post.
Her escape came only when Judge, who was in the room with them, jumped on top of the pair, she says.
Kavanaugh denies the allegations and has said he would testify to clear his name. 
News of Ford's decision to testify at all came just as the Senate Judiciary Committee's extension ran out at 2.30pm EST Saturday.
A statement from Ford's lawyers, posted on Twitter by Washington Post reporter Emma Brown, said: 'Dr Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week.
'Although many aspects of the proposal you provided via email, on September 21, 2018, at 2:33 pm, are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee's promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations, and we are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process, we are hopeful that we can reach an agreement.'
The statement is signed by attorney's Debra Katz and Lisa Banks.


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The White House also released a statement in response to the announcement on Saturday night.
They said the Kavanaugh is looking forward to testifying so he can clear his 'good name'. 
'Brett Kavanaugh has been clear from the beginning—he categorically and unequivocally denies this allegation and is eager to testify publicly to defend his integrity and clear his good name.
'On Monday, Brett Kavanaugh met with Committee counsels to answer questions subject to criminal penalties and offered to testify publicly Tuesday morning.
'Since then, we have heard about different dates, conditions, and ever changing schedules, but today we appear no closer to a fair hearing. But one thing has remained consistent: Brett Kavanaugh remains ready, willing and eager to testify as soon as possible.' 
Committee Chairman Senator Chuck Grassley reluctantly granted Ford an extension Friday night, writing in a string of tweets: 'With all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and [Senator Chuck] Schumer is the conductor.'
This came after Grassley rejected Ford's key concessions under which she would testify and then gave her until 10pm Friday night to come to a 'reasonable resolution'. 
He said if Ford and her lawyers failed to reach a decision  his Republican-run panel would vote on sending Kavanaugh's nomination for Supreme Court Justice by Monday.
But before the 10pm deadline, Ford's lawyer said her client wants another day to consider terms for testifying about her allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens.
Attorney Debra Katz called Friday's deadline 'arbitrary', saying 'its sole purpose is to bully Dr Ford and deprive her of the ability to make a considered decision that has life-altering implications for her and her family.'



Now a 53-year-old California psychology professor, Ford says an inebriated Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed, muffled her cries and tried removing her clothes when they were teens in the 80s


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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley gave Dr Christine Blasey Ford an extension to decide if she wants to testify against Judge Kavanaugh


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Senator Chuck Grassley tweeted to Brett Kavanaugh that he is granted Dr Ford an extension 


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Earlier Friday he gave Dr Ford until 10pm Friday to decide 



He appeared reluctant to grant the extension to decide if she wants to testify against Brett Kavanaugh

[size=18]'He is a fine, fine person' Trump praises Kavanaugh at rally




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Meanwhile, Ford's family has expressed their continued support of the accuser.  
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Ford's sister-in-law Deborah Ford Peters spoke out on why she wants her story to be heard.
'I assume that she was very concerned about Judge Kavanaugh being considered for the Supreme Court,' Peters said.
'I think she doesn't want her story misrepresented, in the way that it leaked, but she also strongly believes that story needs to be heard by the American public, that they need to know what this man did in his youth so that he can be held responsible.'


Peters insisted that Ford is telling the truth about the alleged encounter with Kavanaugh 36 years ago, saying she's sure she has the right guy.
'I can't imagine any reason that it would be a mistaken identity,' she said on GMA. 'Specifically working with people who have been through traumas, the details of the traumas are often etched in their minds forever.'
She added: 'I feel very proud and kind of impressed and amazed that she has the courage to come out and face whatever consequence she has to face. But she's a strong person. She's showing us she's capable of doing it.'
Peters' comments came days after several members of Ford's family wrote a public letter of support, telling senators 'her honesty is above reproach'.
Disney star Bridgit Mendler, Ford's niece, posted the letter on her Twitter page with a note praising her 'Aunt Chrissy'.
'Dr Christine Blasey Ford, or Aunt Chrissy as I know her is the person who patiently helped me with my college application, she was the first to give me a hug when I saw my family on vacation. Please remember her humanity. This is a message from our family,' Mendler wrote.


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Deborah Ford Peters spoke in support of her sister-in-law Christine Blasey Ford on Good Morning America Friday


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Earlier this week several members of Ford's family wrote a public letter of support, telling senators 'her honesty is above reproach'. Disney star Bridgit Mendler, Ford's niece, posted the letter on her Twitter page with a note praising her 'Aunt Chrissy'
For days the public has been anxiously waiting for Ford to decide if she wanted to relive her alleged trauma in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee as Grassley imposed several deadlines. 
In Friday's tweet storm he wrote: 'Five times now we [have] granted extension for Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed [with] her desire stated one [week] ago that she wants to tell senate her story Dr Ford if u changed ur mind say so so we can move on I want to hear ur testimony. Come to us or we to u.' 
In a follow-up tweet, Grassley wrote: 'Judge Kavanaugh, I just granted another extension to Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed w the statement she made last week to testify to the senate She [should] decide so we can move on I want to hear her. I hope u understand. It’s not my normal approach to [be] indecisive.'
The latter tweet confused some Twitter users, who speculated the tweet was meant to be a direct text.  
Ford met with the FBI for several hours about death threats she has received and wants to consider her response until at least Saturday.   
Grassley had said if no agreement is reached the panel may vote Monday on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
He turned down Ford's request that only senators, not attorneys, be allowed to ask questions.
He also rejected her proposal that she testify after Kavanaugh, a position lawyers consider advantageous because it gives them a chance to rebut accusations. 
'We are unwilling to accommodate your unreasonable demands,' Grassley said earlier Friday. 
Grassley sent Ford's attorneys a proposal earlier Friday offering a Wednesday hearing - Ford preferred Thursday - and said: 'It is not fair to him or to his family to allow this situation to continue without a resolution and without an opportunity for him to clear his name.'






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In this Sept. 4, 2018, file photo Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh stands with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley R-Iowa, during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill 
Grassley said he was rebuffing Ford's proposals that she testify after Kavanaugh and that only senators, not outside counsel, be allowed to ask questions. 
The committee's 11 Republicans - all men - have been seeking an outside female attorney to interrogate Ford, mindful of the election-season impression that could be left by men trying to pick apart a woman's assertion of a sexual attack.
He also refused to call additional witnesses. 
Ford wants an appearance by Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend who Ford asserts was at the high school party and in the bedroom where Kavanaugh's assault occurred. Ford eventually escaped.
Grassley said he'd consented to several other Ford demands, including that she be provided security and that Kavanaugh not be in the hearing room when she testifies.
Friday was the latest in a string of tumultuous days for Kavanaugh, whose ascension to the Supreme Court seemed a sure bet until Ford emerged last weekend and provided details of the alleged assault. 
Kavanaugh, a District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals judge, has repeatedly denied the accusation. 


News of Ford's decision to testify broke just hours after Senate Judiciary Committee press adviser Garrett Ventry announced his resignation amid reports that he was fired from a previous political job for sexually harassing a female coworker.  
Ventry denied any past 'allegations of misconduct' in a statement to NBC NewsSaturday.    
When asked about the allegations against the committee aide, spokesman Taylor Foy responded in a statement: 'While [Ventry] strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee.' 
NBC reports that Republicans familiar with the situation were concerned that Ventry could not lead an effective communications response to the Ford allegations because of his history. 
However, insiders have remained quiet following the news of his resignation. 
North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell, who fired Ventry from his role of social media adviser in 2017, told NBC: 'Mr Ventry did work in my office and he's no longer there, he moved on.'
Sources say Ventry was booted from Bell's office after a female coworker accused him of sexual harassment. 
He was also found to have embellished parts of his resume, according to NBC.  
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Ranting is fine, Lizzy - and totally understandable in the circumstances

Here's a woman who seems to know what she's talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d_HSRm-ba0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxbJIpCbLY4&t=8s

Painful reminder of what might have been. She's a gazillion times more qualified for President than that crap pile defiling the office now.

Yep... what could have been.  A more than qualified first woman President. Trump wasn’t qualified to run for city council let alone President.  What idiots decided that candidates for the Office of the Presidency shouldn’t go through some basic vetting process?

Last weekend, our local MP received a special honor by his hometown, he was appointed an honorary citizen. He started his political career as a local councillor before he was elected as a member of our Federal State Parliament. He became its president for several years and then moved on to our parliament in Berlin. He became the leader of his party and our Secretary of State (that's when my husband married him) as well as our Vice Chancellor. After our elections last September he didn't get a ministerial post and now is just an ordinary MP.
He brought lots of international politicians to his hometown which also brought lots of attention to the town.
So last Friday he became an honorary citizen of his hometown and invited lots of prominent people, the President of Germany gave a speech in honor of him. Which means that my husband's workplace became a maximum security level place (he's working in a 1,000 year old former emporer's palace which is always used for these official events).

To get to the point:
In his acceptance speech, the honoree said that, when he became the President of our federal state, lots of journalists came to his hometown, and many of those from gossip magazines were just looking for dirt to spill onto him. Nobody said anything negative, and the leader of the opponent party in this town told them: "There's nothing negative to report, and if there was, I wouldn't tell you!" Which tells us a lot about appreciation and should be practized much more often IMHO - as long as no crimes are concealed...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6202197/Trump-no-statehood-Puerto-Rico-critics-office.html

[size=34]Trump: I'm an 'absolute no' on Puerto Rico becoming a state as long as my critics are in office on the island[/size]

• President tells Gerald Rivera's show on Cleveland's WTAM that he is an 'absolute no' on statehood for Puerto Rico and slams the island's politicians
  
  
• 'With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn't be talking about statehood,' he said
  
  
• U.S. territory has had long-running internal divide over whether to apply to become the 51st state
  
  
• Intervention by Trump is latest salvo in his war with island's leaders in wake of Hurricane Maria
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 10:45 EDT, 24 September 2018 | UPDATED: 17:11 EDT, 24 September 2018

     




President Donald Trump on Monday declared himself an 'absolute no' on statehood for Puerto Rico as long as critics such as San Juan's mayor remain in office, the latest broadside in his feud with members of the U.S. territory's leadership.
Trump lobbed fresh broadsides at San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a critic of his administration's response to hurricanes on the island last year, during a radio interview with Fox News' Geraldo Rivera that aired Monday.
'With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn't be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they're doing,' Trump said in an interview with Rivera's show on Cleveland's WTAM radio.
Trump said that when 'you have good leadership,' statehood for Puerto Rico could be 'something they talk about. With people like that involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no.'

Gov. Ricardo Rossello, an advocate of statehood for the island, said Trump's remarks had trivialized the statehood process because of political differences.



Attack: President Trump said that the presence of his critics in government on Puerto Rico, including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, make him an 'absolute no' on statehood
'The president said he is not in favor of statehood for the people of Puerto Rico based on a personal feud with a local mayor. This is an insensitive, disrespectful comment to over three million Americans who live in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico,' Rossello said.
He also questioned how the president of the United States could be at the U.N. General Assembly promoting democracy around the world while 'in his own home there is the oldest and most populated colonial system in the world.'
Cruz responded on Twitter: 'Trump is again accusing me of telling the truth. Now he says there will be no statehood because of me.'
Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico's non-voting representative in Congress, tweeted: 'Equality 4 Puerto Ricans shouldn't be held up by one bad mayor who's leaving office in 2020 & do not represent the people who voted twice for statehood.'
Trump's position on statehood for the island puts him at odds with the Republican Party's 2016 platform during its national convention, in which it declared support for Puerto Rican statehood.


The president's remarks followed his claims earlier this month that the official death toll from last year's devastating storm in Puerto Rico was inflated. Public health experts have estimated that nearly 3,000 people died in 2017 because of the effects of Hurricane Maria.
But Trump falsely accused Democrats of inflating the Puerto Rican death toll to make him 'look as bad as possible.'
Trump's pronouncements have roiled politics in Florida, which has crucial races for governor and U.S. Senate. The state was already home to more than 1 million Puerto Ricans before Hurricane Maria slammed into the island a year ago. Tens of thousands of residents fled Puerto Rico in the aftermath, with many of them relocating to Florida.
The issue of statehood for Puerto Rico - or some form of semi-autonomous relationship - has divided island residents in recent years. The debate over the island's 'status' is the central feature of its politics and divides its major political parties.


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Campaign: Critics of the handling of Hurricane Maria also back more federal cash and statehood for Puerto Rico
The federal government has said previously it would accept a change in the status of Puerto Rico if the people of the island clearly supported the decision. 
But for decades, Puerto Ricans have been divided between those who favor statehood and those who want to maintain the commonwealth, perhaps with some changes. A small minority continue to favor independence.
The last referendum, in 2017, strongly supported statehood but opponents questioned the validity of the vote because of low turnout.
Any changes would need to be approved by Congress. Statehood legislation, with support from Republicans and Democrats, was introduced in June but appears unlikely to gain momentum as politicians remain hesitant to take up such a thorny issue.

Whether Puerto Ricans support statehood or not they should be appalled by Trump’s comments.  As should everyone for that matter.  The only true incompetent is Trump.  Inept and incompetent.  I hope Puerto Ricans come out in droves to vote Democratic in November!

Carol, really nice story.  Respect and appreciation for those who serve their country are attributes clearly lacking in the U.S. with our current culture of divisiveness.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6205915/Trump-boasts-speech-success-president-North-Korea.html

[size=34]'I didn't expect that reaction!' Trump taken aback by guffaws that greeted his boasts about his year of success before he delivers impassioned speech in favor of patriotism over globalization[/size]

• Donald Trump took credit at the United Nations today for increases in Western defense spending that have eased financial burden on the United States
  
  
• Also highlighted warmed relations with North Korea that could lead to nuclear non-proliferation pact in a keynote speech to the body's general assembly
  
  
• World leaders laughed in Trump's face as he opened a braggadocios address
  
  
• Trump claimed: 'In less than two years my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country'
  
  
• Said that the days of America being taken advantage of are over
  
  
• 'We will no longer tolerate such abuse,' Trump said, pledging that he would no longer allow America to be 'cheated and our wealth to be plundered'
  
  

By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:29 EDT, 25 September 2018 | UPDATED: 13:32 EDT, 25 September 2018

     


Donald Trump's opening remarks at the United Nations today drew laughter from world leaders bracing for a braggadocios address.
Trump claimed that in remarks that were written for him that 'in less than two years my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.'
As if reading the speech for the first time, he chimed in with a, 'so true,' leading to laughter from international leaders.
He smiled, taking in stride, and proclaimed, 'didn't expect that reaction but that's OK,' before moving on the extraordinary progress he says he's overseen in the U.S.

A year ago at the United Nations, the U.S. president was slapping North Korea with heavy sanctions. Now he said, ‘The missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction.'
'I would like to thank Chairman Kim for his current and steps he has taken,' Trump said while acknowledging, 'So much work remains to be done.' 
Trump relentlessly hammered Iran as a state sponsor of terror and chided China for alleged currency manipulation and intellectual property theft. 
'Those days are over. We will no longer tolerate such abuse,' Trump said. 'We will not allow our workers to be victimized, our companies to be cheated, and our wealth to be plundered and transferred. America will never apologize for protecting its citizens.' 

[size=18]LIVE: TRUMP ARRIVES WITH UN DELEGATES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY







[size=32]LIVE
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Donald Trump 's opening remarks at the United Nations today drew laughter from world leaders bracing for a braggadocios address

[size=18]Trump acts surprised when UN leaders laugh at him during speech


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Trump's resounding message throughout the remarks to his global audience was that he would not allow America to be taken advantage of by friends or enemies.
'Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends,' he announced. 'And we expect other countries to pay their fair share for the cost of their defense.'
Trump called out Germany, specifically, for an oil and gas deal it entered into with Russia and commended Poland for prioritizing its energy independence.
'Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course,' he said.
The slam was the closest he came to challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'Here in the Western Hemisphere, we are committed to maintaining our independence from the encroachment of expansionist foreign powers,' he added.
Trump spoke at length about patriotism, saying that other countries' nationals also have the 'heart of a patriot that feels the same powerful love for your nation, the same intense loyalty for your homeland' that Americans do for theirs.
That love of country and dedication and the foundation upon which it is built is necessary, he said, 'to unleash this incredible potential in our people' all across the globe. 'Sovereign and independent nations are the only vehicle where freedom has survived.'
Trump used the Maduro regime's power grab in Venezuela to make his point, saying, 'All nations of the world should resist socialism and the misery that it brings everyone.' 
Trump anchored his remarks on a theme of 'patriotism, prosperity and pride,' telling fellow leaders, 'Let us choose peace, and freedom over domination and defeat.'
'Forever strong, forever sovereign and forever just,' he said as he signed off. 


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Trump pushed the theme of 'patriotism, prosperity and pride,' telling fellow leaders, 'let us choose peace, and freedom over domination and defeat'
Trump's passing reference to Russia was countered by a heavy assault in the remarks on Putin's allies. 
Trump blamed Rouhani's government for discord in Syria saying that 'every solution to the humanitarian crisis' that has evolved 'must also include a strategy to address the brutal regime that has fueled and financed it: the corrupt dictatorship in Iran.'
'Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death, and destruction. They do not respect their neighbors or borders, or the sovereign rights of nations,' he said. 'Instead, Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond.
'The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from Iran’s treasury, seized valuable portions of the economy, and looted the people’s religious endowments, all to line their own pockets and send their proxies to wage war. Not good,' Trump said.
Trump used Iran's support for dictator Bashar al-Assad as justification for his decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran.
'The Iran deal was a windfall for Iran’s leaders,' he argued. 'The dictatorship used the funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, increase internal repression, finance terrorism, and fund havoc and slaughter in Syria and Yemen.'
Punishing economic sanctions on Iran will resume on Nov. 4 and will continue until the country stops underwriting terror cells and building ballistic missiles.
'We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America,” and that threatens Israel with annihilation, to possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth. Just can't do it,' he asserted.
In a nod to Israel, Trump noted that he had moved the United States embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. He spent little time discussing the topic, however, in a departure from his prior suggestions that the move was one of his crowing achievements.
'America’s policy of principled realism means we will not be held hostage to old dogmas, discredited ideologies, and so-called experts who have been proven wrong over the years, time and time again. This is true not only in matters of peace, but in matters of prosperity,' he said.
The White House had said that Trump would boast that Western defense spending had increased under his leadership, easing the financial burden on the United States. He was also supposed to talk about warmed relations with North Korea that could lead to nuclear non-proliferation pact in the keynote speech.
'I think that his speech this morning is going to be a great moment for the president. We've had a tremendous amount of success, particularly when it comes to the foreign policy front, over the last year, since he gave his last speech,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told 'Good Morning America' on Tuesday. 
U.S. officials said Monday that Trump's leadership is the reason that allied nations have stepped up their own efforts to fight international threats from terror cells and tyrants, as well as issues like the global drug epidemic. 






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Donald Trump will take credit at the United Nations today for warmed relations with North Korea that could lead to nuclear non-proliferation pact in a keynote speech to the body's general assembly. The President is seen here with Kim Jong-un in June 
'Last year we started UNGA and it was trying to figure what the U.S. presence was going to be,' U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. told reporters. 'This year, we're here with a bang.' 
In the year since Trump's last address to the United Nations, he has turned U.S. foreign policy on its head, raking countries the U.S. considers friends over the coals for trade practices he says are unfair and embracing nations like North Korea that the previous administration had totally shunned. 






A year ago this month, Trump used his first-ever remarks to the body to smack around North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, describing him as 'Rocket Man on a suicide mission' over his refusal to relinquish the country's nuclear weapons.
But in Monday remarks in New York, Trump declared that after meeting Kim at a June summit he has a 'very good relationship' with the American adversary and intends to meet him for a second summit 'quite soon' to continue negotiations.
'If you'll remember, the rhetoric last year was extremely tough last year with North Korea,' Sanders said this morning on ABC News. 'I think you'll see certainly see different tone, and a lot of progress has been made on that front,in large part due to the president's leadership.'
Trump has since turned his attention to curbing the nuclear threat from Iran and a deal the U.S. exited in search of a longer-term agreement with the nation that includes its terror financing. He is reintroducing sanctions on Tehran that were lifted as part of the 2015 agreement in November.
'Our actions in and around the Middle East have made clear we will not continue to accept Iran's bad behavior,' U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Monday.
Trump said in a Tuesday morning tweet that he would not be meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani while he's in New York.
'I will meet with them when they change their tune,' he told journalists as he entered the United Nations. 
Pompeo said the theme of Trump's speech to the general assembly would be 'sovereignty' of the U.S. and other law-abiding nations of the world.


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A year ago this month, Trump (pictured yesterday at the United Nations General Assembly) used his first-ever remarks to the body to smack around North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, describing him as 'Rocket Man on a suicide mission' over his refusal to relinquish the country's nuclear weapons
'That theme will endure in his speech tomorrow, along with a recap about how his call for every nation to do its part has paid dividends for the United States and the world over this past year,' he said.
He added, 'For example, President Trump's leadership, combined with efforts of countries to enforce the pressure campaign, has deescalated tensions with North Korea and brought us closer to our final goal: the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DRPK, as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un.'
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador, stressed that 'infringements on our sovereignty are not infringements on abstractions or infringements on the government, they're an infringement on the people themselves.' 
He said that Trump's speech would make the point in a number of ways. 
Pompeo told reporters, 'Americans expect the United States to assert bold leadership on the world stage that reflects our values. And under President Trump, we are certainly leading from the front.'
Trump in a morning tweet said his speech would highlight the security results he's achieved for Americans and the respect he says it's getting abroad under his leadership.


'Our country is much stronger and much richer than it was when I took office less than two years ago. We are also MUCH safer!' he tweeted. 
Trump spent much of his first day at the United Nations talking about the North Korean nuclear crisis, meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in before private talks with France's Emmanuel Macron and Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
'We are in no rush. There's no hurry. We got back three months ago or so,' he said of his efforts to prod Pyongyang into signing a nuclear deal. 'We've made more progress than anybody's made in -  ever, - frankly, with regard to North Korea.'
The U.S. president declared that 'in some ways' he has an 'extraordinary' relationship with Kim since meeting him in June.
'I really believe North Korea has tremendous economic potential, and I believe that Chairman Kim and the people of North Korea want to see that potential arrived at, and we'll help them to that end,' he said as he met the South's Moon. 'The relationship is very good. in fact in some ways it's extraordinary. we'll see what happens. But we will be having a second summit in the not too distant future.'


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Trump's brand new version of the Cadillac presidential limousine known as 'The Beast' awaits the president outside Trump tower this morning prior to his address to the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly
Trump boasted that his administration has made 'tremendous progress' in the dispute with North Korea in the year since he called out Kim on the international stage and placed heavy sanctions on the isolated regime for its illicit nuclear activities.
He said  that talks were 'moving very well' with the hermit nation and 'the relationships are very good.'
'We have many things in store, looks like we will have a second summit quite soon,' he said. 'As you know, Kim Jong-un wrote a letter - beautiful letter - and asking for a second meeting, and we will be doing that,' Trump stated.
Trump said that Pompeo will 'work that out in the immediate future,' adding that 'looks like its moving very, very well, tremendous progress on North Korea.'
'Since we got here, it was a different world. That was a very dangerous time. This is one year later, a much different time,' Trump said.
The president briefly spoke to press about North Korea on his way into the United Nations on Monday for his first meeting of the day, a U.S.-led forum on counter-narcotics efforts around the globe. 
He also commented on his under-fire Supreme Court nominee who was hit with two new sex assault allegations on Sunday night.
The Brett Kavanaugh saga overshadowed the president's presence in New York on Monday, especially after the judge headlined a primetime interview on Fox News. 
'We should look into the lawyers doing the representation. Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding person and I am with him all the way,' Trump told press on Monday. 'And for people to come out of the woodwork from 36 years ago and 30 years ago and never mentioned it. All of a sudden it happens. In my opinion, it's totally political. It's totally political.'
U.S. officials struggled to take the news cycle back at a briefing later intended to serve as a preview of Trump's speech. Haley and Pompeo found themselves discussing the president's mental state, after a Sunday report said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein contemplated a plot to remove Trump with the help of his Cabinet through the 25th Amendment.
'I am not aware of any Cabinet members that are even talking about that. It is completely and totally absurd. No one is questioning the President at all,' Haley said.
Pompeo told a reporter the 'question was ludicrous' before moving off the topic to North Korea.
'There remains work to be done. There will be some time before we get to complete denuclearization for sure. But we've been at this the other way for an awfully long time and failed, and put America in the position it finds itself today: At risk from North Korean nuclear weapons,' he said.
The U.S. secretary of state said he expects to make his next visit to Pyongyang son and another meeting between Trump and Kim is likely to follow.
'Lord willing, I'll be traveling before the end of the year,' he told reporters.
He declined to detail 'reciprocal action' to DailyMail.com that the U.S. would be willing to take to secure a nuclear deal during the briefing while asserting that sanctions will stay on Pyongyang until it completely and verifiably ends its nuclear program. 
'We're not going to talk about the state of the negotiation — it would be inappropriate for us to do that or our North Korean counterparts to talk about particular deal points, things we're working on,' he stated.
'But the fundamental principles remain the same. We expect the full, complete, verified denuclearization of North Korea,' Pompeo added. 'And until such time as that occurs, the economic sanctions — the sanctions that have been put in place by the United Nations Security Council — will remain in place.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6211299/Nikki-Haley-says-laughing-Trump-RESPECT-world-leaders-love-him.html

[size=34]'They love to be with him:' Nikki Haley says the UN was laughing WITH Trump out of RESPECT and world leaders were 'falling over themselves to get a picture with him and congratulate him on his speech'[/size]

• Nikki Haley went on Fox and Friends and criticized the media's coverage of Trump's speech Tuesday in which the world leaders laughed at him
  
  
• Trump bragged that his administration has done more in two years than any other in history and was laughed at further when he added 'So true'
  
  
• Haley says the world leaders really appreciate his honesty and respect him
  
  
• Haley also said leaders were 'falling over themselves' to get a photo with him 
  
  
• She added world leaders were eager to congratulate him on his 'strong speech'
  
  

By JESSICA FINN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 14:04 EDT, 26 September 2018 | UPDATED: 19:23 EDT, 26 September 2018

     


US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says the world leaders at the General Assembly laughed at the president because they respect him and enjoy his honesty.
Haley went on 'Fox & Friends' and said the coverage of Trump being laughed at was unfair and blamed the media for the negative spin. 
'The media has got this so wrong. I deal with these leaders every single day, I know exactly how they think. Do they love America? No. Do they respect America? Now they do.'
'They love how honest he is and its not diplomatic and they find it funny. When he's very truthful they're taken back by it.'

Scroll for video 


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US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley (pictured) argued on Fox and Friends that the world leaders were not laughing at Trump during Tuesday's opening remarks and that they just respect his honesty


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The audience at the UN General Assembly laughed at Trump during his opening remarks on Tuesday after he bragged about being the most effective president in his first two years


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Haley also criticized any talk about having the president's fitness for office questioned and  said talk about removing him with the 25th Amendment is 'disgusting' 


'All day yesterday they were falling over themselves to get a picture with him, to talk about how great his speech was, how strong it was,' Haley added. 
'And they've never seen anything like it, so there's a respect there. I saw that the media was trying to make it something disrespectful; that's not what it was. They love to be with him.'  
During his opening remarks addressing the General Assembly Tuesday Trump boasted he 'has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country in its first two years.'
The audience began to laugh and then the laughter grew after Trump added: 'So true.' He then added, 'I didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK.'
Haley also criticized talk about Trump's mental fitness for the job.
'It's gotten so disgusting, really,' Haley said. 'The idea that he's not mentally fit, the idea that we would be talking about the 25th Amendment. None of hat is true. It could not be farther from the truth.'     


'How can you honestly think a man who doesn't know what he's doing is getting this much done on jobs, on trade deals … Americans are living better than they ever have and you're going to question his leadership,' Haley said.
'I looked at the media yesterday, and they all want to talk about what the worldview of the president is,' she added. 'What they need to understand is the world doesn't understand the media in America right now.'    
Last week the New York Times published a story saying Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested recruiting Cabinet officials to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
Rosenstein has disputed the story. 
Addtionally, Bob Woodward's book, 'Fear: Trump in the White House,' has examples of high ranking staff members thwarting the president's ideas out of fear he could hurt national security and international relationships.
And, a New York Times op-ed that was written anonymously by an administration official earlier this month, said White House staffers have banded together to stop Trump's 'worst inclinations.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6219127/White-teacher-sues-fired-making-black-students-play-slaves.html

[size=34]White teacher sues saying SHE is a victim of racism after being fired for making black students play slaves in class exercise at Bronx school[/size]

• Patrica Cummings sues NYC after being suspended pending termination
  
  
• Teacher made three black students lie down on the floor to 'illustrate slavery'
  
  
• When one student said she felt fine, teacher allegedly stepped on her back
  
  
• Cummings was suspended from  Bronx Middle School 118 earlier this year
  
  
• She is seeking  $120 million in damages - and lawyer claims it's 'reverse racism'
  
  
• Attorney said: 'This is why white parents don't want to send their children there'
  
  

By SARA MALM and SNEJANA FARBEROV FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:00 EDT, 28 September 2018 | UPDATED: 11:01 EDT, 28 September 2018

     



A white middle school teacher is suing New York City after she was fired for forcing her black students to pretend to be slaves during a history class, claiming she is the victim of  'reverse racism'.
Patricia Cummings allegedly told three students at a predominantly black and Hispanic school in The Bronx to lie down to illustrate conditions on a slave ship, after which she stepped on their backs to show 'what it's like to be a slave'.
Ms Cummings has been suspended pending termination from Middle School 118 in The Bronx, and is now seeking $120 million in damages - and her lawyer claims her suit could be worth $1billion.


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Patricia Cummings allegedly told three black students at Middle School 118 in The Bronx to lie down to illustrate conditions on a slave ship, after which they say she stepped on their backs
Ms Cummings' attorney has made the bizarre claims that the young teacher is a victim of reverse racism - and that this is preventing white parents from sending their children to Bronx schools.

'There is blatant racism and reverse discrimination in the public schools of New York City,' Cummings' attorney Tom Liotti told New York Daily News.  'This is why white parents do not want to send their children there.'
'The Bronx has been described by some as a "war zone". White teachers who work there should get combat pay,' Liotti said.


Speaking to the New York Daily News earlier this year, students said that Cummings had singled out three black children and instructed them to stretch out on the floor in front of the class.
She then reportedly asked the trio: 'You see how it was to be a slave? How does it feel?'
According to the student, when one of the children said she felt fine, Cummings allegedly put her foot on the girl's back and inquired again, 'How does it feel? See how it feels to be a slave?'.  


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Incident took place at Bronx Middle School 118, where more than 80 per cent of the student body is black and Hispanic 
Ms Cummings was removed from the classroom and subjected to an investigation, after which she was suspended pending termination. 
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said an investigation had found that Ms Cummings used poor judgment, and that her employment had been terminated based on this.
The spokesperson dismissed Ms Cummings' lawsuit as 'baseless'.  
According to her LinkedIn page, Cummings has a Bachelors' degree from Adelphi University and a Master's degree in teaching from the State University of New York College of Old Westbury. 
She was hired to teach seventh- and eighth-grade social studies at MS 118 in The Bronx in September 2016. 
The student body at the school is 60 per cent Hispanic and 21 per cent black, and less than 3 per cent of the students are white. 
Cummings' Twitter page has been dormant since September 2017, but her final post consisted of a meme criticizing NFL players who opted to kneel during the national anthem.

lol

This is ridiculous and why couldn't other children play slaves I'd like to know. I guess she needed authenticity for the parts.

annemarie wrote:This is ridiculous and why couldn't other children play slaves I'd like to know. I guess she needed authenticity for the parts.

lol

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6218969/Jeff-Flake-says-vote-confirm-Kavanaugh.html

[size=34]BREAKING NEWS: Republicans in crisis talks over Kavanaugh as Senate committee votes him through only after Jeff Flake demands week-long FBI investigation - as Trump says he will do whatever GOP leaders ask for and calls Christine Ford 'very compelling'[/size]

• GOP Senator Flake of Arizona said he will vote to confirm the embattled nominee
  
  
• But he said he was not 'comfortable' with the nomination coming to the floor for a week
  
  
• The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to advance Kavanaugh's nomination
  
  
• Leading Democrats agreed to the week-long time frame of a probe 
  
  
• Flake said he wants the FBI to investigate bombshell allegations of the nominee
  
  
• Flake negotiated with Democrats after getting dramatically confronted by activists
  
  
• He announced his intention to vote for Kavanaugh, but said more time was needed  
  
  
• White House still will not say it has the votes to prevail on the floor 
  
  
• 'I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty' 
  
  
• President Trump called Ford's testimony 'very compelling' 
  
  
• Democrats dramatically walked out of the hearing while it was still going on 
  
  
• The Republican-run Judiciary Committee met Friday morning on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination
  
  
• Senate GOP majority is setting up a key procedural vote as early as Saturday on Senate floor
  
  
• Feinstein blasts Kavanaugh testimony as 'aggressive and belligerent'
  
  
• Democrats moved to subpoena Kavanaugh friend Mark Judge, an alleged witness 
  
  
• Kavanaugh needs 50 votes from Senate to gain nomination - the Senate has 51 Republicans, 49 Democrats 
  
  
• Remaining holdouts will likely decide fate - Repubs Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Dem Joe Manchin
  
  
• Moderate Democrat Doug Jones already revealed Thursday he believed Christine Ford and would vote no 
  
  
• Kavanaugh gave a furious defense on Thursday as he repeatedly complained of his tarnished reputation
  
  
• Ford gave emotional testimony as she recounted vivid details of the night she said Kavanaugh assaulted her
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR and DAVID MARTOSKO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:40 EDT, 28 September 2018 | UPDATED: 15:03 EDT, 28 September 2018

     


The Senate Judiciary Committee dramatically voted to advance the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh – but only after a deal involving Sen. Jeff Flake that would lead to a one-week FBI probe of the nominee's background. 
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who had announced just Friday morning he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh, told committee colleagues he would vote to advance the bill – but only after saying there should be a week for an FBI investigation.
Although key senators were still learning the details of the agreement – which did not yet have an official sign-off from leadership or the White House – Flake and holdouts appeared to have the leverage to enforce it.
Although there was no formal deal, panel chair Sen. Charles Grassley was caught on a hot mic describing how it would hold together.  



A woman who said she is a survivor of a sexual assault (R) confronts Republican Senator from Arizona Jeff Flake (L) in an elevator after Flake announced that he vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington
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'This is all a gentleman and women’s agreement,' Grassley said. 'But I’m committed ...' he added, before being cut off.
The maneuvering indicate Senate Republicans don't yet have the votes to confirm Kavanaugh. 
Sen. Jeff Coons of Delaware called it a 'one week pause' and said he was hopeful a report would be delivered and the committee could ask questions of bureau agents. He said there was enough 'doubt raised' by Ford's testimony that further investigation was justified. 


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Senate Judiciary Committee member Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) (C) speaks with colleagues after a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 28, 2018, on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. - Kavanaugh's contentious Supreme Court nomination will be put to an initial vote Friday, the day after a dramatic Senate hearing saw the judge furiously fight back against sexual assault allegations recounted in harrowing detail by his accuser


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Reporters crowd Senators including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., right, at the conclusion of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing


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Senate Judiciary Committee member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) (C) reacts during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 28, 2018, on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court



Republicans had grim faces before the start of the meeting. They had argued vigorously against the need for an FBI inquiry of sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh


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'This is democracy. Am I mad at Jeff? No,' said Graham
Flake said he would only be 'comfortable' moving the nomination on the floor until such a probe had occurred. 'We owe them due diligence,' he said.
Flake helped broker the deal after getting dramatically confronted by activists through the propped-open door of a Senate elevator. Two women told Flake they had suffered sexual assault and that he was ignoring their and other women's stories by his vote. The retiring Republican was virtually trapped in an elevator while getting lambasted on live television during the experience.
Senate GOP leadership had yet to way in on the fluid situation. President Trump appeared willing to go along with what the Senate needed, but wasn't asked specifically whether he would authorize the FBI to probe the latest Kavanaugh allegations. 

[size=10][size=18]Senator Jeff Flake delays Kavanaugh vote one week for investigation


L[/size][/size]
Immediately after the hearing, Flake and Sen. Dianne Feinstein could be seen in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Capitol office. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she backs Flake's delay, the Washington Post reported. 
Trump said he found Christine Ford's testimony 'compelling,' even as he cheered his nominee, who directly contradicted her allegations that he sexually assaulted her at a party decades ago. 
'I thought her testimony was very compelling, and she looks like a very fine woman to me, a very fine woman,' Trump said.
'And I thought that Brett's testimony likewise was really something that I haven't seen before. It was incredible It was an incredible moment, I think, in the history of our country. But certainly she was a very credible witness. She was very good in many respects and I think that -- I don't know if this is going to continue onward or are we going to get a vote?' Trump continued.
'But again, I'm here so I'm not out there watching because I can't be, out of great respect. Although maybe we'll go watch together. We'll watch together. But I think it will work out very well for the country. I just want it to work out well for the country. If it happens, i'm happy,' the president concluded.
Murkowski had also expressed interest in having the FBI be involved. Howerver, the bureau is part of the executive branch, meaning any deal requires White House buy-in.
‘I think it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to but not more than one week,’ he said.
Said Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said: 'You can do a lot if you have the whole FBI looking into things in one week,' CNN reported.
President Trump, who noted he was meeting with the president of Chile, indicated he was caught off guard.
'There seems to e a delay. I'll learn more about it as the day goes on,' Trump said.
With Flake's support and with support of an additional senator, Democrats had leverage to force the sudden U-turn. 
Before the dramatic turn of events, Republicans had planned for a procedural vote as earlier as Saturday afternoon to speed the nomination to the Senate floor. 
Panel Republicans spent much of the day vociferously arguing against the need for more FBI investigation. Republicans were caught off guard and revealed in comments they did not know the substance of the deal.
Republicans including Trump-backer Lindsey Graham said there was nothing to be learned from further FBI investigation. Kavanaugh and Republicans have repeatedly argued that Kavanaugh has already been through six background checks. 
But the FBI would have had no way to know about the assault allegations that leapt to center stage as the nomination steamed toward the floor. 
It said it was important to show members have ‘bent over backwards’ to do due diligence.
The panel then quickly took a vote. 'The nominee will be reported to the floor,' said panel chair Charles Grassley. The nomination advanced on an 11-10 party-line vote after a day of debate filled with recriminations.
Republican members looked on with grim faces as Flake announced his decision to join a key Democratic demand.
Nevertheless, it was not yet clear that a plan for an FBI probe had been worked out.


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Democrats including Sen. Kamala Harris of California stormed out of the hearing room as the Judiciary Committee prepared to vote out Brett Kavanaugh's nomination
'I have been speaking with a number of people on the other side ... I think it would be proper to delay the floor vote for up to but not more than one week in order to let the FBI do an investigation, limited in time and scope to the current allegations that are there,' said Flake, speaking at the top of a hearing,' said Flake.
'I will vote to advance the bill to the floor with that understanding. And I've spoken to a few other members on my side of the aisle that maybe support it as well ...' he said. 
Trump commented on the dramatic development, but hadn't yet been read in on the details.
'I'm going to let the Senate handle that. They'll make their decisions and they do a good job. very professional. I'm just hearing a little bit about it because I've been with the president of Chile and we're talking about some very important subjects but I'm sure it will all be very good,' Trump said.
'I guess the vote was a positive vote but there seems to be a delay. I'll learn more about it as the day goes on. I just heard about it because we were together,' the president added.
Angry Senate Democrats stormed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee after the panel met Friday morning to vote out the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court hours after hearing sexual assault allegations against him - as his vote was delayed further to allow hours of speeches.
The out-voted Democrats abruptly left the hearing after the dramatic late-breaking development that retiring Sen. Jeff Flake would fall in line with other Republicans and vote to move Kavanaugh's nomination ahead, and after a motion to subpoena testimony from Kavanaugh's high school friend Mark Judge.   
'I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh,' Flake said in a brief statement, arguing that 'fairness and due process' applied to the apply' to his situation.  
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told reporters that they were enraged by the Republicans' refusal to put the Kavanaugh hearings on hold while the FBI conducts a new investigation into a sexual assault allegation.
The four left a hearing room to hold their own press conference in a hallway, dueling for TV exposure with the hearing.
Republicans, Harris said, were ramming Kavanaugh's nomination through as an exercise in 'raw power.'
A committee vote on Kavanaugh's fate is expected to proceed along party lines at 1:30 p.m.
But the morning hearing gave senators from both sides another chance to stemwind and restate their positions a day after Dr. Christine Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a high school party in 1982.
Asked how much effort Democrats had put into coordinating their demands for the FBI's intervention, Hirono laughed. 'You don't think that an FBI investigation is at the core of all of this?' 
Blumenthal vowed to 'use every tool available' to stop Kavanaugh.
Hirono said she hopes the few remaining undecided senators are 'searching their souls and will do the right thing.'
Flake's support makes it virtually certain Kavanaugh's nomination has the votes to clear the committee with a favorable recommendation, as GOP leaders pursue a strategy of advancing the nomination as quickly as possible following a dramatic hearing where the nominee emphatically denied committing sexual assault.


'We are an arm and a very weak arm of the Trump White House,' complained Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who stayed behind inside the hearing room


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Flake listens during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after announcing his decision 






The development came hours after Kavanaugh testified during an emotional Judiciary panel hearing, after accuser Christine Blasey Ford delivered emotional testimony accusing him of a decades-old sexual assault. Kavanaugh issued his own tearful and emotional denial, then attacked panel Democrats of being part of a conspiracy to bring his nomination down. 
Democrats, outnumbered on a committee and helpless to stop the pace of the nomination, inveighed against Kavanaugh's testimony – where he accused Democrats of running a 'search and destroy' mission against him.
Even with Judiciary approval, which now appeared nearly certain on a party-line vote, a handful of Republican andDemocratic centrists hold Brett Kavanaugh's fate in their hands after an electrifying day of testimony which saw him fight for his professional life and Christine Blasey Ford repeat her detailed claim that he once sexually assaulted her.
The White House still would not say Friday it has the votes to prevail on the floor. 
'AGGRESSIVE AND BELLIGERENT': DIANNE FEINSTEIN ATTACKS KAVANAUGH
'This is someone who was aggressive and belligerent,' Feinstein, the senior panel Democrat said at the hearing.
In the 25 years on this committee, I have never seen a nominee for any position behave in that manner. Judge Kavanaugh used as much political rhetoric as my Republican colleagues. And, what's more, he went on the attack,' she said. 
'I have never seen a nominee for any position behave in that matter,' Feinstein said, defending herself against charges that she or her staff were involved in the leak of Ford's allegations, something she denied at Thursday's hearing.
Furious Democrats walked out of the hearing while it was still ongoing, delivering angry denunciations of the majority and its decision to sprint ahead.
Among those walking out were Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris, Mazie Hirono, and Sheldon Whitehouse. The protest created a televised split screen, while senior panel Republicans sang Kavanaugh's statements in prepared statements, while Democrats delivered finger-pointing attacks on the majority outside.



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Republican senators say the Judiciary Committee plans to vote Friday morning on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court
'He volunteers in the community,' said senior Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, while Democrats fumed outside the room.  
'I'm sure a lot of people are irritated right now and I'll let express that irritation, said Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the committee chairman.
'We are an arm and a very weak arm of the Trump White House,' complained Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.  
Harris tweeted: 'Setting a vote on Kavanaugh less than 24 hours after yesterday's testimony shows what a sham this process has been. I just refused to vote and walked out.'
During the final hours before the Friday afternoon vote, senators took turns saying their piece.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: I WILL NOT SHUT UP
After an explosive intervention on Thursday, Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican, doubled down.
'I know I'm a single white male from South Carolina, and I'm told I should shut up, but I will not shut up, if that's OK. Because I got here the same way anyone else did,' he said.
'I'm going to vote yes, and I'm going to tell his two daughters that I'm proud of your dad, and I really, really believe he's a good man. And I'm going to tell Dr. Ford I am sorry you had to go through this, too.' 
He added: 'I do believe something happened to her. I don't know when and where, but it wasn't Brett Kavanaugh.' 
Graham called the allegations against Kavanaugh a case which would be impossible to prosecute 'in Maryland or anywhere else', saying it 'wouldn't get out of the batter's box'.
And he called the handling of the allegations 'the beginning of a process that will tear this country apart..
'And if I am chairman next year, if we keep the majority and Senator Grassley moves over, I’m going to remember this,' he added.
'If you try to destroy somebody you will not get away with it.' 
REPUBLICAN JOHN CORYNYN: RIGHT NOT TO CALL MARK JUDGE
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas defended the decision not to call Mark Judge to testify. 
'He submitted his statement under penalty of felony,' said Corynyn.
'He admits to being a recovering alcoholic as well as a cancer survivor. He said he struggles with depression and anxiety, so much that he avoids public speaking. And our colleagues across the aisle believe that the appropriate course of conduct is to drag Mr. Judge into this circus-like atmosphere and to subject his battle with alcoholism and addiction to public investigation and scrutiny and ridicule.'
'That is cruel, that is reckless. That is indecent,' said Corynyn.
DEMOCRAT SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: 'PARTISAN SCREED' 
Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse brought up his interrogation of Kavanaugh about his high school yearbook entry, suggesting the nominee provided less than truthful explanations.  
'His partisan screed yesterday was telling,' said Whitehouse.
'As to yesterday, let me be frank. I believe Dr. Ford. I may be wrong but I believed her. And I believe Kavanaugh dodged and dissembled, ranted and raved, filibustered and prevaricated. I did not find him credible. I don't believe 'boof' is flatulence, I don't believe the 'Devil's Triangle' is a drinking game and I don't believe calling yourself a girl's 'alumnius' is being her friend. And I think drinking til you 'ralph' or fall out of the bus or don't remember the game or need to piece together your memory the next day is more consistent with dr. ford's and others' testimony than his own,' Whitehouse said.
'If Dr. Ford's testimony is true I hope we can all agree Kavanaugh has no business on the court and I for one believed her. But set aside my own belief. 
'As a prosecutor, I am horrified at what the committee has done. Terminating the FBI background investigation before these new allegations were even considered. Doing partisan interviews by partisan staffers declaredly determined to force the nominee through. 
'Letting Kavanaugh's alleged accomplice in the assault, the guy in the room with him when it happened, get away with a lawyer's letter and no testimony, no cross examination?' Whitehouse added.   


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The news comes after a nearly 8-hour day that saw both Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh take the stand in what was an emotional hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee
JEFF FLAKE - I WILL VOTE FOR KAVANAUGH 
Flake issued a definitive statement after leaving both sides guessing with his vague speech at Thursday's tense hearing.
'After hearing more than 30 hours of testimony from Judge Kavanaugh earlier this month, I was prepared to support his nomination based on his view of the law and his record as a judge. In fact, I commented at the time that had he been nominated in another era, he would have likely received 90+ votes,' Flake said.
He then referenced Ford's allegations of sexual assault.
'When Dr. Ford's allegations against Judge Kavanaugh surfaced two weeks ago, I insisted that she be allowed to testify before the committee moved to a vote. Yesterday, we heard compelling testimony from Dr. Ford, as well as a persuasive response from Judge Kavanaugh,' Flake said.
'I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty.'
'What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the Senate's advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitution's provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well,' Flake said.
'I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh,' Flake concluded.
As the panel met Friday, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal immediately moved to subpoena Kavanaugh friend Mark Judge. Blasey Ford claims Judge was present during the alleged assault. Judge never appeared before the panel or met with the FBI, although panel chair Charles Grassley of Iowa read a letter by Judge's lawyer.
'The ram job continues,' said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.   
Blumenthal said of Judge as the tense hearing began: 'Evidently he has never been interviewed by the FBI. He has never been questioned by any member of our committee. He has never submitted a detailed account of what he knows.'
'He has submitted a cursory, conclusory 6-sentence letter,' Blumenthal complained. 'We cannot in good conscience, vote without hearing at least from Mark Judge ... We should hear from the other sexual assault survivors who have come forward with incredible and powerful stories.' 
Within minutes of the conclusion of the riveting Senate hearing, Republicans announced that the Judiciary Committee would meet Friday morning for a vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Kavanaugh is expected to clear a committee roll call. But even if he doesn't, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will start turning the Senate's wheels with a procedural floor vote as early as Saturday.
Key holdouts huddled in the Capitol on Thursday evening, including SusanCollins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, facing a difficult re-election fight in a deep-red Trump state, has sent signals that he could vote with Republicans.
If not, Republicans could withstand just a single defection if they want to confirm Kavanaugh, who has emphatically denied Ford's allegations.
Other Democrats sitting on the fence as of Friday morning included Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Bill Nelson of Florida. All three are looking to avoid alienating Republican voters in advance of the midterm election just weeks away. 
Flake, a retiring Arizona lawmaker who has crossed swords with Trump, failed to question wither Kavanaugh or Ford during Thursday's Judiciary Committee hearing – instead delivering an equivocating speech.
'I'm sorry for what's happened to you and your family. I'm sorry for what has happened to hers. This is not a good process, but it's all we've got,' Flake said.
After the hearing Flake said it was a 'tough call' on whether he would support Kavanaugh, saying Ford's account was 'compelling' but lacked 'corroboration from those who were there.'
Asked how he would vote, Flake only said 'let me process it.' 
'There have been no decisions,' Manchin reportedly said outside the hearing room. 'There are some concerns that people have, and we're going to try to close the loop.'  
While Flake is the only senator among the four who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, all are considered key to determining Kavanaugh's ultimate fate if his nomination were to reach a full vote in the Senate.
They talked for around 30 minutes before Thursday night's GOP conference meeting.
Former President George W. Bush personally reached out to all four senators, including Manchin, hoping to help sway them to Kavanaugh's side, according to The Washington Post. 
The former president has a long history with Kavanaugh, who worked for him during the crucial Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election. Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2003.
Meanwhile, moderate Democratic Sen. Doug Jones revealed Thursday night that he would oppose Kavanaugh's Supreme Court bid.
The Alabama senator, who defeated right-winger Roy Moore in a bellwether special election last year, called the nomination process 'flawed from the beginning' and said he found Ford to be both credible and courageous. 
Jones added that he was concerned voting 'yes' on Kavanaugh's nomination would send a bad message to sons, daughters, and victims of sexual assault.   
Several Senate Republicans likewise acknowledged Ford's 'credibility.' But GOP leadership from still scheduled a Judiciary Committee meeting and Friday vote immediately after the end of Kavanaugh's testimony.


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Three Republicans (Collins, Murkowski and Flake) and five Democrats (Donnelly, Heitkamp, Manchin, Nelson and Tester) are thought to be 'in play' and could switch sides when a final Kavbanaugh vote is called on the Senate floor


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Kavanaugh and his wife Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, hold hands as they leave a holding room after the hearing on Thursday 


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Trump tweeted his support for Kavanaugh just minutes after the 8-hour hearing came to an end on Thursday night





But partisans on both sides were already rallying factions in the brutal fight over replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was the critical 'swing vote' on the high court for years, following a hearing where Kavanaugh tore into Democrats for what he claimed was merely a conspiracy to bring him down.
'I will never personally or professionally support any Democrat who votes to confirm Kavanaugh,' tweeted Guy Cecil, head of the liberal superpac Priorities USA.
Kavanaugh himself lit partisan fires during his angry pushback on the assault charges, accusing panel Democrats of a 'calculated and orchestrated political hit'.
Judiciary Republicans rallied around Kavanaugh after his emotional appearance, which followed Ford's vivid description of her own suffering during an attack she says happened at a house party decades ago.
Graham tore into Democrats for what he called an 'unethical sham' saying: 'Boy, y'all want power and I hope you don't get it.' 
But panel Democrats blasted the charge, saying they believed Kavanaugh's accuser or at least wanted the FBI to investigate to discern more information and interview Mark Judge - a witness to the alleged attack.
'We believe her,' Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted, joining the likes of Judiciary Committee members Kamala Harris and Richard Blumenthal, who both told Ford during they hearing that they believed her. 
Warren called for a full FBI investigation on Thursday, while fellow Democratic Sen Patty Murray said Kavanaugh should 'withdraw immediately'. 
'I watched with tears as Dr Ford bravely shared her experience with the Senate,' Murray tweeted on Thursday. 
'Judge Kavanaugh, who didn't demonstrate honesty or temperament, is asking senators for a seat on the highest court in the land - which he did not deserve today.'  
'Kavanaugh should withdraw immediately. If GOP leaders continue to rush this nomination, women & men across the country will stand up & fight back. The Senate failed Anita Hill & all women in 1991. 27 years later—we must do better.'   
Like Murray, several Democrats found Kavanaugh's combative testimony to be disqualifying.
'Judge Kavanaugh exhibited temperament Americans do not want in fair judges,' said Democrat Sen Sheldon Whitehouse. 
'He was discourteous, lashing out at senators raising legitimate questions, and made unfounded conspiracy allegations about imagined plots by political enemies.'
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also questioned why Republicans weren't demanding the White House order the FBI to reopen their background investigation if they were 'so certain' of Kavanaugh's story.
'Hold off on a vote for several days so all the facts can come out,' he proclaimed.
The American Bar Association has likewise demanded a full FBI investigation, calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to halt the vote until one is completed. 
ABA President Robert Carlson wrote a letter to both Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein in which he said it was crucial that the FBI investigate Ford's claims.
'The basic principles that underscore the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI,' he wrote. 
'Each appointment to our nation's Highest Court (as with all others) is simply too important to rush to a vote.' 
'Deciding to proceed without conducting additional investigation would not only have a lasting impact on the Senate's reputation, but it will also negatively affect the great trust necessary for the American people to have in the Supreme Court.' 
Carlson's letter came just hours after Kavanaugh himself noted during his hearing that he had received the ABA's highest rating of unanimous 'well-qualified' for the Supreme Court before Ford's sexual assault allegations came to light.
But Kavanaugh's angry denials, as well as his tearful account of the threats and harassment against his family, seemed to unite and energize Republicans.
'I don't know how you can listen to him and not realize that he's what he says he is,' Sen Orrin Hatch said, adding that he believes Kavanaugh will be confirmed. 
News of Friday's vote comes after Kavanaugh delivered a fighting end to his Senate testimony Thursday when asked directly if he was innocent of claims he tried to rape Ford or had any doubts about his integrity.
'100 per cent. Not a scintilla. Swear to God,' he said. 
The forceful declaration capped an angry and emotional afternoon in which Kavanaugh fought for the Supreme Court seat - and got immediate approval from the president. 
'Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him,' Trump tweeted just moments after the hearing ended.
'His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats' search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!'  
The embattled nominee began with a 45-minute, 5,200-word opening statement, throwing away a far briefer statement he had already submitted as he instead launched into conspiracy theories that the hearing was the Democrats' 'revenge for the Clintons'.  
'This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election,' Kavanaugh claimed.
'Fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.'
But that testimony was challenged head-on by Democratic senator Cory Booker, who later asked if Kavanaugh believed Ford was a political operative and if he wished she had 'never come forward'.
'Are you saying Dr Ford's efforts to come forward to prepare for the difficult testimony she gave today, have all been part of an orchestrated hit? Are you calling her a political operative?' the senator asked.
'All allegations should be taken seriously...I don't know her, but I also said [my family and I] have no ill will towards her,' Kavanaugh said.
'Do you think that people who believe Dr Ford are legitimizing despicable things?' Booker continued. 'Do you think we're somehow engaging in something that's despicable?' 
'She is not a political pawn, she is not part of the Clinton's effort to get some kind of revenge,' the senator went on in a rousing defense of Ford. 'She's a woman who came here with corroborating evidence to tell her truth.' 
Kavanaugh later admitted at the end of the hearing that he did not watch Ford's testimony.
The judge choked up and took deep, heaving breaths in his opening statement as he talked about what his youngest daughter told his wife the night before he testified.
'Little Liza said to Ashley, we should pray for the woman. That's a lot of wisdom from a 10-year-old,' he said. 
Kavanaugh was emotional again when talking about his yearbook. 'For one thing, our yearbook was a disaster,' he said, in reference to the reports of what was written inside.
'Some people wanted the yearbook to be a combination of Animal House, Caddyshack, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which were all recent movies at that time,' he noted, adding 'many of us went along with the yearbook to the point of absurdity.'
He added: 'This past week my friends and I have cringed when we talked about it to each other.'
Kavanaugh specifically referenced – without mentioning her name - Renate Schroeder Dolphin, who The New York Times reported on earlier this week, noting a 'Renate' reference appeared 14 times in Kavanaugh's yearbook with Kavanaugh listed as a 'Renate Alumni.'



'It was not related to sex,' he said bluntly. 'I'm so sorry for her for that yearbook reference,' he added, choking up as he proclaimed: 'She was and is a great person.'
Sen Richard Blumenthal brought up the yearbook statement again later in the hearing, referencing Dolphin's own quote to the Times that the 'Alumni' joke was 'horrible, hurtful, and simply untrue'.
'Renate Alumni clearly implied some boast of sexual conquest,' Blumenthal added.   
Kavanaugh became agitated at the senator's suggestion, instead trying to claim it was Blumenthal who was doing 'great harm' to Dolphin, despite the fact he was referencing her own direct quote regarding the yearkbook.
'You're just dragging her through the mud,' Kavanaugh said. 
What was not addressed during the hearing was the fact that Kavanaugh's lawyer claimed he shared a kiss with Dolphin after an event, to which she specifically told the New York Times never actually happened.
On Thursday Kavanaugh also reiterated a claim he made during his Fox News interview on Monday that he was a virgin in high school and for years afterward.
'This is not a topic I ever imagined would come up in a judicial confirmation hearing,' he said. 'I never had sexual intercourse or anything close to it during high school or for many years after that.'
Kavanaugh also admitted he liked beer and still likes beer, but added it doesn't mean he sexually assaulted anyone.
'I liked beer. I still like beer. But I never drank beer to the point of blacking out and I never sexually assaulted someone,' he said.
He then issued a warning that attempted to tie his sexual assault allegations to the fate of any young American who enjoys beer.


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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin exits after meeting privately with Republican Senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski following the hearing. The four are considered the key holdouts that could block Kavanaugh's nomination
'If every American who drank beer in high school is suddenly presumed guilty of sexual assault we are in a new place in this country,' he proclaimed. 
Whether Kavanaugh had ever blacked out from drinking was a frequent topic of discussion during the hearing, as he continued to claim he was far too focused on his football practice to ever do such a thing on weekdays in the summer.
Yet later in the hearing, Kavanaugh had to concede to Booker that on July 1 - a weekday - he had 'brewskis' with his friends after a football practice. The proof was in his much-discussed calendar. 
'You drank on weekdays, yes or no?' Booker asked. 
'Well, yes...on July 1,' Kavanaugh replied. 
Blumenthal also brought up how Kavanaugh had once described needing to 'piece things back together' after 'falling off the bus on to the front steps of the Law School at 4.45am' while he was a law student at Yale.  
 
Her voice quavered as she described her trauma following the house party where she claims Kavanaugh attacked her as Judge watched.
'I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to,' she said. 'But the details about that night that bring me here today are ones I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult.' 
'When I got to the small gathering, people were drinking beer in a small living room on the first floor of the house. I drank one beer that evening. Brett and Mark were visibly drunk. Early in the evening, I went up a narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the bathroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom. I couldn't see who pushed me.'
'I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming,' she recalled.
'This was what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me.'
She added: 'Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack. They both seemed to be having a good time.' 
Ford also addressed questions in her opening statement about why she did not report the assault at the time.
'For a very long time, I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone the details. I did not want to tell my parents that I, at age 15, was in a house without any parents present, drinking beer with boys,' she said.
'I tried to convince myself that because Brett did not rape me, I should be able to move on and just pretend that it had never happened.' 


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Since Ford has come forward, both Julie Swetnick (left) and Deborah Ramirez (right) have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Ramirez claims that Kavanaugh placed his penis in front of her and caused her to involuntary touch it during a party
ADVERTISEMENT

Flake is a class act!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6218969/Jeff-Flake-says-vote-confirm-Kavanaugh.html

[size=34]Trump orders FBI probe of 'current, credible' sex crime allegations against Brett Kavanaugh in dramatic reversal after Jeff Flake threatens to torpedo nomination - and Mark Judge agrees to cooperate[/size]

I'm happy to know FBI will investigate.

They should have done the investigation when it was first asked for.

After all the things he's said about why he's leaving Congress, I was surprised Flake was following the party line and supporting Kavanaugh. I'm glad to see he hasn't completely lost his integrity. Hopefully the investigation will put this to rest once and for all.

Does anyone know why Heidi Heitkamp (D./N.Dak) is having trouble making up her mind about Kavanaugh? I'm drowning in emails asking me to contribute to her campaign because without her the Democrats can't take back the Senate - and then I see reports that she might vote Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court! What kind of Democrat could even consider supporting him? If she could do that, IMO we're better off without her in the Senate.

Slightly astonished that Trump has seemed so reasonable at this late stage - or has he twigged that he could possibly lose half of the population at the mid-terms?

Heitkamp's twitter three hours ago, Lizzy

https://twitter.com/SenatorHeitkamp/status/1045763503817199617

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6220533/Judge-Democrats-Congress-sue-Trump-companys-business-ties-foreign-governments.html

[size=34]Democrats in Congress CAN sue Trump over his company's business ties with foreign governments as judge rules in unprecedented case about Constitution's 'emoluments' clause[/size]

• Federal judge says a group of 200 Democratic lawmakers can sue the president over the U.S. Constitution's 'Emoluments Clause'
  
  
• That language prohibits the president from accepting gifts from foreign governments unless Congress first approves it
  
  
• The Democrats are angry because the Trump Organization, the president's real estate company, does business with foreign governments 
  
  
• Hotel room stays and event-space rentals have been paid for by representatives of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
  
  
• The company also reaped income from Chinese and Emirati-linked government purchases of office space in Trump Tower
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 17:40 EDT, 28 September 2018 | UPDATED: 19:33 EDT, 28 September 2018

     


A federal district judge in Washington ruled on Friday that a group of nearly 200 Democratic senators and representatives have legal standing to sue President Donald Trump to prove he violated the U.S. Constitution's emoluments provision banning the acceptance of gifts from foreign and domestic interests.
The U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan found that lawmakers have adequately shown that they've suffered harm from the president's alleged violation of the emoluments clause, which bans benefits from foreign governments unless a majority of both houses of Congress consent.
The ruling was the second time a federal court judge has decided to advance such unprecedented constitutional lawsuits against the president. A federal judge in Maryland ruled in July that a similar lawsuit against Trump filed by the attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia could proceed, but only as pertained to earnings from Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel.
To allow the lawsuit to proceed, Sullivan said he would 'accept as true the allegations that the President has accepted prohibited foreign emoluments without seeking the consent of Congress.'


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A federal judge told 200 Democratic lawmakers that they can sue President Donald Trump because his businesses get income from foreign governments and they aren't permitted to exercise their constitutional oversight duties beforehand


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Several foreign governments have bought blocks of hotel rooms at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and some have booked parties there with catering and bar service
Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco said in a statement that the government believes this case should be dismissed and 'will continue to defend the President in court.'

The lawyers representing 198 congressional Democrats were led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who, along with his colleagues, have argued that Trump isn't letting them do their jobs. He praised Sullivan's ruling.
'This is a bombshell victory enabling us to move forward to hold the president accountable for violating the chief corruption prohibition in the United States' Constitution,' Blumenthal told the AP. 'President Trump has been violating it repeatedly with impunity and now we as members need to hold him accountable.'
The Democrats' attorney Elizabeth Wydra, who is president of the nonprofit Constitutional Accountability Center and argued the case in court, said that 'by recognizing that members of Congress have standing to sue, the court proved to all in America today that no one is above the law, not even the president.'
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case argues that the president has received foreign government favors, such as Chinese government trademarks for his companies, payments for hotel room stays and event-space rentals by representatives of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and proceeds from Chinese or Emirati-linked government purchases of office space in Trump Tower.


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The Chinese and Emirati governments have purchased office space in Trump Tower






ExpandClose
Ethics experts say the constitutional emoluments clause was created by the Founding Fathers to ensure that government officials act with the interests of the American public in mind instead of their own pocketbooks.
Unlike prior presidents, Trump chose not to divest from his assets and he remains the owner of the Trump Organization, a sprawling business empire with 550 entities in more than 20 countries that include branded hotels, golf courses, licensing deals and other interests. His Washington, D.C., hotel is near the White House and has become a magnet for foreign governments, previously hosting groups tied to Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
The District of Columbia case is one of three that argues the president is violating the emoluments clause, but this case is notable because the plaintiffs in this suit – members of Congress – are mentioned in the clause itself. 
The Democrats' attorneys have argued that Congress not only has a right but is required, as part of their jobs, to weigh in on potential emoluments to Trump such as a $6.5 million condo purchase by the Qatari government or a Chinese-government owned company's investment in a project that will include a Trump-branded hotel and golf course in Indonesia.
Justice Department lawyers argued in court papers that the Democrats suing the president are not being injured by him at all but by their colleagues in Congress, who have refused to take up the emoluments issue.


While the judge acknowledged that the case did raise separation of power concerns, he also noted that 'plaintiffs have no adequate legislative remedy' but can be resolved by the judicial process by requiring the president to ask for congressional consent before accepting emoluments.
Sullivan's decision broadens the potential legal peril for Trump and his companies after U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte ruled that the emoluments clause lawsuit filed in a Maryland federal court could proceed against Trump. That case, however, is only limited to earnings Trump has received from the Trump International Hotel, which opened in Washington in September 2016.
In July, Messitte dismissed the Justice Department's contention that Trump's business activity such as hotel room earnings don't qualify under the constitutional definition of emoluments. The case has moved to the legal discovery stage. The Justice Department, however, has asked for an appeal in that case and for all proceedings to halt until an appeals court rules.

party animal - not! wrote:Slightly astonished that Trump has seemed so reasonable at this late stage - or has he twigged that he could possibly lose half of the population at the mid-terms?

Heitkamp's twitter three hours ago, Lizzy

https://twitter.com/SenatorHeitkamp/status/1045763503817199617

Thanks, PAN. Seems like she's still on the fence. I couldn't understand how anyone who supports the Democratic party would vote Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court. It seems that she's not exactly a Democrat. She's a member of the Democratic Nonpartisan League Party - whatever that is. Sounds to me like a fancy name for an independent - or if I wanted to be really cynical, a play-both-ends-against-the-middle party. Whatever, I'm not donating another penny to her campaign until she votes "No" on Kavanaugh.

Not excusing her but Heitkamp is a Democratic Senator in the very red state of North Dakota.  If she votes against Kavanaugh her re-election in November is in serious doubt. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in the super red state of West Virginia is also thought to be leaning to yes. But Manchin is in a comfortable lead in his state in the run up to the  election. Both are probably  relieved that Flake came out to  support Kavenaugh only if there was an FBI investigation.  They can only hope that some credible evidence comes from it.  Otherwise I bet they will both vote yes on the nomination.

What’s really disappointing is that the two Republican women senators, Murkowski (Alaska) and Collins (Maine), who are both pro choice AND WOMEN, were leaning to voting for Kavenaugh before the Flake announcement.  To their credit both had been in support of an FBI investigation. But once again these Members of Congress show little in the way of courage to stand up for what they believe in instead of walking the party line. 

Bottom line .... women are angry.  Their votes will be consequential in November.

.......Yep, and maybe that's why Trump is suddenly being so conciliatory?.....unless of course he was busy negotiating Trump hotels expansion into Chile with their president....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sj50kt7Nok

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6220907/Trump-belittles-FBI-probe-hours-ordering-it.html

[size=34]Trump dismisses FBI investigation by tweeting Kavanaugh WILL be 'a truly great Justice of the Supreme Court' hours after Senate showdown forced him to order new probe and he admitted Christine Ford was 'compelling and credible'[/size]

Donnamarie wrote:Not excusing her but Heitkamp is a Democratic Senator in the very red state of North Dakota.  If she votes against Kavanaugh her re-election in November is in serious doubt. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in the super red state of West Virginia is also thought to be leaning to yes. But Manchin is in a comfortable lead in his state in the run up to the  election. Both are probably  relieved that Flake came out to  support Kavenaugh only if there was an FBI investigation.  They can only hope that some credible evidence comes from it.  Otherwise I bet they will both vote yes on the nomination.

What’s really disappointing is that the two Republican women senators, Murkowski (Alaska) and Collins (Maine), who are both pro choice AND WOMEN, were leaning to voting for Kavenaugh before the Flake announcement.  To their credit both had been in support of an FBI investigation. But once again these Members of Congress show little in the way of courage to stand up for what they believe in instead of walking the party line. 

Bottom line .... women are angry.  Their votes will be consequential in November.

According to all the emails I've been getting from her campaign, her re-election is in doubt no matter how she votes on Kavanaugh. I know how important it is to gain Democratic control of Congress. I just wish candidates didn't have to sacrifice their principles to get elected.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6222709/Kavanaugh-accuser-Ramirez-contacted-FBI-lawyer.html

[size=34]FBI contacts second Kavanaugh accuser Deborah Ramirez as part of its week-long investigation into Trump's SCOTUS pick as the White House 'limits' its scope and says it will NOT permit the bureau to interview third accuser Julie Swetnick[/size]

• A lawyer for Deborah Ramirez, confirmed Saturday that his client has been contacted as part of the FBI's investigation of sexual misconduct
  
  
• Ramirez alleges that Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory, when they were undergraduates
  
  
• Claims by a third accuser, Julie Swetnick, will not be considered in the probe 
  
  
• Swetnick's attorney Michael Avenatti maintains that she is telling the truth 
  
  
• Trump ordered the 'supplemental investigation' into his SCOTUS nominee Friday
  
  
• The White House counsel's office has reportedly provided FBI investigators with a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview as part of the week-long probe 
  
  
• As he headed to a West Virginia rally Saturday, Trump said: 'I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge' 
  
  
• He said there isn't a backup plan in place because he doesn't expect to need one 
  
  

By MEGAN SHEETS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 16:15 EDT, 29 September 2018 | UPDATED: 18:54 EDT, 29 September 2018

     





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The FBI has contacted the second woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as the White House limits the scope of the investigation ordered by President Trump on Friday 
The FBI has contacted the second woman to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as the White House limits the scope of the investigation. 
The week-long probe ordered by President Donald Trump on Friday will focus specifically on claims made by Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, but not those by a third accuser Julie Swetnick.   
A lawyer for Ramirez confirmed Saturday that his client - who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her during a drunken party at a Yale University dormitory when they were undergraduates - will cooperate fully with FBI agents. 

'We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation,' attorney John Clune said in a tweet. 
'Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.' 
Scroll down for video 


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The White House has reportedly instructed FBI agents to limit the Kavanaugh probe to allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford, who testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week (left), and a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez (right)





[size=3]L[/size]
White House officials also on Saturday stated that the FBI has been instructed not to investigate allegations made by Swetnick, who claims to have been gang raped at a party where Kavanaugh was present, back when the federal judge was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s.
Swetnick's lawyer Michael Avenatti maintains that his client is telling the truth even though it appears her allegations will not be investigated. 
Kavanaugh has staunchly denied allegations from Ford, Ramirez and Swetnick.


Trump expressed confidence in his nominee and in the investigative process on Saturday before heading to a rally in West Virginia.  
'I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge,' he said. 'There's never been anybody that's been looked at like Judge Kavanaugh.'
The president added that he hasn't come up with a backup plan concerning the nomination because he believes he won't need one. 
The White House counsel's office has reportedly provided FBI investigators with a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview as part of the week-long probe, sources within the administration told NBC on the condition of anonymity. 
Amid reports of the White House tightening the reins on the investigation, Trump said: 'The FBI I believe is doing a really great job. 
'They have been all over already. They have free rein. They're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. 
'They'll be doing things that we've never even thought of, and hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine.'  


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Trump expressed confidence in his nominee and in the investigative process on Saturday before heading to a rally in West Virginia, saying of the probe: 'I would expect it's going to turn out very well for the judge'


+8




+8



The FBI has reportedly been instructed not to investigate sexual misconduct allegations from a third woman, Julie Swetnick (left), who claims to have witnessed Kavanaugh in 'gang rape' situations in high school. Her lawyer Michael Avenatti (right) maintains she is telling the truth
Sources within the White House have expressed concern that such tight restrictions could hinder the bureau's ability to fully investigate the allegations.
The limited scope also appears to conflict with what lawmakers were expecting when they voted to allow the FBI up to a week to perform the probe. 
Sen Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who led an 11th-hour request for an FBI inquiry, said he thought the bureau would be tasked with decided how to carry it out. 
Sen Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, also said he expected FBI investigators to work diligently and independently with significant backing from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Trump administration. 
The FBI probe into allegations against Kavanaugh is not a criminal investigation, but rather an expansion on the federal judge's background check, and will thus not involve search warrants or subpoenas.

Deborah Ramirez' attorney tweeted Saturday: 'We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation'
Within the FBI, such investigations are known as 'special presidential inquiries', and they typically consist of voluntary interviews of the primary subject and any relevant potential witnesses.
In this case, Trump was forced to order the one-week investigation, which was highly sought by Senate Democrats, after Sen Flake announced he would not back a full Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh until the probe took place.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said on Friday night that the expanded background investigation will be limited to 'current credible allegations' against Kavanaugh. 
Mark Judge, whom Ford claims was in the room and participated in the alleged attack, will likely be considered a key interview subject by the FBI.
Judge has denied any knowledge of Ford's allegations, and has said he is willing to speak to the FBI for their probe.
It's been speculated that agents may also speak with two men who contacted the Judiciary Committee independent of each other claiming that they were the person who attacked Ford in 1982. 
However, those men had reportedly not yet been contacted as of Saturday afternoon. 
Republicans revealed that they had conducted interviews with the men on the eve of Thursday's blockbuster hearing, but did not bring up their claims in the hearing, a likely signal that they did not find the men credible.


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Mark Judge (left) and Kavanaugh are seen together in high school. Ford claims they were together during the alleged attack, which both men strongly deny


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Trump was forced to order the one-week investigation, which was highly sought by Senate Democrats, after Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake (center) announced he would not back a full Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh until the probe took place
Although a week may not seem like much time for the investigation, experts believe the probe's limited scope will allow the FBI to complete its work within the deadline.
Taking the lead for the White House during the investigation is counsel Don McGahn, who has shepherded Kavanaugh's nomination since president Trump announced it on July 9.  
An official briefed on the matter told NBC its not unusual for the White House to set the parameters of an FBI background check for a presidential nominee. 
The FBI has had no choice but to agree to the administration's terms, sources said, because it is conducting the background investigation on behalf of the White House.
Donald Trump appeared to belittle the investigation just hours after ordering it, tweeting Friday evening: 'Just started, tonight, our 7th FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday be recognized as a truly great Justice of The United States Supreme Court!' 
In just a few days, Trump has jumped between calling the sexual assault allegations a 'con job', Ford a 'credible witness', and on Friday night emphasizing that this is the 7th FBI investigation of Kavanaugh and insisting he will be the next Justice of the Supreme Court. 

[size=34]What happens now? Whose claims will be investigated and what are the next steps in the Kavanaugh probe?[/size]

President Trump has ordered the FBI to conduct a 'limited' supplemental investigation into sexual assault allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but questions remain about the scope of the probe and whether it will look into additional assault claims from two women that emerged this week.
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans agreed to the investigation after a last-minute demand by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) forced the committee's hand on Friday.
Both the White House and the Senate Judiciary Committee stressed that the investigation would be 'limited,' and must be completed by next Friday. 
'The supplemental FBI background investigation would be limited to current credible allegations against the nominee and must be completed no later than one week from today,' said the Senate Judiciary Committee in a statement.
The investigation, which follows a prior FBI background check into Kavanaugh, will look into allegations from Christine Ford that he sexually assaulted her during a party in high school.
It is unclear whether the FBI will also examine claims from two other accusers – Kavanaugh's Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez and a former Maryland resident named Julie Swetnick.
Ramirez has accused Kavanaugh of putting his genitals near her face while she was intoxicated on the floor at a college dorm party.
Swetnick, who is being represented by Stormy Daniels's attorney Michael Avenatti, claims she witnessed Kavanaugh and his high school friend Mark Judge drugging girls' drinks and participating in group-rape attacks at parties. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.
A spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to requests to clarify the term 'current, credible allegations.' Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also declined to comment when asked by DailyMail.com.
Flake – who forced the committee to agree to the investigation after telling Republican colleagues that it is the only way he will vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation – suggested to NPR on Friday that the decision of which allegations to investigate will be left to the FBI. 
'We'll leave that to the FBI…. I am assuming that the Ford [allegations] are there, and maybe Ramirez. But Avenatti, I don't know… but that's their call.'
The FBI investigation would be a supplemental to the previous background check it conducted on Kavanaugh as it does for all Supreme Court nominees. The background investigation has been based out of the FBI Washington office.
The FBI will not conduct a criminal investigation because the charges against Kavanaugh do not relate to any federal crimes. Because of this, the bureau will not make a determination on Kavanaugh's guilt or innocence. The FBI will submit a report to the White House and the Senate Judiciary Committee when the examination is complete.
The scope of the investigation – which will look into claims dating back 36 years – is unusual for an FBI background check. Typically the bureau focuses on recent events from the past decade of the nominee's life, or documented criminal or legal charges against the individual.
However, the probe could turn up individuals who are able to corroborate the claims from Ford, Ramirez or Swetnick. So far, the witnesses named by the accusers have said they don't remember the incidents taking place.
The FBI will also be able to talk to potential witnesses who have not spoken directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mark Judge, a high school classmate of Kavanaugh's who Ford claims was in the room while she was sexually assaulted, has agreed to cooperate with the FBI.
Judge has previously declined to testify to the committee but submitted a sworn statement saying he does not remember any incident like the one described by Ford.
Two other witnesses who Ford claims were at the party, P.J. Smythe and Leland Keyser, could also be interviewed by the FBI. Both Smythe and Keyser have said in statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee that they do not recall the event described by Ford.
Although the FBI will have just a week to investigate the allegations, this timeframe is not out of step with prior similar investigations.
During Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearings in 1991, the FBI took three days to investigate sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by law professor Anita Hill. Thomas was ultimately confirmed to the Supreme Court. 
ABC News contributor and former FBI Special Agent in Charge Steve Gomez said the FBI is likely 'organizing their resources to ensure that every field office and every agent is available to conduct' the investigation within a week.
He defined the phrase 'current credible allegations' as 'any kind of allegation where there are witnesses that can be interviewed and any kind of information that can be gathered to determine whether the allegations are true or false.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6225983/Senators-speak-investigation-Kavanaughs-sex-misconduct-claims.html

[size=34]'He had exchanges that went over a line... he was clearly aggressive and angry': Senators Flake and Coons reveal the drama that led to their bipartisan demand for an FBI probe into Kavanaugh - and say his nomination is over if he lied to them[/size]

• Republican Senator Jeff Flake and Democratic Senator Chris Coons say Brett Kavanaugh's nomination should be over if it's found he lied
  
  
• Senators spoke of how their bipartisanship resulted in an FBI investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations leveled at Kavanaugh 
  
  
• Flake upended his GOP colleagues' plans on Friday to move quickly to confirm Kavanaugh by saying he wanted an investigation 
  
  
• Coons hailed his friend Flake as a hero for essentially forcing the week-long investigation into the allegations
  
  

By EMILY CRANE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:42 EDT, 1 October 2018 | UPDATED: 04:27 EDT, 1 October 2018

     


Republican Senator Jeff Flake and Democratic Senator Chris Coons have both agreed that if Brett Kavanaugh is found to have lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee it should be the end of his Supreme Court nomination. 
The two senators sat down side-by-side for an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday night as they spoke of how their bipartisanship had resulted in an FBI investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations leveled at Kavanaugh. 
They were both asked if Kavanaugh's nomination should be over if the investigation uncovers that he lied under oath during his Senate hearing on Thursday. 
'Oh, yes. I would think so,' Flake and Coons responded. 


+4


Senators Jeff Flake and Chris Coons have agreed that if Brett Kavanaugh is found to have lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee it should be the end of his Supreme Court nomination

CBS Interactive Privacy Policy

Flake upended his GOP colleagues' plans on Friday to move quickly to confirm Kavanaugh by saying he wanted an FBI investigation into the allegations made by chief accuser Dr Christine Blasey Ford. 
Coons, from Delaware, hailed his friend Flake as a hero for essentially forcing the week-long investigation into the allegations. 
'I cannot tell you how grateful I am. Jeff's the hero here,' Coons said. 
Speaking specifically about Kavanaugh's testimony, Flake and Coons agreed that the nominee was 'too sharp' with some members of the committee and that it 'went over a line'.
'He had exchanges with Sen. Feinstein, with Sen. Klobuchar, with others, that I thought went over a line. He was clearly belligerent - aggressive, angry,' Coons said.


+4


Flake upended his GOP colleagues' plans on Friday to move quickly to confirm Kavanaugh (above) by saying he wanted an FBI investigation into the allegations made by chief accuser Dr Christine Blasey Ford


+4


Trump ordered the FBI investigation after Thursday's Senate hearing, during which Dr Christine Blasey Ford detailed her claims that Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a party in 1982
'There were some lines that he delivered that were sharper, more partisan, more 'this is the Clintons paying me back. This is a democratic smear campaign', that I was surprised, struck, to hear from a judicial nominee.
'In my case, yes, it made me wonder about his suitability to serve on the bench.'
Flake, who is not running for re-election, noted that there was 'not a chance' he could have done this if he was trying to run. 


When asked about the possibility of being in the same place when the FBI completes its week-long investigation, Flake said: 'There's a chance and we knew that'. 
After listening to both Kavanaugh and Dr Ford's testimony on Thursday, Flake had committed to supporting the Supreme Court nominee when he was confronted by two protesters in an elevator. 
The two women, who had both been sexually assaulted in the past, berated him after he announced he was voting to confirm Kavanugh. 


+4


Flake had committed to supporting the Supreme Court nominee when he was confronted by two women (pictured above) in an elevator who had both been sexually assault in the past
In the 60 Minutes interview, Flake said it was after this confrontation that he sought out Coons in order to try and force an FBI investigation.
'I just knew that we couldn’t move forward, that I couldn’t move forward without hitting the pause button,' he said.
'Because, what I was seeing, experiencing, in an elevator and watching it in committee and just thinking, this is tearing the country apart.'
Speaking about Ford's testimony in front of the committee, he added that she was 'extremely compelling' while Kavanaugh was 'a little too sharp' with some members of the committee.
'He actually apologized at one point,' Flake said, referencing a testy exchange between Kavanaugh and Amy Klobuchar over whether he had ever blacked out due to excessive drinking. 
Coons agreed that Kavanugh's anger 'got the best of him' during his testimony.
An event featuring Flake that was due to be held in Boston on Monday had to be relocated for safety reasons due to a planned protest related to Kavanaugh

Getting messy - and more to come
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/01/kavanaugh-clerk-hire-casts-light-on-link-to-judge-forced-to-resign-in-metoo-era

Did we all see Matt on SNL?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRJecfRxbr8

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6224635/Donald-Trump-Jr-Kimberly-Guilfoyle-DailyMail-TV-Boys-harmed-said-said-cases.html

[size=34]EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Jr. tells DailyMailTV in first-ever joint interview with Kimberly Guilfoyle that sexual assault claims make him more scared for his SONS than his daughters following he-said she-said Kavanaugh controversy[/size]

• Donald Trump Jr. says he fears more for his sons than for his daughters in the wake of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings
  
  
• His girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and Fox News co-host, says Americans should always listen to sexual assault allegations
  
  
• But she wants voters to understand the politics that are sometimes in play
  
  
• The two spoke exclusively with DailyMailTV in Montana last week while campaigning for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale
  
  
• The interview is the first they have given on camera as a couple since they began dating in late April 
  
  
• DailyMailTV is airing a two-part feature on Monday and Tuesday
  
  
• Go to www.dailymailtv.com to check your local listings 
  
  

By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 07:02 EDT, 1 October 2018 | UPDATED: 08:56 EDT, 1 October 2018

     


Donald Trump Jr. says that in an age when lives can be ruined on both sides of he-said, she-said sexual misconduct claims, he fears more for his sons than for his daughters.
'I mean, right now, I'd say my sons,' the father of five told DailyMailTV during a campaign swing to support Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale.
His and Kimberly Guilfoyle's first ever joint interview will air in two parts, Monday and Tuesday, only on DailyMailTV. 
'I've got boys, and I've got girls. And when I see what's going on right now, it's scary,' he said in his first-ever joint interview on camera with girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel co-host now dating President Donald Trump's son and energizing campaign crowds with him, believes Americans should give sexual assault accusers a fair hearing.
But the veteran criminal prosecutor also cautions that they should always be aware of political motivations that color controversies like the Brett Kavanaugh case.




+12


Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle spoke with DailyMailTV last week in Montana, their first televised interview together as a couple. Following Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Trump Jr. said the #MeToo movement's he-said, she-said conflicts make him more fearful for his sons than for his daughters


+12


Guilfoyle, a former criminal prosecutor in California, said everyone should listen to people who come forward with accusations of sexual assault


+12



The Montana campaign swing included a fundraiser for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale that included shooting sniper rifles with targets placed up to 1 mile away
'I think it's important, in terms of doing an investigation, to get the facts out there and find out,' Guilfoyle said.
'It’s very tough thirty five years later, but it doesn't mean it should be ignored.'
But reflecting on the battle of memory and credibility between Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and college professor Christine Blasey Ford, she warned that in Washington few things are what they seem.
'People need to be careful to understand the politics involved as well, and what motivations people may have,' Guilfoyle said.


+12




+12



Americans last week were riveted to the saga of Christine Blasey Ford (left), who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (right) of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago when they were teenagers – an accusation he has forcefully denied


+12




+12



The couple took turns firing up the campaign crowd in Bozeman


+12


Rosendale is trying to topple Democratic Sen. Jon Tester
The pair have been an inseparable couple since April 25, six weeks after Vanessa Trump, Don Jr.'s wife of 12 years, filed for an uncontested divorce.


+12



Guilfoyle didn't take her turn with a sniper rifle before the DailyMailTV interview because she had hurt her hand playing trampoline dodgeball with her son and Trump Jr.'s children
The Rosendale rally in Bozeman came after an afternoon of target shooting with donors in barren-hilled back country 90 minutes away. 
Trump Jr. took his turn with a sniper rifle, hitting a metal target placed 1 mile away. 
Guilfoyle took a pass but said she would have given him a run for his money if she hadn't injured her hand days earlier – playing trampoline dodgeball with her son and Don's kids.
The president's quest to reshape the Supreme Court hit a snag two weeks ago with Ford's accusation about an alcohol-soaked teenage party that she says happened 36 years ago in 1982, when she was 15.
Ford claims a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her, tried to undress her and covered her mouth to muffle her protesting voice while his friend Mark Judge egged him on.
Kavanaugh and Ford gave dueling statements on Thursday during a must-see-TV hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which ultimately voted along party lines to send Kavanaugh's nomination to the full Senate.




+12


DailyMail.com U.S. Political Editor David Martosko conducted the interview on September 25 in front of a horse barn near Sheridan, Montana


+12


About 40 protesters and supporters of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester turned up outside the Bozeman rally including one that claimed Trump Jr. is part of a 'crime family'


+12


One Trump supporter wore a shirt reading 'Lock Her Up / Make America Great Again,' a throwback to the 2016 campaign between President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
'I'm innocent,' Kavanaugh told the committee, emphasizing that Ford's corroborating witnesses have said they don't recall hearing anything about the attack she has described.
In a last-minute deal Thursday, holdout Sen. Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican, won a 7-day delay so the FBI can investigate Ford's accusation before a final Senate floor vote.
Trump Jr. told DailyMailTV that he believes Ford's story is dripping with political motives. And whether Kavanaugh succeeds or fails, he said, genuine victims of sexual assault will ultimately be the saga's losers.
'For the people who are real victims of these things, when it is so obviously political in cases like this,' he said, 'it really diminishes the real claims.'

From the President of the United States at a White House press conference today:

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1046794517226098688

What a jackass .

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6228143/Trump-attacks-credibility-Kavanaugh-accusers-claims-Democratic-senator-drunk.html

[size=34]'They’re no angels!' Trump claims he’s seen Dem senator in 'very bad and compromising situations' as he attacks the credibility of Kavanaugh's accusers but teetotal President admits judge had 'difficulty' with drinking[/size]

• President Donald Trump complained Democrats have treated Brett Kavanaugh 'so viciously and so violently'
  
  
• In an angry Rose Garden press conference he hit at the credibility of two Kavanaugh accusers
  
  
• He said Christine Ford hasn't said 'what year' and 'what house' Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted her
  
  
• Said he has heard another accuser, Julie Swetnick, has 'very little credibility' 
  
  
• He made a charge without offering evidence that an unnamed Democrat was in 'bad situations' 
  
  
• Attacked three Senate Judiciary Democrats, Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, and Dianne Feinstein
  
  
• Senate leaders cast aside a plan for an immediate vote on Kavanaugh after Sen. Jeff Flake reached an arrangement with Democrats 
  
  
• The group agreed to an additional week for the FBI to conduct an updated background check of the Supreme Court nominee
  
  
• Trump called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in an 'expletive filled tirade' more than a week ago, according to a report
  
  
• Later said Senate should have voted on Kavanaugh's nomination Friday
  
  
• Trump said publicly he was comfortable with whatever the Senate wanted 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:35 EDT, 1 October 2018 | UPDATED: 15:36 EDT, 1 October 2018

 

 

 

 

 

• [email=?subject=Read%20this:%20%27They%E2%80%99re%20no%20angels!%27%20Trump%20claims%20he%E2%80%99s%20seen%20Dem%20senator%20in%20%27very%20bad%20and%20compromising%20situations%27%20as%20he%20attacks%20the%20credibility%20of%20Kavanaugh%27s%20accusers%20but%20teetotal%20President%20admits%20judge%20had%20%27difficulty%27%20with%20drinking&body=%27They%E2%80%99re%20no%20angels%21%27%20Trump%20claims%20he%E2%80%99s%20seen%20Dem%20senator%20in%20%27very%20bad%20and%20compromising%20situations%27%20as%20he%20attacks%20the%20credibility%20of%20Kavanaugh%27s%20accusers%20but%20teetotal%20President%20admits%20judge%20had%20%27difficulty%27%20with%20drinking%0A%0APresident%20Donald%20Trump%20attacked%20two%20of%20Brett%20Kavanaugh%27s%20accusers%20at%20a%20Monday%20press%20conference%2C%20then%20accused%20an%20unnamed%20Senate%20Democrat%20of%20having%20been%20in%20%27compromising%20positions.%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6228143%2FTrump-attacks-credibility-Kavanaugh-accusers-claims-Democratic-senator-drunk.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top%0A%0A%0AMost%20Read%20Articles%3A%0A%0ABrett%20Kavanaugh%20was%20%27a%20frequent%20and%20heavy%20drinker%27%20at%20Yale%20who%20was%20%27belligerent%20and%20aggressive%27%20when%20drunk%2C%20says%20%27troubled%27%20former%20classmate%20who%20is%20now%20demanding%20to%20speak%20to%20FBI%20investigators%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6225505%2FYale-friend-says-Kavanaugh-heavy-drinker.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0AKanye%20West%20calls%20the%2013th%20Amendment%20%27slavery%20in%20disguise%27%20after%20demanding%20that%20the%20law%20-%20which%20itself%20ended%20slavery%20-%20be%20abolished%20in%20a%20string%20of%20bizarre%20social%20media%20posts%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6225103%2FKanye-West-calls-13th-Amendment-slavery-disguise.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0AEXCLUSIVE%20Saudi%20Princess%20Ameera%20Al-Taweel%20weds%20billionaire%20at%20lavish%20and%20top%20secret%20Paris%20ceremony%20in%20front%20of%20guests%20Oprah%20and%20Gayle%20King%20-%20but%20big%20day%20is%20rocked%20by%20%241M%20jewel%20theft%C2%A0%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6227435%2FPrincess-Ameera-Al-Taweel-weds-billionaire-Saudi-Paris-guests-Oprah-Winfrey-Gayle-King.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0A]e-mail[/email]
   
  
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President Donald Trump attacked Democratic senators Monday, claiming that they were 'no angels' and that he had seen one in 'a very, very bad situations - somewhat compromising'.
He said, without identifying the senator or offering any evidence, that he had seen them being 'pretty aggressive'. 
Trump did not make clear if it was one of the 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who questioned Christine Ford and Brett Kavanaugh about her explosive allegations the Supreme Court Nominee sexually assaulted her when she was 15 and he was 17.
His attack on the Democrats came at an angry White House press conference where he also hit out at two of Kavanaugh's accusers – saying one has 'very little credibility' and pointed to Christine Blasey Ford's failure to identify exact details of her sexual assault allegation. 

'There are some questions that haven't been answered - like what year was it? What day was it? Where was it? Do you know the location. Do you know the house? A lot of different things. People are saying: Well, you know, what's going on?' Trump said.  
Trump declined to state specifically that the FBI, which is conducting a new background check on Kavanaugh following a Senate deal, should interview Julie Swetnick, who is being represented by Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti.
Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden that he has 'heard that the third one has – I have no idea if this is true – has very little credibility. If there is any credibility, interview the third one.' 


+7


U.S. President Donald Trump went after two of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accusers, and said he an unnamed senator had been in a 'somewhat compromising' situation, without providing evidence




(left to right) Christine Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick have all accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct; he has flatly denied all the charges
That was a reference to Swetnick, who claims Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were present at a party where a 'train' of men engaged in rape.  Avenatti has fashioned himself into a Trump nemesis through his representation of Daniels, who claims she had a 2006 affair with Trump and who got a $130,000 hush payment from longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump alternated between calling Ford 'the doctor' and referring to her as 'Dr. Ford.'
He said the Senate 'certainly gave the doctor tremendous time, which is great. She spoke well,' he said.
Discussing Democratic questioning of Judge Kavanaugh's alleged heavy drinking in high school and college, Trump punched back at his interlocutors.
'Now they talk about alcohol, they talk about all the things that you hear. And frankly, you take a look, they’re bringing up subjects, we would know about this over the last 20 years, 30 years of his career,' Trump said.
'They’re going back to high school and they’re saying he drank a lot one evening in high school,' Trump said, putting his own spin on questioning designed to elicit whether Kavanaugh was a blackout drinker.
'You know, I’ll tell you what, I know some United States senators,' Trump continued. 
'One on the other side who’s pretty aggressive. I’ve seen that person in very bad situations. Okay? I’ve seen that person in very, very bad situations – somewhat compromising. 
'And you know, I think it’s very unfair to bring up things like this. However, whatever the senators want is okay with me,' The president said. 
But Trump, who does not drink, declined to provide evidence. 
Pressed to explain his allegation, he said: 'I think I'll save it for a book like everybody else and I'll write it.' 
 Trump said the Senate Judiciary Committee had been 'very respectful to the doctor – Dr. Ford.'


+7


He said Christine Ford hasn't said 'what year' and 'what house' Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted her


+7


Trump clashed with female reporters, including CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who wanted to ask him about Kavanaugh instead of a U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal that must be approved by Congress to take effect
The president was pressed repeatedly on whether the White House was keeping the FBI on a leash to prevent it from conducting a full investigation of allegations against Kavanaugh.
'I think the FBI should interview anybody that they want, within reason,' Trump said.
Then he added: 'But they should also be guided, and I’m being guided by what the senators are looking for.'
That was a reference to the guidelines provided by the Senate Judiciary Committee. 
He said FBI agents have been working 'around the clock' and working 'late into the evenings' to resolve the issue.   
'I’m instructing them as per what I feel the Senate wants,' Trump said.
'I did also say within the bounds of what the Senate wants. We don't want to go on a to use an expression often used by me, we don't want to go on a witch hunt do we?' he said, using his favorite pejorative for the Russia probe.
The president also attacked three Judiciary Democrats by name: Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Dianne Feinstein of Callifornia. 'They're no angels,' he said.
'Look at some of these people asking the questions, okay? 
 At the end of a contentious hour-long appearance, Trump fumed: 'I think he's been treated horribly. Even if you were going to bring up some of the subjects that were brought up, they didn't have to treat him so viciously and so violently as they've treated him.'
 Trump didn't say reports of Kavanaugh's drinking should be off-limits, but said the nominee had been candid about his youthful drinking. Some Democrats are charging the nominee wasn't truthful in some of his testimony, such as saying his membership in the 'Beach Week Ralph Club' was due to his weak stomach.
'I was surprised about how vocal he was about the fat that he likes beer,' said Trump, who doesn't drink. 
'This is not a man that said that he was perfect with respect to alcohol,' said Trump, who found the testimony 'excellent.'

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But he hit at Democrats, who zeroed in during questioning on inquiries about whether Kavanaugh drank heavily around the time of the alleged attacks, including whether he had ever blacked out due to drinking.
'Nobody asked him about the last 25-30 years,' Trump said, during Kavanaugh's legal and judicial career.
President Donald Trump unloaded on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a rant filled with four-letter words before a delay that brought Brett Kavanaugh's accuser before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump blew up in a phone call with the Senate leader who is trying to guide the imperiled nomination through confirmation – and who held open another court seat and helped design the strategy that put Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.
The president blew up in a call from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course, telling McConnell he had 'let the process get away from him, the New York Timesreported.   
 Under pressure from Democrats and a few Republicans, the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed a planned hearing so that it could take testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who told senators Kavnaugh tried to rape her at a small party in 1982.
Trump – who publicly said senators were free to make their own decisions – also complained about the stunning decision to hold off on a floor vote for a week. 
That happened under pressure Friday afternoon, when Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake agreed with Democrats to let the FBI do additional background checking. He voted along with other Republicans to move Kavanaugh through committee, but said he wouldn't accept a floor vote sooner than that.
Trump later complained that Republicans and his own White House counsel, Don McGahn, made a mistake by not holding a Senate floor vote on Friday. According to the report, Trump said wavering senators should have been forced to vote against Kavanaugh and suffer the consequences.


+7


The president blew up in a call from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course, telling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell he had 'let the process get away from him,' the New York Times reported


+7


President Trump blew up in a phone call with the Senate leader who is trying to guide the imperiled nomination through confirmation


+7


Kavanaugh's path to confirmation has been hindered by a series of delays


+7


Senate Judiciary Committee member Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) (C) speaks with colleagues after a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 28, 2018, on the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
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The Senate did vote to proceed to the nomination by unanimous consent on Friday, but McConnell, who met with fellow Republicans Friday afternoon, doesn't intend to bring up the nomination while key potential supporters are not ready.
Two other GOP centrists, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, said they supported the delay, so a full vote could have brought down the nomination unless they caved to pressure. 
Amid reports the FBI is speeding to complete its background check on a limited basis, it is possible the process will strengthen the GOP's hand by appearing to undercut a central Democratic argument: that allegations of assault against Kavanaugh have not been properly probed. 
On Friday afternoon, Trump sounded much more laissez-faire about how the process should go.   
'I'm going to let the Senate handle that. They'll make their decisions,' the president said, minutes after bombshell developments inside the committee room.
'They have to do what they think is right. There is no message whatsoever. They have to do what they think is right. They have to be comfortable with themselves, and I'm sure that's what they want,' Trump added publicly in the Oval Office. 

[size=18]Trump uses Kavanaugh vote delay as rallying cry for the midterms




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The FBI's jump-started background investigation into Kavanaugh is already causing a political rift.
Trump tweeted that it would be up to the FBI to determine the parameters of its probe. 
"They have free rein to do whatever they have to do,' Trump tweeted.
However, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway told CNN the background investigation would be 'limited in scope.'
Trump said Monday: 'I think the FBI should do what they have to do to get to the answer.'
'I want them to do a very comprehensive investigation, whatever that means according to the Senators, the Republicans and the Republican majority,' Trump said.
'I want it to be comprehensive,' he said.
'Now that being said, I'd like it to go quickly,' Trump added, noting that Kavanaugh had gone through six prior background investigations – although they did not include the assault allegations.
The Senate Judiciary panel limited the probe to recent 'credible' allegations. Attorney Michael Avenatti immediately fumed that his client, Julie Swetnick, who came forward with an allegation that Kavanaugh was present at a party where she was gang raped.  
The specialist prosecutor brought in to question Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh during the senate hearing last week says 'no reasonable prosecutor' would bring charges based on the evidence heard. 
Ford's inability to remember corroborating details, inconsistencies in her memory and a lack of witnesses means the case amounts to a 'he said, she said' account, prosecutor Rachel Mitchell said.
She notes that Ford's case is 'even weaker' than a typical 'he said, she said' case because the only three witnesses she was able to name have no memory of the event. 
'I do not think a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the Committee,' Mitchell wrote in a letter to Senators.
Most criminal cases have to be proven 'beyond all reasonable doubt', but sex crime victims sometimes pursue their cases through civil court in the form of a lawsuit because it carries a lower 'on preponderance of the evidence' standard. 
Mitchell argued that Ford's case would not meet this threshold either.
However, Senate Republicans cut off her questioning of Kavanaugh partway through the hearing, using their allotted time instead to question Kavanaugh themselves and make speeches.  [/size]

https://twitter.com/Billbrowder/status/1047037793439027200
This is the guy George has had dinner with and whose story he hopes to bring to the big screen.

He is also one of the people Putin wanted Trump to hand over

Changing subjects for a minute: Saw America Ferara on a couple of tv shows. She was talking about how being an Hispanic-American she felt she didn't feel completely at home as either one and was surprised at how many others felt the same. She was so surprised that she asked her other first- or second- generation friends to share their experiences in her new book.

I don't mean to disparage her intentions. I think she means well. But she's old enough to know that her generation isn't the first to feel alienated in a new culture. IMO, every immigrant everywhere has that sense of disconnect - caught between their new life and the old.

Any thoughts?

You hit the nail on the head, Lizzy - but she has a new book to sell which will undoubtedly be a good seller, given all the uncertainties people feel that Trump has managed to create

You might think that Kavanaugh would want to retreat in disgust after this wouldn't you?!

Not content to abuse Hillary Clinton and Cecile Vaga in public, he now abuses the abused

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45727618

Trump mocks Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford's testimony

• 1 hour ago
  

[size=13]Media captionMr Trump cast doubt on Prof Ford's credibility
President Donald Trump has mocked the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at a rally in Mississippi.
"What neighbourhood was it in? I don't know," Mr Trump said. "But I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember. And a man's life is in tatters."
Days earlier he had said Prof Ford was a "credible" and "compelling" witness.
Prof Ford told a Senate committee that Mr Kavanaugh assaulted her as a teenager, an allegation he denies.
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• Kavanaugh deploys Trump and Clinton playbook
  

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Mr Trump ordered the FBI to examine the claims following the Senate testimony.






Media captionTrump rally: Kavanaugh or Ford?
However, Prof Ford's lawyers say the FBI has not yet spoken to her and say it is "inconceivable" that the agency could conduct a thorough investigation without interviewing her.
The FBI investigation is due to be completed by Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate must vote on confirming Mr Kavanaugh this week.

What did Mr Trump say?

He told supporters in the town of Southhaven that his political opponents had been "trying to destroy Judge Kavanaugh since the very first second he was announced".
He then launched into his mockery of Prof Ford's testimony, saying that she appeared not to remember basic details about the evening the alleged assault took place.






Media caption"Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me yelling"
The audience laughed as the president said: "Thirty-six years ago this happened: I had one beer! Well, you think it was…? Nope! It was one beer.
"Oh, good. How'd you get home? I don't remember. How'd you get there? I don't remember. Where was the place? I don't remember.
"How many years ago was it? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know! I don't know! What neighbourhood was it in? I don't know.
"Where's the house? I don't know! Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don't know! But I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember. And a man's life is in tatters."
Prof Ford's lawyer, Michael Bromwich, described Mr Trump's words as "a vicious, vile and soulless attack" on her.
"Is it any wonder that she was terrified to come forward, and that other sexual assault survivors are as well?" he added.






Media captionTrump: "Ford's testimony was very compelling"
Mr Trump's latest stance contrasts with the reaction he gave shortly after Prof Ford's dramatic testimony to the Senate committee last week, when he said her testimony was "very compelling" and described her as a "very fine woman".
Experts have said it is not unusual for victims of trauma to remember certain details vividly but have little recollection of other things that the brain may have accorded less significance to.
Earlier on Tuesday Mr Trump reiterated his support for Mr Kavanaugh, saying he believed the Senate would approve the judge. He told reporters that it was a "very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of".

Who has the FBI spoken to?

Investigators have spoken to the key witness to the alleged assault on Prof Ford, Mr Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge. Prof Ford alleges that Mr Judge also took part in the assault at a high school party in 1982.
Mr Judge has denied any memory of the incident.
The agency has also spoken to the Judge Kavanaugh's Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez, who alleges that he exposed his genitals to her during a drinking game at Yale university.
[/size]

• Classmate: Kavanaugh lied about drinking
  
• The truth about false assault accusations
  
• #WhyIDidntReport backs Kavanaugh accuser
  

[size]
Reuters reported that investigators spoke to Ms Ramirez for more than two hours on Sunday and she provided a list of more than 20 possible witnesses.
However, Prof Ford's lawyers say they have had no contact from the FBI despite having tried to get in touch with them.
They said the agency had not responded to the offer to interview Prof Ford, or "a series of emails and letters in which we identified witnesses and evidence that would likely assist the FBI".
At least three other people who knew Mr Kavanaugh from his time at Yale have tried unsuccessfully to contact the FBI about the claims against him, Reuters reported.
A lawyer for a third woman, Julie Swetnick - who alleges Judge Kavanaugh was involved in the drugging and sexual assault of girls at house parties in the 1980s - has questioned why she has not been contacted by the FBI.
[/size]

• Who are Supreme Court nominee's accusers?
  

[size]
The judge has said he did not know Ms Swetnick and that her allegations "never happened".
On Sunday, the Senate Republican Communications Center said Ms Swetnick was "not credible at all".

Kavanaugh shouts denial about one of his accusers

[/size][size]

Media captionKavanaugh: "The Swetnick thing is a joke"
Some reports have suggested that the FBI could wind up its investigation well before the deadline of this Friday.
Citing unnamed Republican aides, the Wall Street Journal reported that the bureau could finish "as soon as" Wednesday.

What will happen to the FBI report?

The FBI will pass its findings to the White House, which will give them to the Senate. The contents are not expected to be made public.
Senators will then vote on whether to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Mr McConnell accused Democrats of trying to derail the nomination on Monday, declaring: "The time for endless delay and obstruction has come to a close."
He did not specify when exactly the vote would be held, but it is expected to be on Friday or Saturday.
Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said Friday would be too soon. She argued that senators needed more time to evaluate the FBI's findings.

What's likely to happen at the Senate vote?

The Republican Party's narrow 51-49 majority means that if all Democratic senators vote against the nominee, Republicans can only afford one defection.
In that instance, Vice-President Mike Pence has the casting vote, which would go in Judge Kavanaugh's favour.
The FBI investigation was launched at the urging of Republican Senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.[/size]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6234631/Twitter-erupts-Donald-Trump-mocks-Kavanaugh-accuser-Christine-Blasey-Ford.html

[size=34]'It's just not right': Jeff Flake slams Trump for 'appalling' rally rant mocking Christine Ford's Senate testimony after Twitter erupts with claims of 'barbaric insensitivity'[/size]

• President Trump spoke Tuesday night at a campaign rally in Mississippi
  
  
• He mocked testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault
  
  
• Republican Sen. Jeff Flake pounced Wednesday morning, saying it was 'not right' and 'appalling'
  
  
• Actress-activist Alyssa Milano led a wave of outrage that swept across Twitter  
  
  
• Trump's supporters also defended him for 'pointing out inconsistencies'
  
  
• President played the roles of interrogator and interviewee on stage, recounting how Ford couldn't remember key details about what she says happened in 1982 
  
  

By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR  and CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 05:15 EDT, 3 October 2018 | UPDATED: 09:09 EDT, 3 October 2018

     



Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake blasted President Donald Trump on Wednesday for using a political rally to mock the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually abusing her decades ago.
The president used his podium in Mississippi to tell a crowd of 11,000 – and a livestreaming and television audience of millions – that Christine Blasey Ford's credibility fell apart when she told the Senatge Judiciary Committee how little she could remember about an alleged event that she helped promote to epic proportions. 
'There’s no time and no place for remarks like that,' Flake told the 'Today' show on Wednesday, sitting beside Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons. 'To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right. It's just not right. I wish he hadn’t have done it. I’ll just say, it’s kind of appalling.' 
In a mock cross-examination, Trump had played both interrogator and interviewee as his audience howled in approving laughter.

'How did you get home? "I don't remember." How did you get there? "I don't remember." Where is the place? "I don't remember." How many years ago was it? "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know",' he play-acted.


+7


U.S. Sen Jeff Flake (left), a frequent critic of Donald Trump, slammed him Wednesday morning alongside Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (right) for what he called the president's 'appalling' attacks on Christine Ford in a Tuesday night rally


+7


Trump mocked the sexual assault accuser of his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, drawing howls of laughter from 11,000 people over her failure to recall key details of the event she claims happened in 1982


+7


Flake's vote is one of just a few that stand in Kavanaugh's way; he set the FBI's wheels in motion last week by agreeing to a pause in the confirmation process while the customary background check was reopened and expanded
'What neighborhood was it in? "I don't know." Where's the house? "I don't know. Upstairs. Downstairs. I don't know. But I had one beer! That's the only thing I remember!"' he went on.
Trump said congressional Democrats opposed to Kavanaugh's installation on America's highest court are 'evil people' out to 'destroy' the federal judge.
'A man's life is in tatters. A man's life is shattered,' he said.
In testimony last week Ford conceded that her memory of 36 years ago is foggy and she can't recall many details of a night in 1982 when she claims Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped and tried to undress her, and covered her mouth so she couldn't scream.
Kavanaugh has flatly denied her account in its entirety, drawing enthusiastic support from the president.
As one of a handful of undecided Republicans who control Kavanaugh's fate, Flake's views are more important than those of most political stakeholders.


+7


Christine Blasey Ford testified last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee


+7


Trump lavished in praise Tuesday night during a Mississippi rally but got an earful later on Twitter from Hollywood celebrities and other liberal activists who detest him

[size=10][size=18]T[/size][/size]
He buckled under pressure from Democrats and endorsed a plan last week to let the FBI reopen its background check into Kavanaugh's past, a process that could conclude in the next 48 hours.   
'Even if no votes are changed in the end,' Flake said, 'to have a pause here and to actually have an FBI investigation gives us all more confidence in the process and that's important.' 
Twitter lit up Tuesday night after Trump's rally.
Actress Alyssa Milano, who came forward as a sex assault victim last week and sat behind Ford during Thursday's hearing, led a wave of outrage as Kavanaugh opponents denounced the president. 
Trump's supporters defended him for 'pointing out inconsistencies' in Ford's account.


+7



Alyssa Milano, who came forward as the victim of a sex assault last week and sat behind Christine Blasey Ford as she testified to the Senate, hit Trump on Twitter



Michael Bromwich, one of the lawyers who sat alongside Ford as she testified, disparaged Trump's speech as 'a vicious, vile and soulless attack'



Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer was among those defending Trump for 'pointing out the inconsistencies' in Ford's account
Writing to Donald Trump Jr, Milano said: 'Your father is an a**hole. This is the most misogynist display of barbaric insensitivity that I've ever seen. This is why I didn't report [my abuse]. This right here. Women are watching. And we vote.'
Also venting his anger online was Michael Bromwich, a lawyer who sat alongside Ford during her testimony and also represents Trump antagonist Andrew McCabe, a former depty FBI director. 
'A vicious, vile and soulless attack on Dr Christine Blasey Ford. Is it any wonder that she was terrified to come forward, and that other sexual assault survivors are as well?' Browmich tweeted.
'She is a remarkable profile in courage. He is a profile in cowardice.'


Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary during the George W. Bush administration, lined up behind Trump.
He wrote: 'He didn’t mock Professor Ford. He pointed out many of the inconsistencies in her account – something the MSM [mainstream media] won’t do, because they’re too invested in attacking Brett Kavanaugh. If the press were balanced, they would have raised the same issues Pres. [Trump] raised here.'
Liberal activist and former Star Trek actor Geroge Takei said Americans should be 'ashamed' of the president. Billy Baldwin called his comments 'the death of shame.'



Bill Baldwin called Trump's comments the 'death of shame [and] compassion' while predicting Republican women will desert the party



David Simon, former journalist and creator of 'The Wire,' called Trump and his supporters 'pigs in s***'



Star Trek actor Geroge Takei said the country should be 'ashamed' of Trump
David Simon, a television writer who created 'The Wire,' described Trump as a 'pig' and ripped into conservatives who laughed along with him.
'The trolls who are about to reply to this message by smearing her further? Pigs,' he added. 'None are worth the good profanity. Just pigs in s****.'
Fred Guttenberg, the father of a teenage boy killed during last year's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Florida, wrote that Trump 'mocks this great country and the Republican party continues to let it happen.'
'This election must result in the return of divided and accountable government.' 
Trump was speaking at the 'Make America Great Again' rally in support of Mississippi's two incumbent U.S. senators, Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, both Republicans.








+7


Trump was speaking in support of incumbent U.S. senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (pictured) and Roger Wicker, both of whom face electiontests in November
Due to a special election to fill the seat that Hyde-Smith was appointed to earlier this year, both Senate seats in Mississippi are up for re-election in the November 6 midterm election.
Hyde-Smith joined Trump on the stage at the rally, calling her a 'true Mississippi patriot.'
She praised Trump as 'the best president we have ever had.'
Hyde-Smith was appointed this year to fill the seat of retired Republican Thad Cochran. She faces Republican Chris McDaniel and Democrats Mike Espy and Tobey Bernard Bartee in next month's special election for the two years until the seat would otherwise have come up for election.
Trump said a vote for Espy is a vote for the Democrats' agenda – 'open borders and radical socialism.'
He urged Mississippians to vote Republican in the midterms and said Democrats would 'plunge our country into gridlock and chaos like we've never seen before.'

That "gridlock" crack tells us all we need to know about the Republicans' plans if Democrats gain control. Same shit they pulled on Obama. At this point, if someone told me the entire Republican leadership vanished from the earth I'd finally believe in aliens - or a truly compassionate God!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6238949/FBI-report-does-NOT-corroborate-Christine-Blasey-Fords-claims-sexually-assaulted.html

[size=34]First key swing senator says NO to Kavanaugh: Democrat Heidi Heitkamp will vote against Trump's nominee leaving his fate in hands of three Republicans and one red-state Dem[/size]

• North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said Thursday that she will cast a 'no' vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination
  
  
• Party leaders clashed over new FBI background probe results of Brett Kavanaugh released to senators Thursday
  
  
• Senators got their first peek at the new information Thursday under conditions that were highly restrictive 
  
  
• Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley blasted reporters for seeking to interview only anti-Kavanaugh activists holding sit-ins in his office 
  
  
• 'That's a bias that none of you should be proud of!' the normally calm Grassley boomed 
  
  
• The Supreme Court nominee is to get a procedural vote on Friday 
  
  
• Republican Susan Collins said there had been a 'very thorough investigation' 
  
  
• Sen. Jeff Flake said Thursday morning: there had been 'no additional corroborating information'
  
  
• Kavanaugh's fate is now in the hands of three Republicans and one Democrat
  
  
• Report gives no corroboration to claims by Christine Blasey Ford, Republicans said Thursday
  
  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6241423/Republicans-think-slim-Senate-edge-INCREASE-base-angry-Kavanaugh.html

[size=34]Republicans think slim Senate edge will INCREASE because base is angry about Kavanaugh saga – even though polls show Democrats could take over majority[/size]

• Republicans see Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation saga as a shot in the arm to their election efforts
  
  
• Republicans are trying to keep or improve their 51-seat majority in the Senate
  
  
• But polls indicate caution with six key contests too close to call
  
  
• Only one Democratic Senator running for reelection in a red state has not said how he will vote on Kavanaugh - Joe Manchin of West Virginia 
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:05 EDT, 4 October 2018 | UPDATED: 17:02 EDT, 4 October 2018

     


Republicans see Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation saga as a shot in the arm to their efforts to maintain control of the Senate, claiming their base is being energized by the Democrats' treatment of the Supreme Court nominee.
'The more outrageous our Democratic colleagues treat this nomination of Judge Kavanaugh, the more energized Republican voters are becoming, because they realize what the alternative is,' Republican Sen. John Cornyn told Politico. 'I think the extent to which people view this confirmation proceeding for Kavanaugh as being hijacked by partisan operatives, I think that's going to energize independents and Republicans.'
Red state Democrats - those senators seeking reelection in states President Donald Trump carried in 2016 - are those most endangered from the Kavanaugh fallout.


+7


Republicans see Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation saga as helping their election efforts



The two most endangered incumbent Senators this cycle are Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota for Democrats and Dean Heller of Nevada for Republicans 
And a new poll out Wednesday showed the Democratic enthusiasm advantage that has led the midterm campaigns has all but disappeared, something Republicans credit to the treatment of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

In July, there was a 10-point gap between the number of Democrats and Republicans who said the midterm election was 'very important.' 
Now, that is down to 2 points, which is a statistical tie, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Democrats were already fired up about November but the Kavanaugh confirmation fight has rallied the GOP base. 
'The result of hearings, at least in the short run, is the Republican base was awakened,' Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll, told NPR.


But polling numbers indicate the GOP should be cautious as Republicans don't have the upper chamber locked up.
At least six contests are too close to call at this point in the election as Republicans defend their 51-seat majority in the Senate.
The math was seen on their side this year with 10 Democrats running in states Trump carried in 2016.
But some of these red-state Democrats, particularly Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Joe Donnelly in Indiana, haven't been knocked down in the polls as far as Republicans would like them to be at this point in the cycle. 


+7




+7



Democratic Senators Claire McCaskill and Joe Donnelly, both running for reelection in states President Trump won, haven't been knocked back by their GOP competition as much as Republicans would like to see


+7




+7



Additionally Democratic candidates Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona and Phil Bredesen in Tennesee are holding their own  in GOP-held states
And Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in Florida is holding firm against a strong challenge from outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is also a probably figure in the state. 
Additionally, Democratic candidates Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona and Phil Bredesen in Tennessee are holding their own in bids for seats held by the GOP.
And Republican Sen. Dean Heller is struggling in his reelection bid but he was always seen as the most endangered GOP incumbent this cycle as he's the only Republican running in a state carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016. 
Plus there's the surprise strength of Democrat Beto O'Rourke against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. O'Rourke has harnessed the power of social media to bring an energy - and $23.6 million in donations - to his campaign. 
But while Kavanaugh's confirmation process has caused a headache for Republican leadership in the Senate, the pain could be worth it if causes them to shore up their majority after November. 
His final confirmation vote could come as early as Saturday.
Democrats argue the controversial nominee who has been accused of sexual assault - allegations he has denied - will be a boon for them, rallying women and Independents to their side.


+7


Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who represents the red state of West Virginia, is the only Democrat who has not said how he will vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation


+7


Democrat Beto O'Rourke has run a surprisingly strong campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas
Thus far, out of 49 senators who caucus with Democrats, only one senator has not announced how he'll vote on Kavanaugh.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who represents the red state of West Virginia, is the lone hold out. He voted to confirm Trump's first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
Manchin sounds like he's leaning toward voting yes.
'If [Manchin] votes yes, the race goes away,' one senior Republican operative told Politico.
The senator told reporters in the Capitol on Thursday afternoon he's undecided and will return Friday morning to read more of the FBI report on the allegations against Kavanaugh.
'Heidi made her decision, I'll make mine,' he said.
Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who's considered the most vulnerable member of her party, announced Thursday she is a no vote.
'The process has been bad but at the end of the day you have to make a decision and I've made that decision,' she told WDAY an ABC affiliate in her home state. 'I will be voting no on Judge Kavanaugh.'  
Heitkamp was avoiding reporters in the Capitol building who tried to query her about her stance on Kavanaugh. A poll out Wednesday had her trailing her GOP opponent by 12 points in November's election.   

Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, another red-state Democrat, has said he will vote no on Kavanaugh.
Both he and Heitkamp supported Gorsuch.
Fellow red-staters Jon Tester of Montana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida are also no votes on the Supreme Court nominee.  

Well it was good to hear Heidi Heitkamp come out pretty quickly to say she will vote no on the Kavenaugh nomination.  I saw a poll this morning showing she was ten points behind her opponent in North Dakota.  I really do not see her winning re-election.  So maybe she felt like she should vote her conscience rather than try to win some support by voting yes.  It seems she has never percentage wise been ahead of her opponent during the entire campaign.

It’s really rough if Manchin loses his Senate seat if he votes against Kavenaugh.  The Democrats need the numbers to get back control.  It’s just impossible to know if his constituents will turn on him if he votes no.
The odds aren’t in his favor.  Trump won West Virginia by 30 points in 2016.  

This whole Kavanaugh nomination has been a sham from the beginning.  It’s been rigged and it looks like the Republicans know they’re going to get away with it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6241683/Retired-Supreme-Court-Justice-John-Paul-Stevens-says-Kavanaugh-doesnt-belong-bench.html

[size=34]Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens says Kavanaugh doesn't belong on bench as longtime Republican jurist believes Trump's nominee lacks 'temperament'[/size]

• John Paul Stevens served on the bench for 35 years before retiring in 2010
  
  
• He was appointed by a Republican president, Gerald Ford, in 1975 
  
  
• Stevens appeared before a group of retirees in Boca Raton, Florida on Thursday
  
  
• In 2014, he wrote a chapter of a book in which he praised Kavanaugh
  
  
• But Kavanaugh's appearance last Thursday prompted Stevens to reconsider
  
  
• Stevens said Kavanaugh's partisanship meant he could not be unbiased as judge 
  
  

By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 18:55 EDT, 4 October 2018 | UPDATED: 20:13 EDT, 4 October 2018

     



Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a lifelong Republican, has said he is opposed to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s elevation to the highest court in the land.
The 98-year-old Stevens told a crowd of retirees in Boca Raton, Florida that he believes Kavanaugh lacks the appropriate temperament necessary for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
Stevens came out against Kavanaugh’s confirmation even though he praised the federal judge for his ruling in a case about campaign contributions.
In the 2014 book Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, Stevens wrote glowingly of Kavanaugh.

‘At that time, I thought (Kavanaugh) had the qualifications for the Supreme Court should he be selected,’ Stevens said in comments reported by the Palm Beach Post.
‘I’ve changed my views for reasons that have no relationship to his intellectual ability...I feel his performance in the hearings ultimately changed my mind.’




+4


Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (seen left on Thursday in Boca Raton, Florida), a lifelong Republican, has said he is opposed to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s elevation to the highest court in the land


+4


The 98-year-old Stevens told a crowd of retirees that he believes Kavanaugh lacks the appropriate temperament. Kavanaugh is seen last Thursday testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C.
Stevens, who was appearing at an event hosted by a retirement group, said that he agrees with critics who say that Kavanaugh’s testimony during last Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showed a partisan bias that is disqualifying.
‘I think there’s merit to that criticism and I think the senators should really pay attention that,’ Stevens said.
Stevens was referring to Kavanaugh’s angry statement last Thursday in which he accused Democrats of waging a smear campaign to derail his confirmation.
Kavanaugh has vehemently denied allegations of sexual misconduct after three women came forward to accuse him of acts he committed decades ago.


One of the women, Christine Blasey Ford, gave sworn testimony before the committee last Thursday before Kavanaugh gave his own statement.
She said that when she was 15 years old, Kavanaugh, who was 17 then, tried to rape her after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
In 2010, Stevens retired from the bench after serving for 35 years - one of the longest tenured justices in history.
Stevens' seat was filled by Elena Kagan, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. 


+4


In 2010, Stevens (seen in front row second from left) retired from the bench after serving for 35 years - one of the longest tenured justices in history. Front row left to right: Justices Anthony Kennedy, Stevens, John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas. Back row left to right: Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor
Stevens was appointed to the bench in 1975 by President Gerald Ford.
Stevens, whose confirmation was unanimous, lamented the highly partisan atmosphere in Washington that has also engulfed the judiciary.
Though he was appointed by a Republican and is a lifelong member of the GOP, Stevens has at times sided with liberal justices on key issues.
Stevens was one of three justices who offered dissenting opinions in the Bush v. Gore case which effectively halted the Florida ballot recount in the 2000 presidential election.
The decision effectively handed the presidency to George W. Bush.
‘Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identity of the loser is clear,’ Stevens wrote in his dissent.
‘It is the nation’s confidence in the judge as impartial guardian of the rule of law.’
Stevens says that the courts have been unable to restore the nation’s confidence that it is an impartial referee.
Since retiring, Stevens has staked out liberal positions on some issues, like gun control.
But he has also maintained that flag burning should be illegal.
Stevens said that during his time on the bench, justices were not as beholden to the presidents who appointed them as they are today.
Meanwhile, there are indications that Kavanaugh will eventually win confirmation.


+4


Stevens was appointed to the bench in 1975 by President Gerald Ford. He is seen above in Washington, D.C. in April 2014
President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans gained confidence on Thursday that his nominee Kavanaugh would win Senate confirmation after two wavering lawmakers responded positively to an FBI report on accusations of sexual misconduct against the judge.
The report, sent by the White House to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the middle of the night, was denounced by Democrats as a whitewash that was too narrow in scope and ignored critical witnesses. 
Thousands of anti-Kavanaugh protesters rallied outside the Supreme Court and entered a Senate office building, holding signs such as 'Believe Survivors' and 'Kava-Nope.'
But Republicans moved forward with plans for a key procedural vote on Friday and a final vote on Saturday on confirming the conservative federal appeals judge for a lifetime job on the top U.S. court.
Comments by two crucial Republican senators - Jeff Flake and Susan Collins - indicated the FBI report, which was the latest twist in the pitched political battle over Kavanaugh, may have allayed their concerns about Kavanaugh. 
Flake, a frequent Trump critic, was instrumental in getting the president to order the FBI investigation last Friday.
Trump, himself accused by numerous women during the 2016 presidential race of sexual misconduct, wrote on Twitter that the FBI report showed that the allegations against Kavanaugh were 'totally uncorroborated.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6242663/Senator-Orrin-Hatch-tells-protesting-sexual-assault-victims-grow-up.html

[size=34]Senator Orrin Hatch is caught on video telling sexual assault victims to 'GROW UP' when they confront him over his support for Brett Kavanaugh[/size]

• Utah Senator Orrin Hatch told sexual assault victims to 'grow up'
  
  
• The moment was caught on video following a press conference on Thursday
  
  
• As Hatch tries to get in the elevator survivors confront him saying 'Why aren't you brave enough to talk to us?'
  
  
• He waves them off with his hands saying 'When you grow up I'll be glad to'
  
  
• His comment led to fury from the crowd who shouted 'How dare you!' in reply
  
  
• The video was similar to a clip from last week where where Arizona senator Jeff Flake was bombarded by two female sexual assault victims in an elevator
  
  
• Hatch dismissed the protesters moments after speaking at a press conference urging for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
  
  

By MARLENE LENTHANG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:52 EDT, 5 October 2018 | UPDATED: 01:56 EDT, 5 October 2018

     




Utah Senator Orrin Hatch snapped at a group of protesters and sexual assault survivors challenging him to vote against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, telling them to 'grow up' in a shocking moment caught on video.
The clip was uploaded on social media on Thursday and shows the group confronting the 84-year-old Republican as he entered the elevators following a Senate press conference. 

'Why aren't you brave enough to talk to us and exchange it with us?' one woman shouts, leading a group of protesters. 


But Hatch refuses to listen, averting his eyes from the crowd and waving them off dismissively with his hands saying 'When you grow up I'll be glad to'.




+8




+8



A group of protesters - including sexual assault victims - confronted Utah Senator Orrin Hatch as he left a Senate press conference on Thursday. But he dismissed them saying 'grow up' in a shocking retort caught on video 


+8


A woman leading the crowd shouted 'Why aren't you brave enough to talk to us and exchange it with us?' but Hatch didn't even meet her gaze and dismissively waved his hand at the crowd saying 'When you grow up I'll be glad to'
'Don't wave your hand at me. I wave my hand at you,' the woman responds to the condescending motion.
Outraged with his words, the women in the group repeat 'When we grow up!?' in shock and push towards the elevator doors. 
'How dare you talk to women that way? How dare you? That's right you just wave it off. How dare you dismiss women like that?' the women shriek furiously. 
All the while two aides try to block the group from reaching Hatch as he gives the women a yapping hand motion, dismissing their stories as mere chatter and waving them away.
An aide then threatens that the protesters will be arrested if they don't let the elevator doors close and the clip ends. 




+8




+8



Hatch entered the elevator as the protesters screamed with fury at his condescending comment, to which he waved his hand dismissively 


+8


Hatch's office is yet to comment on the shocking video that went viral, racking up 919,000 views
Hatch's office is yet to comment on the shocking video that went viral, racking up 919,000 views. 
The shocking video was terribly reminiscent of another clip from last week where two assault survivors cornered Arizona Senator Jeff Flake in a Senate building elevator where he dropped his eyes to the floor as they detailed their abuse, moments after he announced he'd vote to approve Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women, accounts that culminated in a hearing last week where principal accuser Christine Blasey Ford recounted how he allegedly assaulted her when they were teenagers in the summer of 1982. 


+8


Earlier in the day Hatch spoke at a Senate press conference saying the FBI found nothing to corroborate allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women. Hatch pictured at a hearing on Kavanaugh's nomination


+8


The women in the video sought to challenge Hatch to vote against approving Kavanaugh. Hatch has been outspoken in his support of the Judge. 
In a press conference earlier in the day, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the FBI revealed they found nothing to corroborate allegations against Kavanaugh. 
Speaking at the press conference Hatch said: 'After investigations from both the committee and FBI, we have found nothing to corroborate accusations against him and we need to confirm him right away. His confirmation will be a victory for the Senate as an institution.'
He also expressed his disappointment in his Democratic colleagues in protesting Kavanaugh's nomination and apologized to the judge for the scrutiny surrounding his Senate approval process.
'I apologize to him for the way he's been treated,' Hatch said. 
He's been outspoken about his support for the Judge.  
The Senate will have a procedural vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to the highest court in the land on Friday.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6241935/Man-charged-threatening-US-senators-Kavanaugh-vote.html

[size=34]Trump supporter, 53, is charged after 'making threats to kill' Democrat senators and 'weak' Republicans if they vote against Brett Kavanaugh[/size]

• James Royal Patrick Jr. was charged with making written threats to kill or injure  
  
  
• Investigators got an email tip on Wednesday about threatening posts he made
  
  
• Hours later, deputies arrested Patrick and found a rifle and handgun at his home
  
  
• Patrick threatened to shoot members of Congress in multiple posts on Facebook
  
  

By KHALEDA RAHMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:51 EDT, 4 October 2018 | UPDATED: 09:44 EDT, 5 October 2018







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James Royal Patrick Jr. (pictured) was arrested after he threatened to shoot senators who don't support Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, authorities said
A man in Florida has been arrested after he threatened to shoot senators who don't support Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, authorities said.
James Royal Patrick Jr. was arrested at 4pm on Wednesday and charged with making written threats to kill or injure, Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators say they received an email tip at 11am that day about threatening posts Patrick, 53, made on this public Facebook page last month.

Authorities said that Patrick threatened to shoot members of Congress and their families depending on which way the confirmation vote went. 
He also made threats against any local and federal law enforcement officers that might respond to his home.
Besides threatening Democrats and 'weak Republicans' who might oppose Kavanaugh, Patrick also encouraged conservatives to break into liberals' homes and kill them in their sleep.
Scroll down for video 


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Patrick (pictured) was arrested on Wednesday and charged with making written threats to kill or injure









Authorities said that Patrick threatened to shoot members of Congress and their families depending on which way the confirmation vote went
'Getting ready if Kav is not confirmed….whoever I think is to blame may God have mercy on their soul,' he said in one post on September 22.
'I expect to be confronted and I will be ready to kill and ready to die.'
'I can tell it seems I will be sacrificing my life for my country,' he said in another post on September 27.


'But I am ready and will know who needs to be killed after the vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.
'I believe democrats need to be afraid to do what they are doing right now and weak republicans that do not vote for him need to pay with their lives.'
In another, he said: 'I can't do this by myself! Need more conservatives going into liberals' homes at night killing them in their sleep!'



Deputies say they found a rifle (pictured) during a search of Patrick's home in Winter Haven


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They also found a handgun (pictured), ammunition, numerous receipts from local gun shops and several used targets
In other posts, he claimed he was selling his house and had made arrangements for his pets because 'I know I will not be coming home.'
'I am about to accept an offer on my house just to get more money to fund my plan to kill Democrat office holders and their families,' he wrote in one post. 
'It is all I think about night and day. I even wake up in the middle of the night, most nights, thinking about it. Ultimately I will be killed but hopefully I will have killed many many liberal [sic] elected in Washington.'
In another, he claimed: 'Just bought 12 boxes of hollow point 50 caliber bullets….have plenty of ammo for my sniper rifle and bought a suppressor.'
'Have made sure all my arrangements have been made and care for my dogs because I will not be coming home.
'Have made extra precautions and added more supplies in the tunnel under my house in case local or federal law enforcement tries to stop me.'
Authorities noted there are no tunnels under his house.


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Patrick made threats to Democrats and 'weak Republicans' who might oppose Brett Kavanaugh (pictured) being confirmed to the Supreme Court


Patrick's Facebook page also contained photos of him, along with photos of guns and ammunition. He has also shared posts supportive of President Donald Trump.
Deputies say they found a rifle and handgun during a search of Patrick's home in Winter Haven as well as ammunition for both.
They also found numerous receipts from local gun shops and several used targets.
Patrick admitted to making the Facebook posts but denied plans to carry out the threats, investigators said.
He said he wanted to annoy liberals by making 'crazy statements' and because he didn't threaten anyone by name, he 'thought he could get away with it.'
Sheriff Grady Judd said: 'Within five hours of receiving an email tip about the posts, our detectives investigated it, obtained an arrest warrant and search warrant, and took the suspect into custody without incident.
'People need to calm down, and stop making threats of violence – we will not tolerate it.
'Anyone who threatens to kill a public officer or law enforcement officer will go to jail.'
Patrick was being held on $500,000 bail. Jail records didn't list an attorney who could comment.

Nice to see Florida police doing the right thing. This idiot needs to be locked in a psych ward for evaluation. He also needs to be banned from social media and never be allowed to own a gun again.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6243935/Republicans-line-test-vote-Kavanaughs-Judgment-Day.html

[size=34]BREAKING NEWS: Brett Kavanaugh WILL sit on the Supreme Court as swing senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin say they will vote YES and confirm Trump's nominee[/size]

• Collins, a centrist Republican, had the power to kill the Kavanaugh nomination but decided to stick with her party, virtually guaranteeing her party leadership's success
  
  
• 'I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh,' Collins said, adding: 'My fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court'
  
  
• Saying she planned to vote 'no' would have practically killed Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination
  
  
• Confirmation was not guaranteed until Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he would also back Kavanaugh
  
  
• 'We feel good about where we are,' President Trump's Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters outside the White House hours earlier
  
  
• After Collins spoke, Sanders thanked her on Twitter 'for standing by your convictions and doing the right thing'
  
  
• Democrats argued Brett Kavanaugh is unfit to be a Supreme Court justice because of a sexual assault allegation that dates back to 1982
  
  
• He denied it flatly and the hearings didn't establish any corroboration to the claim
  
  
• Same is true of FBI report demanded by Dems last week and delivered Thursday 
  
  
• Friday's 'cloture' vote passed by a simple majority, something that was unthinkable just a few years ago
  
  
• Until Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid changed the rules, invoking 'the nuclear option,' judicial nominees needed 60 votes at this stage in the process
  
  
• Reid took his precedent-setting action to help then-president Barack Obama; Republicans expanded it stepwise to include Supreme Court nominees
  
  
• A key test vote Friday morning ended in Republicans' favor with 51 'yes' votes, a number that will hold
  
  
• Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia crossed the aisle, but so did Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska 
  
  
• When the morning vote was over, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans ate with Collins in the Senate dining room to hear what she planned to do and say
  
  

By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR  and GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:45 EDT, 5 October 2018 | UPDATED: 17:16 EDT, 5 October 2018

     




Senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin said Friday that they will support Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress make his fate official this weekend.
Collins, a Maine Republican, decided not to cross the aisle and abandon President Trump's nominee. Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, made the opposite decision and defected. The result gives the GOP an historic victory and renders the other remaining holdouts' decisions largely moot.
'I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh,' Collins said on the Senate floor, adding: 'My fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court.'
'The president has broad discretion to consider a nominee's philosophy,' she said, blasting Democrats for 'over-the-top rhetoric and distortions' of Kavanaugh's professional record.

Minutes later, Manchin removed all doubt that Kavanaugh will fill the high court seat vacated by the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
'I have reservations about this vote,' he said in a statement, but 'based on all the information I have available to me, including the recently completed FBI report, I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution and determine cases based on the legal findings before him.'
Collins' make-or-break decision signaled the end to a bitter chapter that saw rhetorical hand-to-hand combat from both sides of the Senate. It will also remind politicians and voters that electing Trump in 2016 will have far-reaching consequences.
She left the Capitol at the end of the day under police guard, still hearing the chants from protesters who had descended on lawmakers while the Kavanaugh saga intensified. 
'Thank you @SenatorCollins for standing by your convictions and doing the right thing to confirm Judge Kavanaugh,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted after Collins announced her decision.
Collins told reporters later that she had assembled a team of 19 lawyers to help her review Kavanaugh's judicial record.  Asked when she had finalized her decision, she said: 'I made it last night, after finishing going through all the FBI reports.'
The hot-seat senator spoke for a half-hour before mentioning the uncorroborated sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, which date back more than three decades.
She said they 'illustrate why the presumption of innocence is so important. ... It is when passions are most enflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy.' 
She said she believes Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford gave 'sincere, painfull and compelling' testimony, and believes 'she is a survivor of a sexual assault, and that this trauma has upended her life.' 
Yet the four witnesses she named, Collins continued, 'could not corroborate any of the events of the evening gathering where she said the assault occurred.'
Kavanaugh himself, she noted, 'denied the allegations under penalty of perjury.'  




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WOMAN OF THE HOUR: Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins stuck with her party on Friday, announcing on the Senate floor that she would back Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and giving the Trump White House a major sigh of relief


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Collins left the U.S. Capitol under police guard after angering protesters with her decision on Friday


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West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin added his 'yes' to Collins' after she spoke on the Senate floor, making Kavanaugh's confirmation a done deal


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Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation has been complicated by uncorroborated sexual misconduct allegations, will officially be elevated to the Supreme Court on Saturday


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The tally was 51-49, the same as the Republicans' overall Senate margin


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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who led the Kavanaugh hearings, was happy with the outcome of Collins' speech


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Protesters were arrested by U.S. Capitol police for blocking the street in front of the Supreme Court while demonstrating against Kavanaugh on Friday
Collins argued that the fact of the case 'lead me to conclude that the allegations failed to meet the "more likely than not" standard. I do not think these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the [Supreme] Court.'
But she took pains to paint the Kavanaugh case as an outlier in a social movement where women should be believed when they step forward to accuse men of sexual misconduct.
'The "MeToo" movement is real. It matters, it is needed and it is long overdue,' she said.
Collins also blasted an anonymous leaker who initially put Ford's allegations in the public domain, saying the action was 'unconscionable.' 
Kavanaugh had cleared his first procedural hurdle hours earlier, winning the votes of Collins and another swing Republican – plus politically endangered West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, who faces a tough November re-election fight in a red state.

[size=34]WHAT HAPPENS NOW? [/size]

Friday's 51-49 vote on the Senate floor wasn't the final word on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.
Called a 'cloture' motion, it moved the process along to a new stage where lawmakers will enter 30 hours of debate – and then vote again. This time it will be final.
Republicans hold 51 of the Senate's 100 seats, a margin barely wide enough to carry the day. They could have afforded for one to defect because Vice President Mike Pence would cast a tiebreaking vote in the event of a 50-50 deadlock.
But now it appears 50 Republicans and 1 Democrat will give Kavanaugh a thumbs-up. 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the White House believed all day that Kavanaugh would be confirmed. The vote itself, now a formality, could happen before dinner on Saturday. 
One Republican, Sen. Steve Daines, will be in Montana on Saturday at his daughter's wedding. If Republicans had fallen a vote short, they could have kept voting open until he returned. That no longer will be necessary.



That left Republicans with a 51-49 advantage, but no guarantee it would hold.
Senators will still have 30 hours of debate in advance of a final showdown Saturday, possibly as early as dinnertime.
Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a fence-sitter who a week ago demanded a reopened FBI probe into uncorroborated sexual assault allegations against President Trump's nominee, said he would vote yes 'unless something big changed. I don't see what would.'
But Collins appeared to control Kavanaugh's fate. In just one sign of her influence, she lunch ate in the Senate dining room with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans Friday, before delivering a speech that had Washington's blood pressure peaking. 
A woman stood up in a visitor's gallery When Collins rose to speak, urging: 'Senator Collins, please vote no!'
'I am a voter form Maine. You have a responsibility–' the woman called out as Capitol Police moved to eject her from the chamber. She was soon joined by about 10 other protesters.
'Show up for Maine women! Vote No!' they shouted before police hauled them out. The Senate's presiding officer then reminded visitors not to disrupt the proceedings.
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against Kavanaugh on Friday despite calling him 'a good man.' Although she could swing back toward the GOP on Saturday, she told reporters: 'It just may be that in my view, he’s not the right man for the court at this time.'


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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted her thanks to Sen. Collins after her speech was over


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Protesters, including some sexual assault survivors, continued to attract media attention Friday in Senate office buildings while Collins was delivering her high-stakes address


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Anti-Kavanaugh forces gathered Friday outside the office of Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday


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President Trump congratulated the Senate for signaling its support of his Supreme Court nominee, but the final outcome is still on a razor's edge


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West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the lone Democrat to support Kavanaugh on Friday, could still change his mind; he faces a tough re-election fight in a deep-red state, but leads Republican challenger Patrick Morrissey by 8 points in recent polls





Manchin too could abandon his pro-Kavanaugh position, and progressive activists and his party leaders are already pressuring him to do just that. He has shown no sign of listening.
'We feel good about where we are,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters outside the White House.
Asked about the meaning of Manchin’s vote, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe said earlier that he 'can’t imagine' the West Virginian would vote to advance the nomination but abandon Kavanaugh later. 'He’s voting his people, is what he’s doing,' Inhofe told DailyMail at the U.S. Capitol.


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President Donald Trump (pictured Thursday night in Minnesota) nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement in June
California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein told reporters that 'there are two ways of looking at it. One, he needs more time. Another is he's not going to vote no, he's going to vote yes.'
Manchin wouldn’t say what his Friday vote signified, telling reporters he would soon issue a statement. He faces a tough re-election fight in a deep-red state, but leads Republican challenger Patrick Morrissey by 8 percentage points in recent polls
President Donald Trump tweeted his approval, stopping short of gloating in advance of a final confirmation. 
'Very proud of the U.S. Senate for voting “YES” to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!' he wrote.
Friday's vote passed by a simple majority, something that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
Until then-Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, changed the rules in 2013, a president's judicial nominees needed 60 votes to break an opposition 'filibuster' and move to the stage Kavanaugh reached Friday.
Reid took his precedent-setting action, known then as 'the nuclear option,' to help then-president Barack Obama secure confirmation of lower-court nominees. Republicans expanded it stepwise in 2017, applying it to include Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch. 
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said after Friday's vote that '[t]his fight is not over.'
'Americans across the country have been calling on their senators to vote ‘no’ on Brett Kavanaugh. Now it’s time to ramp up the pressure and make our voices heard. And no matter what happens in the Senate tomorrow, it’s up to all of us to vote in November.'
When the morning began, Judiciary Committee Chairman Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a Fox News Channel interview that he had no idea how it would end.
'As of now I don't really know, and I don't know whether anybody else does,' he said.
By day's end, Grassley was talking about tying up loose ends and closing the book on the nomination.
He told reporters that the committee still wanted to hear from Ford's lawyers to corroborate some of the claims they made while jockeying for position about the FBI investigation.
'She raised issues in her testimony,' Grassley said, 'and if you raise issue in your testimony we ought to have the information to back it up.'  


+30


Collins kept everyone in the Senate chamber guessing until the end of her hotly anticipated speech, oscillating between praising Kavanaugh and seeming to doubt him


+30


Ninety-six of the 100 senators had declared how they would vote by Friday morning, leaving all the power in the hands of the 'final four'; just Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted 'no' on Friday morning


+30


Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted 'no' on Friday's Kavanaugh motion, defying her party's leadership and giving Democrats hope that they could still reject Trump's nominee


+30


Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake put a halt to the confirmation process a week ago by demanding a reopened FBI background check to probe sexual assault claims against Kavanaugh, but by Friday he was satisfied and said he will vote 'yes'


+30


'We feel good about where we are,' President Trump's Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters outside the White House


The uncertainty after 32-plus hours of hearings and nationwide heartache over unverifiable sexual assault charges underscored a sharp national divide in the Trump Age.
Even the delivery of a supplemental FBI background check didn't quell the chants and songs of protesters descending on Senate office buildings and being arrested by the hundreds. 
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has long planned to close the book on Kavanaugh before the Columbus Day holiday. 
An uncharacteristically angry Grassley said on the Senate floor that 'the fix was in from the very beginning' and that Democrats decided to vigorously oppose Kavanaugh in historically reckless fashion.
'What left-wing groups and their Democratic allies have done to Judge Brett Kavanaugh is nothing short of monstrous,' he said, referring to the full-court-press on behalf of Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford
Ranking committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein said the FBI's probe was incomplete and limited, and ignored dozens of 'witnesses' offered Ford and fellow accuser Deborah Ramirez.
FBI sources have said the Bureau chose to interview only those people with firsthand knowledge of the 1980s parties both women have described. 
Four senators out of 100 still had not announced their voting posture as the dust settled Thursday night, including three Republicans ond a lone Democratic holdout. 
GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona stayed with their party. Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin both defected.


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Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley told Fox News on Friday morning just hours before a 10:30 a.m. vote that he didn't know how it would turn out


+30





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Thursday was a day of organized protests in hundreds of places across the United States, and the outrage continued Friday


+30


Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein complained Friday on the Senate floor that the FBI's renewed background check into Kavanaugh ignored witnesses who turned out to have second-hand information


+30




+30



Montana Sen. Steve Daines will not be in Washington on Saturday because of the wedding of his daughter (right), but he will come back quickly if his vote is needed


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Outside a secure U.S. Capitol room where senators are permitted to view the FBI's findings, Manchin told reporters Friday morning that he would not make up his mind on Kavanaugh until he walked onto the Senate floor.
The Senate vote on Friday was what is known as a motion to invoke 'cloture,' a procedural step required by the Senate's arcane rules.
The final vote to confirm Kavanaugh will likely come late Saturday. Senate rules require giving Democrats the option of up to 30 hours of debate before that can happen. 
Grassley said he didn't blame his undecided Republican colleagues for holding their cards closely on Friday morning.
'I think that they want legitimately – and I found myself in the same position, you want to make sure before you make a final decision,' he said. 'You want your constituents to know that you're very thoughtful about it.'
"I've been in that same position, so I'm not going to hold it against them for not announcing ahead of time,' Grassley added.







+30



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has vowed that the full Senate will vote to confirm Kavanaugh by the end of the week, and a final roll call could come late Saturday


Flake and Collins signaled Thursday that the FBI's report made them comfortable supporting Kavanaugh, but stopped short of saying how they would vote.
Republicans on Capitol Hill expect Murkowski to vote no, a Senate source told DailyMail.com.
But she appeared noncommital to reporters, presenting a picture of indecision.
'This has truly been the most difficult evaluation, decision, that I’ve ever had to make,' Murkowski told reporters. 'I believe he’s a good man. It just may be that in my view, he’s not the right man for the court at this time.'
In an 11th-hour wrinkle, Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines reminded GOP leadership that his daughter's wedding will keep him two time zones away on Saturday.
If Manchin, the lone undecided Democrat, decides to side with Republicans rather than invite the wrath of President Donald Trump in a state he carried in a 42 percentage-point landslide, Republicans will be able to have their way without Daines.
Otherwise, the vote could be left open until he returns Sunday to cast the deciding vote. 
'This is all going to work out,' Daines told reporters Friday morning at the Capitol. 
'We’re going to have a new Supreme Court justice this weekend and I’m going to get to walk my daughter down the aisle,' he said. 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor that Democrats were intent on defending allegations for which there was 'no corroborating evidence.' 
'Uncorroborated mud and partisan noise ... will not have the final say around here,' he said. 'Facts matter. Fairness matters.' 
Kavanaugh, 53, made his own closing argument Thursday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, acknowledging that he had become 'very emotional' in last week's Judiciary Committee hearing because he was defending himself against 'wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations.' 


+30


Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of pinning her to a bed and forcibly groping her during a high school party 36 years ago, but the people she cited to corroborate her story have said they don't remember anything like what she described


+30



New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez said the FBI's reopened background check on Kavanaugh was 'a bulls**t investigation'


+30


'Let me tell it to my friend, Bob,' South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham shot back on Fox News: 'What y'all have done is bulls**t'


+30




The U. S. Supreme Court building stood quietly before dawn in Washington on Friday

[size=3]Lo[/size]

'I said a few things I should not have said,' he wrote, but insisted he would be a 'hardworking, even-keeled' jurist: 'Going forward, you can count on me.'
The Washington Post's editorial board tilted in the opposite direction, declaring Friday that Kavanaugh's nomination should be rejected.
It was the first time the paper had rendered such a verdict since a Democrat-controlled Senate derailed President Ronald Reagan's nominee Robert Bork over decades-old writings on abortion.
Most of the loud objections Thursday from Washington liberals and their allies surrounded claims that the FBI probe was too limited, focusing only on the roughly one dozen people who had firsthand knowledge of whether a 17-year-old Kavanaugh had assaulted a 15-year-old girl at a 1982 party.
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey told a reporter outside his office: 'If that's an investigation, it's a bulls**t investigation.'
Hours later on Fox News, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham fired back.
'Let me tell it to my friend, Bob: What y'all have done is bulls**t,' Graham said. '
'If they ever write a book about overplaying your hands in politics, this is it. It's in the first chapter.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6246235/Associate-Justices-nominated-Obama-say-reputation-Supreme-Court-hurt.htm

[size=34]We have to rise above partisanship': Two SCOTUS Justices say the reputation of the Court has been 'hurt' by the Brett Kavanaugh vote[/size]

• Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor are concerned for the future of the Supreme Court as senators get ready to vote on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
  
  
• Associate Justices spoke at Princeton University Friday on the eve of an important decision about SCOTUS
  
  
• Both women were appointed by Barack Obama respectively in 2009 and 2010
  
  
• They agreed that the court's reputation has been hurt and it may continue to be after Justice Anthony Kennedy leaves this year for retirement 
  
  

By LEAH SIMPSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 22:44 EDT, 5 October 2018 | UPDATED: 00:20 EDT, 6 October 2018

     


Two Associate Supreme Court Justices are worried for the future of the highest court in the federal judiciary after Justice Anthony Kennedy leaves.
The man who has served since 1988 retires this year and is likely to be replaced by controversial judge Brett Kavanaugh who has been the subject of an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations.
Although Justice Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor were not directly addressing the push to confirm Kavanaugh for SCOTUS, they spoke at a Princeton University conference on the eve of the all-important voting day for senators.
Scroll down for video 


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Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan spoke at Princeton University Friday on the eve of an important decision about SCOTUS



+4


The Justices are concerned for the future of the Supreme Court as senators get ready to vote on the confIrmation of Brett Kavanaugh
'I think that that, institutionally, has hurt the court a lot and may continue to do so,' Sotomayor, who was appointed by Barack Obama in 2009 said about the legal theories Democrats and Republicans have 'superimposed on the court'.

The 64-year-old was agreeing with sentiments earlier expressed by Kagan suggesting that the exit of Kennedy could mean the reputation of the Supreme Court suffers.
'It's been an extremely important thing for the court that in the last 40 years, starting with Justice [Sandra Day] O'Connor and continuing with Justice Kennedy, there has been a person who found the center, where people couldn't predict in that sort of way,' Politico reports she told the audience of 3,000 students and alumni. 
'That's enabled the court to look so it was not all by one side or another and it was indeed impartial and neutral and fair. And it's not so clear that I think going forward that sort of middle position — it's not so clear whether we'll have it.'




+4



Sotomayor said the polarizing legal theories have hurt the court a lot and may continue to


+4


Both women (Kagan pictured top left and Sotomayor center right) were appointed by Barack Obama respectively in 2009 and 2010
Kagan, 58, who was nominated in 2010, added that the removal of a swing Justice like Kennedy may make the SCOTUS seem biased.
In a nod to the politically-charged arguments between senators and the American people in recent weeks that have rarely seen any middle ground, Kagan made it clear that she fears the court won't be so highly regarded from now on.
'All of us need to be aware of that — every single one of us — and to realize how precious the court's legitimacy is,' Kagan said. 'It's an incredibly important thing for the court to guard is this reputation of being impartial, being neutral and not being simply extension of a terribly polarizing process.'
During the event Sotomayor questioned whether the court would have the ability to unify after the ruling but added that whether people personally agree going forward, all that has to be left outside the court room doors.
'We have to rise above partisanship and personal relationships, that we have to treat each other with respect and dignity and with a sense of amicability that the rest of the world doesn't ... share,' she added.



Brett Kavanaugh (left) is expected to be confirmed after Justice Anthony Kennedy (right) leaves this year for retirement

It’s funny that the DF kept referring to Kennedy’s retirement as forthcoming.  He retired on July 31st.  :/

Yep this whole nomination process and how it played out was a joke.  At least for the foreseeable future there will be a cloud hanging over Kavenaugh as a Justice.  Every decision he makes will be scrutinized.  To many he won’t be legitimate. Despite whether or not he was guilty of assaulting Blasey Ford(and I think he was) his partisan words and behavior at last Thursday’s hearing were undeniably disqualifying.