After the harrowing testimony given by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, it was hard to imagine what Brett Kavanaugh might say to contradict such a powerful statement from a woman clearly in control of herself and ready to tell the truth — and who attempted to fully answer every question she was asked.
It became clear relatively quickly that his strategy was to do the opposite: He would talk over Senators, use up their 5-minute slots giving non-answers to questions they didn’t ask, and bizarrely repeat himself over and over while decrying the harm that this process has caused him, rather than own up to a single thing or even come close to showing sympathy for the victim that even President Trump said he thought was a credible witness.
What were Brett Kavanaugh’s refrains as he stalled and wasted the time of Democratic Senators and indeed, all Americans?
He returned time and again to the fact that he liked beer. He spoke over and over of his glowing credentials and academic record. He constantly revisited the things he would have been doing instead of assaulting Dr. Ford: Sports, working out, going to church.
But the thing that stuck with many people was that he said innumerable times while responding to Senator Chris Coons of Delaware,
All four witnesses who were allegedly at the event have said it didn’t happen, including Dr. Ford’s longtime friend Ms. Keyser.”
He’s referring, of course, to Leyland Keyser, who is indeed a longtime friend of Christine Blasey Ford, and who did say that she did not remember the party. Unfortunately for Kavanaugh, that’s not the same thing as “said it didn’t happen.”
Today Ms. Keyser wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary declaring — again — that although she didn’t remember the event in question, she believes Dr. Ford’s account.
That was known well before the testimony was taken on Thursday, even by Judge Kavanaugh. That means he lied under oath about what Ms. Keyser told investigators and the press before the hearing ever took place. Many dismissed his statements as simply “omitting” that Keyser had said anything of the sort, but it was a key enough point that Keyser and her lawyer felt it was necessary to write the letter that was sent today.
Things just keep looking worse and worse for this nomination and for Republicans.
Featured image via screen capture
