Protestors confronted [Republican Jeff] Flake (who pre-announced he'll vote yes) for about three to five minutes as he waited in a elevator to go to the hearing. At least one of the protestors identified herself as a survivor of sexual assault. “Don’t look away from me,” one woman said. “Look at me and tell me that it doesn’t matter what happened to me.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, asks for the vote to be postponed until the committee hears from more witnesses. [...] “I believe we have a responsibility to subpoena at the very least Mark Judge before we move to vote,” Blumenthal says.
Grassley is now reading a letter he says Mark Judge sent the committee last night. “I’ve told the committee I do not want to comment about these events publicly,” Grassley said, quoting Judge’s letter. He identifies himself as a recovering alcoholic and cancer survivor who suffers from depression and anxiety and does not speak publicly. Blumenthal’s motion to subpoena Mark Judge is struck down in a quick 11-10 vote. [ed: is this a Cruz talking point from the hearing?]
Chuck Grassley moves to have the committee vote on Kavanaugh at 1:30pm ET. He ignored protests from Democrats and did not debate the vote. The majority voted in favor 11-8, with Democratic senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris declining to vote, citing unfairness.
Democrats are walking out of the hearing as Grassley reads a statement about Kavanaugh. “I found Dr Ford’s testimony credible and I believe she is sincere in her version of the facts,” Grassley says. He says he also found Kavanaugh’s statement credible. “There is simply no reason to deny Judge Kavanaugh a seat on the supreme court,” he says, citing the evidence presented to them. Feinstein, Leahy, Durbin, Klobuchar, Coons and Booker remain.
More Democratic senators have walked out. ianne Feinstein, one of the remaining Democrats, is now being allowed to explain her disappointment with the result of the vote. Feinstein denies that she and her staff leaked Ford’s letter, which was sent to her office. [ed: the publication that received the leaked letter confirms it was not Feinstein's office that sent it to them.] She says Republicans did not share information with Democrats on the committee relevant to the case and claims they learned things from the press that were in the hands of their Republican colleagues. Feinstein said she was shocked that Kavanaugh launched such a strong attack against Democrats. “Judge Kavanaugh used as much political rhetoric as my colleagues,” she said. “This was not someone who reflected an impartial temperament or the fairness and even-handedness one would see in a judge.”
Feinstein continues, raising issues with the procedure. “This was not about ensuring a fair process, this was about doing the bare minimum,” Feinstein says. “Let’s be clear, Dr Ford asked for confidentiality,” Feinstein says. “We all know that if I referred allegations to the FBI when she would not come forward, there would have been nothing to do.” [...] Feinstein says Democrats have not had an opportunity to question any of the witnesses, the polygraph examiner or the other women who have alleged they were sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh. “While the Republican strategy is no longer attack the victim, it is now ignore the victim,” Feinstein says.
“We can’t learn anything from the FBI we can’t learn ourselves,” Grassley says. [ed: the FBI has field agents who can go anywhere; plus, the Committee leader has to WANT to learn something] Grassley: “If the people on the other side of the aisle sincerely want an FBI investigation, I would ask why they did not notify me of Dr Ford’s then confidential letter way back in July.” [ed: broken record; Feinstein has said over and over that Ford asked for confidentiality] As senators trade off their different interpretations of every detail of the situation, along party lines, protests are raging in the hallway outside the committee meeting.
[Grassley] also falsely stated that comments made by three witnesses refuted Dr Ford’s description of the incident. [ed: this is the same false comment repeatedly made by Kavanaugh in his testimony]
Orrin Hatch is now commending both sides of the aisle for taking the issue seriously. Hatch touting the extent to which Kavanaugh has been investigated, saying he sat through 30 hours of testimony. He repeatedly calls the situation a “circus.” “Frankly, we’ve had enough time on this to choke a horse,” Hatch says. “I’m personally tired of all the games and gamesmanship that his been going around,” he says. [ed: then how about you stop?] Now he is praising Grassley for being “fair” and “decent.” “Frankly, you’re a great chairman,” Hatch says. [ed: two old white assholes stroking each other's old white assholes]
Leahy says the judiciary committee is no longer an independent branch of government. “We are an arm, a very weak arm, of the Trump White House,” Leahy says.
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