11 GOP men vote to put accused sexual predator on Supreme Court for life

On Friday, the boys only club of Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Every single Democrat on the committee voted against him.

They voted for Kavanaugh, despite multiple, credible allegations of sexual assault. They voted for him even though they could find no fault with the hours of testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who explained to them in painful detail Thursday how Kavanaugh tried to rape her when they were in high school.

They voted for him even after the American Bar Association, which had previously rated Kavanaugh “well qualified,” called for a delay in the process until the FBI can conduct an investigation into these allegations.

They voted for him even though he revealed himself, during his belligerent opening statement, to lack the temperament and objectivity that a seat on the highest court in the land requires.

They voted for him even though he repeatedly lied throughout his testimony on Thursday — about his drinking and partying in high school and college, about the meaning of his yearbook jokes, even about whether he watched Ford’s testimony.

Already two men sit on the Supreme Court, for life, with asterisks by their name. In 1991, the Senate confirmed Clarence Thomas, credibly accused by Anita Hill of sexual harassment. Whatever else Thomas has done on the bench, and the abhorrent opinions and dissents he has authored, he will always be the Supreme Court justice accused of sexual harassment.

In 2017, Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch to a seat that was supposed to be filled by President Barack Obama. Republican held the seat open for a year, refusing to even hold a hearing for nominee Merrick Garland. Gorsuch, no matter what else he does in his career on the court, will forever occupy a stolen seat.

And now, if Republicans succeed in confirming Kavanaugh, he too will be an asterisk justice. He has proven to be a far-right ideologue and a political hack; he made that abundantly clear when he ranted that Ford’s testimony against him was part of some nefarious plot of “revenge on behalf of the Clintons.”

But what will forever hang over Kavanaugh is the very credible allegations that he is an attempted rapist. And that when he had the opportunity to ask the FBI to investigate that claim, as well as others, he refused. In fact, he refused at least 19 times.

If Kavanaugh is innocent, as he insisted he is, one would expect him to welcome all investigations that would clear him name. One would expect him to want all witnesses whom he says support his denials interviewed.

Instead, Kavanaugh wanted the Judiciary Committee to rush through its investigation of him as quickly as possible. He did not want other witnesses called. He did not want the FBI involved.

He looked very much like a guilty man with something to hide.

And yet, on Friday, 11 Republican men voted for him anyway, sending his nomination to the full Senate for a vote next week. Because, as they made so clear before Thursday’s hearing, it doesn’t matter to them if Kavanaugh is an attempted rapist. They want him on the Supreme Court, and absolutely nothing will stand in their way.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.