Democratic presidential candidates call for Kavanaugh’s impeachment after new allegations
With such a mountain of malfeasance by the Trump administration to address, it is nearly impossible for congressional Democrats to pursue each and every instance of corruption and disregard for the rule of law that is committed by the president and his Republican co-conspirators.
As issues rise and fall in the public consciousness, the response from Democratic politicians is to address the outrage flavor of the day. Often this leaves important instances of significance on the cutting room floor, as the latest offense overtakes the previous transgressions in the media and public awareness.
Such was the case after the confirmation of Justice Brett “Boof” Kavanaugh which — with its legacy of uninvestigated accusations of sexual misconduct and incompletely researched allegations of perjury — fell from the top of the Democratic action list to more fully probe once the battle for the open Supreme Court seat made the outcome a moot point.
Now, with the publication of The New York Times‘ 10-month investigation of the allegations of sexual misconduct by the hard-partying Justice during his college years, the idea of attempting to reverse what the Democrats consider a faulty and illegitimate confirmation process designed to ram Kavanaugh’s nomination through to completion at any cost has resurfaced as the public is reminded of the Republican abuses of power during the hearings.
Upon reading the latest allegations — which include an additional incident of the future SCOTUS justice dropping trou and waving his flaccid member at drunken co-eds — a number of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have spoken up to demand a push to impeach Kavanaugh as being as unfit for office as the man who nominated him.
A quick glance at Twitter this morning found the feed overflowing with posts from candidates newly outraged by the latest revelations and ready to weaponize the news in their campaign against Trump and the Republican party.
Last year the Kavanaugh nomination was rammed through the Senate without a thorough examination of the allegations against him. Confirmation is not exoneration, and these newest revelations are disturbing. Like the man who appointed him, Kavanaugh should be impeached.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 15, 2019
I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice.
He must be impeached.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 15, 2019
It’s more clear than ever that Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath. He should be impeached.
And Congress should review the failure of the Department of Justice to properly investigate the matter. https://t.co/Yg1eh0CkNl
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) September 15, 2019
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) used an appearance on ABC‘s This Week to slam the Justice Department and its stonewalling Attorney General William Barr for their obstructive practices in shielding the Federalist Society-picked conservative justice.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Justice Brett Kavanaugh: "My concern here is that the process was a sham. I don't think you can look at impeachment hearings without getting the documents … and the attorney general is shielding documents" https://t.co/gxl9RihwwF pic.twitter.com/0QOM4kIuSv
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 15, 2019
The clamor from the Democratic candidates to reopen calls for Kavanaugh’s impeachment set President Trump off on a Sunday morning Twitter rant defending his Supreme Court pick and fellow recipient of sexual assault accusations.
While the renewed enthusiasm among Democrats to reopen the investigation into Justice Kavanaugh is encouraging, as the slow and torturous path to impeachment for President Trump demonstrates, actions and results speak much louder than outraged Twitter posts.
Call us when the committee hearings convene.
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Original reporting by Jackie Flynn Mogensen at Mother Jones.
