ABA Calls for Investigating Sexual Assault Charges Against Judge Kavanaugh
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh may have committed perjury under oath during Senate confirmation hearing testimony.
He may have lied about his knowledge of and/or involvement in Bush/Cheney’s warrantless wiretapping, torture and other lawless programs.
Did he lie as well in response to Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault accusations?
Ahead of her Thursday Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, Ford said Kavanaugh drunkenly pinned her down and sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers in the 1980s.
By letter to Senator Diane Feinstein, she said what’s going on now “are all the ills that I was trying to avoid. Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and my terror about retaliation,” adding:
“Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room.”
“They locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help.”
“Kavanaugh was on top of me while laughing with REDACTED, who periodically jumped onto Kavanaugh.”
“They both laughed as Kavanaugh tried to disrobe me in their highly inebriated state. With Kavanaugh’s hand over my mouth, I feared he (might) inadvertently kill me.”
“At one point when REDACTED jumped onto the bed the weight on me was substantial. The pile toppled, and the two scrapped with each other.”
“After a few attempts to get away, I was able to take this opportune moment to get up and run across to a hallway bathroom. I locked the bathroom door behind me.”
“Both loudly stumbled down the stair well at which point other persons at the house were talking with them. I exited the bathroom, ran outside of the house and went home.”
“I have received medical treatment regarding the assault. On July 6, I notified my local government representative to ask them how to proceed with sharing this information.”
“It is upsetting to discuss sexual assault and its repercussions, yet I felt guilty and compelled as a citizen about the idea of not saying anything.”
In response to Ford’s compelling accusations, the American Bar Association (ABA) urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to halt the confirmation process until an FBI investigation into Ford’s charges is conducted and completed.
By letter to committee chairman Grassley and ranking minority committee member Feinstein, ABA president Robert Carlson said the following:
“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,” adding:
A Supreme Court appointment is “too important to rush to a vote. Deciding to proceed without conducting an 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.”
Whether Carlson’s letter makes a difference ahead a scheduled Friday confirmation vote will be known in the coming hours.
Separately, two more women accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault while he was in high school or college.
Accusations this serious against anyone demand an investigation to determine who’s truthful and who’s not. It’s especially vital with a Supreme Court seat at stake.
If accusations by Ford and other women are verified as genuine, a sexual predator should never be allowed on the nation’s High Court.
Nor should war crimes by presidents and other US officials be tolerated.
But it happens repeatedly, indicating Kavanaugh will likely be confirmed even if guilty of perjury and sexual assault.
It’s further proof that lofty principles US officials claim to value is pure fantasy.
One more point. If majority Senate members reject Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, Trump will surely nominate another right-wing hardliner.
No one favored by Republicans or undemocratic Dems today approaches the stature William Brennan, William Douglas, Thurgood Marshall or Louis Brandeis.
America’s most distinguished and respected jurists are no longer considered Supreme Court material - more evidence of how low things in the nation have sunk.
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