Quick Recap of the Kavanaugh Confirmation Circus
The confirmation hearing for Judge Kavanaugh may have concluded, but the controversy hasn't seemed to die down one bit.
From deep probing questions over baseball tickets to one Senator claiming to be bribed and extorted, the chaos that started in the hearings continues and likely won't conclude until after the votes are in. And since the vote of the Senate Judiciary committee is scheduled for this week, and the full senate vote scheduled for the last week of September, the headlines are really heating up.
Below is a quick recap of two of the hotter topics surrounding Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Testimony Under a Microscope
After the hearings concluded, political pundits, reporters, and legal scholars closely scrutinized Kavanaugh's testimony, and not just from this confirmation hearing, but also from his prior hearings for the district and appellate court benches.
There are several instances where it is alleged that he lied under oath. Perhaps one of the most damning examples involves his claim that he did not access stolen documents in 2002 while working as a White House lawyer. Though he maintains that he did not know that he was sent information from the stolen documents, his prior denials (and other testimonial gaffs), as suggested by one report, don't bode well. However, given the highly politicized process, this opinion isn't shared by all pundits, and many of the allegations can be explained away. Though, as nearly every lawyer knows, if you're the one doing the explaining, you're at risk of losing.
Crowdfunding Congressional Influence
Though there are many outspoken supporters of Kavanaugh, there has been a strong grassroots movement against the confirmation. Notably, Senator Collins of Maine has been facing vocal and often vulgar demands that she, a Republican Senator, vote no on Kavanaugh. Some of those demands have also included odd threats, such as one waitress, who explained that every waitress who serves her food for the rest of her life would spit (or do something worse) in her food.
However, taking the crowdfunded-cake, is the Crowdpac campaign to influence Senator Collins to vote no. Crowdpac is a website that allows individuals to donate to causes, and one of those causes promises those who donate that if Collins doesn't vote no, then the money raised will be used to fund her opponent in 2020. Cutely, they are asking contributors to pledge $20.20. If she does vote no, the campaign supporters will not be charged. Surprisingly, the campaign has raised more than $1 million already. Collins however has characterized it as bribery or extortion, though, as nearly any lawyer could tell her, that's a bit of a stretch ... though her claim does make for an entertaining news cycle.
Related Resources:
- Is Kavanaugh a Swing and a Miss? (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
- The Polls Aren't Kind to Kavanaugh, So? (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
- 'Unprecedented' FOIA Request Filed to Vet Brett Kavanaugh (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)