He must be impeached and removed as a judge at all levels. Anything else is not justice.
286
Why has the FBI not been allowed to do its job?? Trump is anything but a patriot because his administration continues to obstruct justice.
218
regardless if we agree with anyone on either side...his out of control response to questions by congress, speaks volumes for this now judge...He really should have not gone forward, on his performance of lost control....he is on the highest court for heaven sakes
179
Beyond unbelievable that the Times buries this story in the Sunday Review AND frames it as a sociology piece and not a horrifying example of how the GOP is creating authoritarian minority rule by making the Supreme Court a kangaroo court. Unbelievable.
561
What surprised me reading this is how all of the geniuses convicting Kavanaugh have totally ignored that the authors of this piece have admitted that the "victim" here has no recollection of the incident that supposedly happened.
It is in their book.
Yes ,the mean is 100.
148
More impeachment hearings coming up. I imagine DoJ squashed the investigation to get the liar on the bench.
By the way, there's no reason for SCOTUS to have either lifetime appointments or exemption from other Federal justices' ethics rules. Time for a mandatory retirement age and obeying the rules now that the Right has stacked the court. Of course, it's probably too late.
86
This is why we need to rid this government of Republicans from top to bottom. They are nothing but corrupt. This is just one more shameful example.
9
I am totally with Ms. Ramirez and clearly Kavanaugh is a jerk (wow, big surprise), but I have to say that the reporting was sloppy around the "air Jordan" comment. Michael Jordan didn't even enter the NBA until after this time she attended Yale, and his shoe came years later. So....huh?
5
Isn’t Kavanaugh that perfect SCOTUS Justice pick for Trump?
Kavanaugh is a sexual assaulter, blatantly lied under oath about those assaults, instead claimed to the victim himself - those lies and his overall testimony disqualified him to be a judge of any type, much less for a lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS - but got away with it all and became SCOTUS Justice. Republicans put this sexual assaulter on the SCOTUS covering up his crimes - so that they can overturn Roe v. Wade, and also to have a Justice who will always vote in favor of the rich and powerful for 40+ years. People like Graham won with their histrionics and controlled the process and the narrative. Democrats - incompetence from past her prime Feinstein - folded and failed - just like when they allowed another sexual assaulter - Thomas - to get a lifetime appointment to SCOTUS and ignoring Hill’s brave testimony and destroying her reputation, covering up the accusations of other women - that was allowed by Biden.
Trump is a sexual predator/rapist. About 20 women have credibly accused him. He has openly bragged about sexual assault. And he gets away with it - even in the #MeToo era that is supposed to bring accountability for the predators/criminals, to bring justice for the victims. Like all his crimes, Trump gets away with it all. Rich, white men can break any law while Republicans cynically talk about a nation of laws, laws cruelly and unjustly applied to women and minorities only. And Democrats keep failing.
2
Brett Kavanaugh is like cancer retuning after being told it was in remission.
America has not seen or heard from the last of the murdering, vile and privileged frat boy.
5
Brett Kavanaugh was and is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice. Of course the GOP did not care and did not allow a sufficient investigation not only of Dr Ford's allegations but also those of Ms Ramirez. Now we find ample evidence of not just one or even two "youthful" occurrence but a pattern of behavior on this privileged predator's part.
3214
@stefanie
The GOP pushed Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation because he was and is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice! Look at all the other government positions that are filled with the most unqualified people. Hard to think of a single qualified GOP-approved nominee.
283
@stefanie Why would the GOP care, they also didn't care about Justice Clarence Thomas. Nothing has changed in their party and never will.
126
@Jacquie
While today's Republican Party is indeed a dystopian nest of vipers, it is not the party of Lincoln.
While todays Democratic Party tries to save the Country, it is not the party of Andrew Johnson or Strom Thurmond.
Things can and do change
38
Still breathing life into the hate Kavanaugh campaign from 30 years ago episodes is sad. Privilege upbringing is what out Capitalist system works for. Supposedly we all get best jobs move into the nicest neighborhoods with the highest rated school system for our kids. Those nicest neighborhoods require massive property taxes and efforts to bus these kids to poor areas(school busing) and sending those poor area kids to the better schools is totally Fascism at its worst. So we work for our kids so they could be bused into a poor crime infested school system should be opposed by all. Btw those Frat boy alcohol driven parties are disgusting but students have the option of NOT attending them.
27
Brett Kavanaugh, just another rutting pig in the Trump Administration’s odious sty.
26
Middle aged, drunken Frat Boy. What could possibly go wrong ?
I loathe you, GOP/NRA Party. May you implode in a gigantic ball of hate and spite, and may I live to see that happen.
Seriously.
20
This one is uglier than Ford. I'm saving myself for my wedding night. Yeah right. When will the Democrats give it a rest? The judge has been confirmed and there was a time this person could have come forward. That time has come and gone, she needs to get over it. Whatever she thinks "it" was.
19
Such are the challenges and dangers of living on the cusp of rapid social change. Within our lifetimes (for those of a certain age), wild, drunken sexual antics at parties have gone from being the norm ("What did she expect?") to being criminalized (sexual assault, rape, date rape). #MeToo has accelerated the coming out of of women who experienced various assaults. "Boys being boys" and "sowing your wild oats" now come back to haunt those boys, and seem to mock women whose memories are haunted by experiences that were dreadful and confusing, or worse, at the time. And we're all confused and contorted by a legal system that cannot keep up with our changing sexual mores.
Should a middle-aged man be destroyed by reports of the sins of his youth?
Should a middle-aged woman be humiliated by taunts that she's "trying to make up a story," not simply corroborate a memory?
Must a public confessional be demanded of everyone who chooses or is tapped to step up to public office? How many currently in public positions would be willing to follow through?
Brett Kavanaugh was no choir boy (even if technically he was). He was frankly a nasty little prat. Was he a monster? Is he still?
And no woman ever forgets who hurt her, and how. Details can fade, but no woman ever forgets the essentials of horrific, painful, humiliating, wrongful acts.
New social mores make how we deal now with the past far too complicated. What is to be done?
Declare a moral moratorium on old sins? Old pain?
461
@DameAlys a wise individual, and Brett Kavanaugh is not a wise individual, would have recognized that once the stories started to surface, that it would be better to withdraw one's name from consideration so that a storied institution like the Supreme Court would not be sullied forever by the confirmation hearings. Indeed things are changing, but a prescient person would have recognized that the overall sanctity of an institution such as the Supreme Court rests upon the respectability of those seated therein. Like Thomas before him, Kavanaugh will always have an asterisk next to his name, and any judgment written by him and rendered by this court will always be looked upon with a level of skepticism.
504
@DameAlys Brett Kavanaugh was not applying for any old job in public service. He was applying for the role of the highest exemplar of justice in this country. His multiple failures--both in the past and in how he chose to address these credible accusations in the present day--disqualifies him for that role. He cannot represent justice.
632
@DameAlys
Except it doesn't come "back to haunt" the boys turned to men who engaged in "sexual antics" that are now understood as crimes. They barely register in their memories--they remember parties, but perhaps not specific parties. And they've been promoted, appointed, lauded and felt sorry for.
The women are not only "haunted" by their memories, but they were bypassed, disbelieved and threatened with violence.
There's no equivalence here. At all. The men are still given a pass.
294
May my fellow Mainers remember that Senator Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh.
Perhaps some will see this as a positive.
However, I believe this one vote will cost her a senate seat.
She no longer represents the state of Maine.
1315
@TFR
Yes and she changed her mind and voted to not stop Trump from using Military money for the wall. She does what the men tell her to do.
132
@Sued And many of us emailed her, tweeted her, begged her, to read more about him, his decisions, to think about Dr. Ford, who, like Anita Hill, had nothing to gain, who had established successful professional lives, were women who took a hard road because they believed it to be their civic duty. Lisa Murkowski, her friend, had the intelligence to read what the judicial oath required:a fair & reasonable mind that may never be partisan and may never give the appearance of being partisan" BK violated that oath with his opening statement, no one who was conscious should have approved him;Murkowski did not, she simply said "here". Collins does what serial liar mcconnell tells her. She represents no one because she does not do her own research or make her own decisions.
76
@sandra
Elect a Republican, expect said elected official to act like one.
20
Brett Kavanaugh is a Supreme Court Justice and it's staying that way. Give up already.
168
And yet, despite the failure of the FBI to conduct a real investigation or perhaps because they didn’t, we learned yesterday that Attorney General Barr is honoring the team that worked on pushing Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation through the Senate. Will they get extra gold stars for squashing the investigation into Ms Ramirez’s allegations? When do we escape this alternative universe?
3114
@George
While, at the same time, Barr tries to finagle a way to "get" Andrew McCabe for lying.
133
@George In 2020 when we get rid of this corrupt and dangerous administration....
82
@George Barr AND Kavanaugh should both be impeached. Disgraceful. Disgusting. Dangerous!
128
Watching the Kavanaugh hearings was so difficult. It demonstrated the ugliness of raw power. It was out in the open. Investigation was shutdown that would have told what is coming to the surface now. Women were waiting to testify to the very same experiences Anita Hill had with Clarence Thomas...it was prevented by Biden. 15 plus women have spoken out regarding the pathetic behavior by trump towArds them. They were made fun of and not believed. What are you accomplishing by repeated cover ups?
220
I blame Susan Collins for Kavanaugh's confirmation. We needed her leadership, not her complicity. I hope she retires, and I hope we can find a way to impeach Kavanaugh.
410
The latest allegations against Kavanaugh are chilling and impeachment is warranted. Republican senators will give him cover but that must not deter the Democrats from seeking justice for the women Kavanaugh abused. When we will get it that financial privilege cannot buy off sexual abuse?
154
While Ms. Ramirez says "You can't look at justice as just the confirmation vote....there is so much good that came out of it. There is so much more good to come" I appreciate her position but disagree.
The reason I disagree is that efforts to get to the truth about Mr. Kavanaugh were obstructed by the Judiciary Committee and other parts of our government. Our government. That is just so wrong on so many levels I can't count them.
Kavanaugh makes Thomas look like a Boy Scout, and his hearing was a debacle as well. So much scheming and scamming. After seeing the TV movie with Kerri Washington "Conviction" I believe; I will not vote for Joe Biden in the primaries. He was horrible as the Head of the Judiciary Committee. Not too far from Grassley.
So back to Ms. Ramirez. Like Dr. Ford, they were victimized again because they spoke out. And then were dismissed by the same kind of white male privilege that led to the abuse in the first place.
All in the name of politics and POWER.
Someday women will either share equal power or maybe surpass men. After all we've only had the vote for 99 years, we're still catching up. Blacks as well. After so many centuries of suppression, and despite the efforts of the present day GOP, as more minorities vote, that white male privilege will disappear. Hopefully faster rather than slower.
90
The FBI, under pressure from Senate Republicans, failed in its duty to the American people in not conducting a complete investigation into Mr. Kavanaugh.
158
As a male I believe that the allegations made by Susan Ford were much worse than these new allegations. Granted the allegations by Deborah Ramirez show immaturity and disrespect for women but at least he didn't attempt to rape them as he did with Dr. Ford. Given that males think differently about sex than females we need to draw a line somewhere so that we don't condemn the entire male population under the age of 30. That doesn't mean, however, that I think Kavanaugh should be on the Supreme Court. He should not be on the Court because of his conservative posture and approach to the issues that often come to the Supreme Court and because the allegations by Dr. Ford should have disqualified him.
66
Now that Trump has come out and stated that he would put the US Justice Department to work to "defend" Kavanaugh from the perjury he committed, Kavanaugh should have to recuse himself from all decisions related to Trump's malfeasance.
Frankly, there is no way Kavanaugh should have been confirmed after Kavanaugh's ridiculous lie about Trump that Kavanaugh told the American people upon his nomination:
"No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination..."
78
Kavanaugh is and was a preppy bully who felt entitled to violate women whenever he desired coupled with a serious drinking problem which has, I'm sure, only gotten worse.
Many of us grew up around preppy bullies, this is exactly their m.o.
He is the poster boy of the Trump administration - spoiled, wealthy men who have no allegiance to the country, no sense of decency and unable to determine right from wrong - especially among their cronies.
His entire path to the justice seat was checkered with political favors and biases that have no business on our highest court. He has shamed the supreme court, we no longer have a supreme court of giants the world looks up to.
And he will carry the unfortunate distinction for the rest of his career of being appointed by the worst president in U.S. history who has no respect for our judicial system.
Thank you for reporting what we women across America already knew. I believed Ramirez all along.
153
This is all so sad. Not just what it says about the casual assumptions of privileged men, but even more so about our country and our current government.
With an Attorney General running a partisan Justice Department, a partisan Supreme Court, and a President who did not even win the popular vote, we are being subjected to what feels like a takeover of our country, which every day feels more like an autocracy.
And the Republicans are hopeless - even ones thought to be honorable like Romney and Collins - with their totally craven and complicit agreement to all these shannigans, it is so disheartening and discouraging. It is evident that their "win at all costs" strategy is ruining any sense of integrity, honor, fair play or real justice.
My question is, will ever be able to recover from this and once again restore the trustworthiness of our institutions and leaders?
101
Brett Kavanaugh should not have been confirmed. He was confirmed because his background was not thoroughly investigated and the political contest that the all the nation saw played out on our T.V. screens. The Supreme Court nominating and confirmation process has failed to uphold the intent of the Separation of Powers provision in our Constitution.
The question now is should the Congress of the United States do now. My answer: An official investigation of his behaviors should be opened by the House. I have a feeling that Ms. Ramirez story will be confirmed and there is the strong potential for not doing a repeat of this appointment.
75
In the 1970s, I attended high school in an affluent NY suburb, where the sons of (male) Wall Street executives and attorneys possessed immense social power and status, just as Brett Kavanaugh did. Many decades later, an unprosecuted crime a group of these teenage boys committed against a female classmate still haunts me.
One fall Saturday afternoon, as my high school friends and I were hanging out near the woods close to our school, I saw a classmate, a fragile girl with little social status, emerge from the woods distraught and disheveled. A group of high-status "popular" boys followed her out.
Life went on. Within a year or two, some of the boys I'd seen walk out of the woods were recruited to play lacrosse at Ivy League colleges. After graduation, several worked on Wall Street and raised their own children in the town in which we'd grown up.
It took years for me to realize that what my naive teenage self had witnessed near the end of high school was the gang sexual assault, and likely the rape, of a vulnerable girl committed by privileged boys born with status and power.
When men like Brett Kavanaugh and Donald Trump are awarded positions of immense power and prestige, despite multiple credible, criminal accusations against them, I have to wonder how much has really changed in our patriarchal culture since that day in the 1970s when one of my female classmates was harmed for life by privileged young men. At least today, women are speaking out and fighting back.
138
You should never be on a jury. You reached conclusions without sufficient facts.
84
This kind of behavior disgusted me when I witnessed it as a fraternity member over a half-century ago when, I might observe, it was largely ignored. If Kavanaugh did behave as alleged and admitted it, his nomination would have been dead on arrival. He was confronted with an impossible choice: withdraw his bid to the most coveted legal position in America or lie. The policy of the juvenile justice system that erases misconduct of delinquents should be applicable here in evaluating this man. Because juvenile records are sealed, youthful misdeeds--crimes, often quite serious--do not survive to impact the adult's future. From the evidence that is available in the decades since these allegations were raised, Kavanaugh has led an exemplary life. If he did lie he did it as an act of self-preservation.
21
@wlt isn't that function of a LIE to begin with, to "rescue" a person from the consequences of his actions. people appointed to positions of such great influence should and must be beyond reproach. if he lied then, he will lie again, and this time the consequences could be dire.
54
'Juvenile' means under 18. The Ramirez accusations occurred when Kavanaugh was an adult. No free pass.
70
@Steve
So, even SC justices can lie (under oath). I feel so much better.
48
One wonders now and again whether there is any depth to which the Times would not sink in order to publish entirely unsubstantiated allegations that suit its ideological animus. I guess not.
126
@HMI
The allegations were squashed, ignored, left un-explored.
They were not unsubstantiated.
138
Perhaps a thorough investigation would help substantiate them? The fact that an investigation did not occur speaks volumes. People who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. There was clearly something to hide which is why no investigation was done.
101
@HMI One begins to wonder to what depths the Trump/GOP/Conservatives would go to destroy women's lives to get a seat on the Supreme Court?
73
It is worrisome that so many good, progressive Americans are getting depressed by the degree of corruption evident in the current administration. We need to maintain our indignation about so many foul actions taken by Trump and his sycophants in the Senate--we need to be motivated to work hard during the 2020 election.
To think that Trump and the Senate approved Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court is sickening. His sexual misconduct alone should have barred him from the position of Judge, but since Trump and many Republican members of the Senate have engaged in scandalous behavior themselves, he got a pass. This administration may go down as the most corrupt and misognynistic body in American history.
91
Will you please stop beating this dead horse? There is absolutely no hard evidence to support these allegations which are more than likely fabricated. Thank goodness he is now on the court.
110
I think part of what this article highlights is that there WAS in fact credible evidence of these claims but that it was investigated, vetted, brought to light during the confirmation process. Not sure how you can say there is no evidence...
98
@Robert Howard
"Hard evidence" is only necessary if you're jailing someone, not putting that person on the highest court in the land -- where we should demand not only good legal minds but the highest ethical and moral standards. As others here have astutely pointed out, BK failed to display those standards at the hearings, but, as you said, "he is now on the court" because he had powerful fixers.
At a minimum, these allegations should be fully investigated, not shoved aside, as Sen. Grassley did. You'd call for the same thing if it were Sotomayor or Kagan being accused, wouldn't you? So would I. But I suspect, given your last line, that your "thank goodness" doesn't extend to those justices.
102
What's 'hard evidence'? A videotape of the acts? Not going to happen. These events occurred. Multiple individuals corroborated them or hearing about them decades before kavanaugh was nominated. Is it your contention that there was a vast conspiracy that 'planted' these stories decades ago in anticipation of him one day being nominated? All these people had Nostradamus-like predictive capabilities and lay the groundwork in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s then waited to pounce on poor old Kavanaugh last year? Preposterous!
82
We saw the real Kavanaugh rear his ugly head during the exchange with Amy Klobachar while he was being questioned during the confirmation hearing. So glaringly bad he apologized to her as he knew he had stepped in it. He momentarily became a privileged boy that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I honest to God thought it was blatantly obvious and he would not be confirmed. How naive of me.
146
Donald Trump wants people on his team whom he can blackmail and manipulate. He prizes loyalty above all else. Trump’s DOJ has a thick file on Kavanaugh. No question that he will do Trump’s bidding on the Court,
Shame on the GOP.
80
@Tracy
C'mon, they're shameless. They cannot be shamed.
They have to be stomped into the electoral dirt.
On 11/3/2020 and every election, every time, every office on the ballot, vote blue no matter who.
51
Both the article and the comments confirm for me, with greater force than ever, that the Democrats MUST win the senate back. Four years of swamp filth are sickening our entire nation.
99
This article says more about the NY Times, Deborah Ramirez and our libel laws than it does about Brett Kavanaugh. He should sue, Ramirez, and Ford for libel and put you all into bankruptcy.
85
Although he’s probably the kind of person who would re-victimize these women using frivolous legal process, that he doesn’t is a good indicator he’s satisfied to have gotten away with it and been handed a job he proved at his confirmation hearing he does not deserve.
Not even Brett Kavanaugh believes his own story.
72
@Stanz; actually his plan is to bankrupt this country first , morally. That's what he was put there by conservatives.
49
@Stanz
Kavanaugh won't sue because not only would Kavanaugh have to answer questions under oath, but all the witnesses to his behavior in high school and college who the FBI were forbidden by the Republicans to talk to would also be allowed to testify.
Or maybe he would sue because his Supreme Court would rule that when a man sues a woman, he can pick the witnesses and the woman is forbidden to call any.
71
I was a (minority) middle-class kid from California at Yale in the 1980s. I did not feel left out. I viewed it as an exciting social learning experience, studied hard, had fun, and benefited tremendously. I do, however, remember there were a lot of people from all backgrounds who loved to appear unhappy.
93
@Paco, really, they appeared unhappy?How did they appear unhappy?
16
@Paco, because no one could have had any experiences than you had? Or no one is really unhappy if you aren't? That makes no sense.
33
So glad you had a nice time. Too bad you didn’t learn to respect and understand the experiences of other. Yale must be proud.
52
Even I, who was concerned about the allegations about Kavanaugh, have to let this story die.
It's a high-end game of "he said / she said". I'm not saying who's lying/telling the truth. But it's just time to let it go.
92
@Mark91345
Mr Kavanaugh wouldn't have been hirable as a public school teacher given the allegations, substantiated or not. The Supreme Court should have a higher bar.
270
@Mark91345 the a Supreme Court has been severely tainted and we should not be allowed to forget it.
49
@Mark91345
There is no way we’re going to let this go. Behavior has consequences...
55
Remember when and how Kavnaugh acted during his confirmation hearings?
More recently, remember the interview Gayle King conducted with R. Kelly on CBS This Morning?
Any commonality?
To slightly paraphrase what Trey Gowdy once said of Trump, but applying it to Kelly and Kavanaugh; "If they're innocent, why are they acting like they're guilty?"
81
Brett Kavanaugh should resign immediately from the Supreme Court. Clearly he is morally and ethically unfit for this high position of responsibility and integrity. We cannot trust his judgement and his past immoral actions are highly indicative of a man who believes that he is privileged an untouchable. He has no regard for his victims.
Brett Kavanaugh has betrayed his oath of office and betrayed his country and betrayed the trust of too many young women.
There needs to be a full and complete investigation of Mr. Kavanaugh and if necessary charges should be brought. Kavanaugh is dishonest, deceitful and immoral.
49
I examined the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh from many different angles, but I can't look at a picture of him with out feeling sick to my stomach. The fact that so much evidence was blocked or ignored speaks volumes. It is still hard for me to accept that of all the potential, well-qualified candidates for Supreme Court in this country, "we"--that is our sexual predator of a President and all the old privileged white guys in the Senate who do whatever he says-- just HAD to insist on this particular man in spite of it all. My deepest sympathies to all the women who have suffered as a result of this outrage.
82
One of the scariest things about this article is that almost three decades have passed since Anita Hill was forced to testify for being sexually harassed by a man about to be placed on the highest court in the land, and nothing has changed.
We now have two sexual predators sitting on the Supreme Court, with no accountability for either of them. It is no coincidence that Brett Kavanaugh sits on the court because he was nominated by a sitting President who is also a sexual predator.
All these things have come to pass thanks in part due to a corrupt Republican Party, and a white male dominated society that allows these crimes to go unpunished on a daily basis. The time has long since passed for enacting policy that holds people accountable for committing sexual crimes.
Scarier still are the vast numbers of unreported sexual crimes that have been committed against women. The lifetime of mental anguish and ridicule that comes with deciding to make public these attacks is one of the primary reasons they persist. For proof look no further than some of the distasteful comments attached to this article.
One move in the right direction is to remove Republicans from office as soon as possible. I can only hope in my lifetime I never have to listen to another female senator defending a sexual predator during a Supreme Court nomination hearing.
95
Trump himself noted Dr. Ford was a credible witness. Kavanaugh revealed himself to be nothing more than an entitled preppy punk. His behavior during the confirmation was disqualifying. Ms. Ramirez and Dr. Ford were treated rudely by the Republican-dominated committee. Kavanaugh does not fit any definition of what I've believed a SCOTUS justice to be my entire life, and I'm 72 years old.
83
Kavanaugh is just a pig and every real man out there knows it. I say them by the dozens when I was at my University in the early 1980's.
Of course, I also know that the world is full of men like that and I doubt that this will change anytime soon.
As long as the privileged class exists and does not demand that their children live to highest standard, this behavior will persist.
Perhaps it will take a version of the French Revolution and the lopping off of the heads of the Privileged Class to wake them up. However, even if something like this were to happen I doubt it would help.
In the end, it is like weeds in the yard. Something that we have to deal with and it will never go away. The only answer is for the non-privileged to teach their children well so they can expect what is coming and be prepared mentally to deal with it.
Life is not fair. Stop teaching our kids that it is.
35
Rushing another Trump appointee thru the approval process, without sufficient vetting, has proven to be another travesty.
58
The women are made out to be complete victims.
But they made the decision to drink heavily, so as to not be exactly sure what happened.
Many people have refused liquor and left parties, so that the next day, or 30 years afterwards, they can be certain of what they did.
Very drunk people 30 years later, who take 6 days to decide if there is any truth to memories, are not credible witnesses.
74
@Mary The country is completely just and everyone gets what they deserve so getting abused is karmic.
6
She wasn’t unclear in what happened because she was drunk. And why is this not directed the other way? These boys shouldn’t get so drunk that they take their pants down and wag it around in front of others. If they can’t handle their liquor they shouldn’t get drunk.
45
Let me guess, blame the victim? Gotcha.
34
The Supreme Court will remain illegitimate as long as predator Kavenaugh is on the Court. Any decision concerning women, or sexual assault, or sexism, or countless other issues will be tainted by his participation. He should resign immediately, for the good of the Court.
I refuse to recognize his authority as a Supreme Court justice. Were it not for the criminal GOP's abject refusal to fulfill their constitutional obligations, he would never have been there in the first place. He needs to resign immediately.
73
Ms. Ramirez faced long odds and won, her self-esteem and individuality still intact despite the malevolence shown those who don’t conform to frat/sorority pressure.
The frat boy mindset of Mr. Kavanaugh appears to be clearly recalled by many, and is rooted in a cocky male privilege all too common in our colleges and universities.
Give me someone with character like Ms. Ramirez any day.
67
Like all the other Trumpies, Kavanaugh must be impeached for lies he propagated during his confirmation hearings, especially since the FBI obviously failed to interview many relevant witnesses who contradict the nominee, and was instructed not to obtain evidence that would compromise his confirmation. He would never have been confirmed in a Democratic majority Senate.
In the interests of restoring integrity to the Supreme Court irrespective of Republican or Democratic political personal philosophy Kavanaugh must be impeached.
4 Star kudos for Ms. Pgrebin and Kelly. Clearly Pulitzer.
131
@David
I agree with your sentiments, but unfortunately in the history of SCOTUS only one Associate Justice was ever impeached and was acquitted in the Senate. This was during George Washington's administration. Small chance of Kavanaugh ever being impeached as he's second in line behind Trump.
8
@David
On your analysis, this would imply a need to impeach Clarence Thomas as well.
Or does time heal all wounds?
I'm not making an argument for impeaching Clarence Thomas--merely pointing out an inconsistency in your argument.
In fairness, your focus on the present might have made you forget the recent past (or perhaps that recent past is not a memory you share with me, for reasons of possible differences in our ages).
But I also wonder about abstract notions of "integrity" as applied to the Court, whose individual Justices may have pasts which are unknown to us (apart from those things alleged against two sitting Justices).
I'm not sure the integrity of Court is in danger. Justices rule as lawyers, not as private persons.
They apply the law, as they see fit, subject to a range of potential interpretations. The integrity of the Court is probably secure.
The integrity of the Senate's role in confirming Supreme Court justices does appear to be in trouble, and integrity of Congress as an oversight body, likewise.
Perjury, if proven, would be a very serious argument for removing any Justice who had committed that crime.
Proper definition of issues, and consistency of analysis, is always the best beginning to a proper review of what went wrong, and to a proper conversation about what should be done to address the any problems that linger in the wake of that wrong.
6
@DameAlys
Thank you for your comments, they provide further insight into the issue at hand: Did Kavanaugh's denial of the allegations of sexual misconduct constitute perjury, which would clearly disqualify him from the Supreme Court.
The problem is that the FBI investigation was severely curtailed by the administration to the extent that key witnesses supporting Ms. Ramirez's and Dr. Ford's claims were never even interviewed. essentially constituting the suppression of evidence. Kavanaugh's temper tantrum rebuttal hardly constitutes a credible. defense. Further, his close friend who may have been a witness, did not testify at all.
If he did commit perjury, how will he apply the law "as he sees fit"? Corruptly, I believe, as he has shown, when it suits his needs.
Impeachment hearings under a new congress will provide a fresh opportunity to re-examine the evidence to determine whether he committed perjury, and if so he should be impeached.
The same standard of honesty should be applied to all sitting justices, irrespective of personal political ideology, and any relevant crime irrespective of when it occurred.
There is no statute of limitations for perjury on the Supreme Court.
25
I think most of the folks who voted to confirm Kavanaugh are actually cut from the same entitled cloth. Upper class white mostly men. Many of them have probably done similar things. They probably believe he did nothing wrong. The circle continues.
326
@Bitter Mouse
Similar things? Just because they're upper class "mostly" men? Really? Any chance you'd reconsider?
That would seem not only neighborly but also a shot in the arm for reasoned dialogue. Shouldn't we all want that?
7
@Bitter Mouse
Frat boys run the country. Are they all like the Kavanaugh portrayed in the accusations? No, a few a worse, but most grow up to some degree.
They all went to these kind of parties. If they have a conscience, or a daughter now, they know the culture of frats is immoral. The whole point of a party is to get young women drunk so that you can sleep with them. Hence, cheap beer for males and strange fruity concoctions loaded with booze for young females.
I went to enough of these parties to know they weren't for me. They were wrong and dangerous.
25
I just do not believe her or Blasey. Too much time has elapsed plus the fact that the purported witnesses are probably anti-Trump and would say anything to discredit his appointee. This "analysis" is just an attempt to publicize their book.
90
@Donald I believe them both. Time passing has nothing to do with anything. Memories, especially painful ones, last a lifetime. I am so tired of men disregarding the trauma women have to endure in this world because it makes them (men) feel uncomfortable.
160
@Donald
Do you believe that 25, 30, or more witnesses, scattered throughout the country, who may not have had any contact for years, are participating in a politically motivated conspiracy? To say that's highly unlikely would be an understatement.
As far as waiting to report is concerned, it's not uncommon for women to wait decades to report a sexual assault. It's never too late.
The journalists who investigated this may want publicity for their book, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.
119
@Donald There is no book. That's the typical and worn out republican response to deny truths republicans don't want to hear.
16
He's been confirmed. But at least Ms. Ramirez has her dignity in tact while he shall, and should be, forever tainted.
83
Still shaking my head when I recall Senator Feinstein’s shenanigans in withholding Dr. Ford’s allegations until a politically opportune moment. She actually feigned surprise when the allegations finally came to light after the four-day confirmation hearing. Feinstein actually tried to pin the “mix-up” on her administrative assistant, Jennifer. Then there was the fast and loose antics of Ford’s attorneys who neglected to tell her that Senate staffers would be willing to come to her in California because she didn’t like to fly. Or did she?
99
@Concerned
Years ago I happily voted for Feinstein when she ran for the Senate. Alas, she and her House cohort, Pelosi, are well past their sell by date. Their style of politics is stale in an age of instant news and twitter.
27
@Concerned
When Ford ostensibly couldn't fly to DC because of her claustrophobia caused by her 30 year old trauma, she was in New England, having flown there from California. Feingold never reported Ford's allegations to the FBI because they were not credible. Feingold never released the allegations. Ford went to the WAPO, which is how they became public after which Feingold admitted she'd been sitting on the lies for six weeks.
32
My goodness, that’s as bad as lying under oath? Not. Renate alumnus, anyone?
4
Kavanaugh was eminently qualified to be on the Supreme Court. So, his opponents unwittingly set themselves up for what is known in game / decision theory as The Ultimatum Game -- either they completely win over the American people and compel the Senate Judiciary to vote down Kavanaugh (thereby permanently destroying his public reputation and possibly his future career prospects in law entirely), or they lose another SC seat.
There are multiple problems with this whole model. One, no public servant should be subject to such an ultimatum; if some candidate is not fit for a job, then The Congress should simply pass on him/her, and that person should then be able to move on with his/her normal live peacefully. Two, there are serious legal issues in introducing 35-year old testimony -- especially at this level of public attention. Clearly something happened to Professor Ford and Ms. Ramirez. Clearly, there is a reasonable probability Brett Kavanaugh was involved. But considered within a 35-year window of his life, how relevant and even how serious are these charges against Kavanaugh's credibility to be a SC jurist? Frankly, the charges against Kavanaugh -- truly worrisome -- are not timely and very much accentuated in ways we still do not understand by cultural and psychological trends that evolved over these 35 years. Third, how as a society can we be willing to foster a risk-taking ethos in the public realm -- so vital for the change America needs right now -- if ...
52
@palo-alto-techie
It seems to me that what Kavanaugh did when he was an adult 35 years ago is relevant today both in terms of his character and his honesty. Had the administration privately and properly vetted Kavanaugh in advance, then none of this would have happened in the light of day. Kavanaugh could have continued his career with fig leaves firmly in place.
188
@palo-alto-techie
Game/decision theory is a little elaborate for what one can reasonably be described (Kavanaugh) as a temperamentally unfit candidate. It was a trait he displayed frequently throughout his hearings. “If a candidate is not fit for a job, then The Congress should simply pass on him/her...” That’s the whole ballgame and it’s far from simple. While it’s very true that 35 year old accusations are thorny, they can , nonetheless, be judged as credible by trained professionals in the proper environment. A politically truncated investigation is not such an environment. With hundreds of conservative, qualified potential jurists available, Kavanaugh was not only not eminently qualified, but manifestly unfit for a lifetime appointment.
142
@palo-alto-techie if Kavanaugh had admitted errors in his youth and asked for understanding, your point might be valid. He did not, he stonewalled and evaded. If investigation shows, as it appears and you admit, that Ms. Ramirez's claims and others are true, then we are not talking errors in Kavanaughs youth, but perjury now. Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury about an affair unrelated to his job - Kavanaugh deserves no less. As a Justice in our highest court, his punishment for breaking the law in order to reach his high position should at least include removal from office and disbarment
214
An infuriating account of classism and justice not delivered. Supreme Court justices Kavanaugh and Thomas must be good company for each other.
24
The elitists of the progressive left will always live in a fantasy world where their worldview is to be forced upon the rest of the population.
And they will keep losing elections, until they are gone.
The term "boys will be boys" exists for a good reason. And it's not a new concept.
Youthful indiscretions do not disqualify anyone for appointment to government office.
Get over it.
63
@Objectivist You could be right. But not one leftist has objected to Gorsuch's character. All the left was saying was nominate someone of good character, not just someone who will rule the way you want. Again the right is always the ends justifies the means.
142
@Objectivist Perhaps the saying should be "republicans will be republicans." That goes for Mitch McConnell, who stopped Obama from placing a judge on the Supreme Court and convinced all his fellow "boys" to go along with him. I still have no idea how he got away with that. Oh sorry, am I being elitist by wanting my elected officials to follow the law?
345
@jk
Any other president would have withdrawn the nomination and nominated someone else who also would have been Federalist society approved and guaranteed to oppose abortion. There could even have been a deal with the Democrats made on timing.
But that's not Trump and not not the take no-prisoners GOP. Much better to rile up their base.
Of course, they had to turn the hearing into a farce where they would not allow any proper investigation into the liar's history of drinking so much that his memory was impaired.
60
I wondered at the time of the confirmation hearings why all of this was coming out some 30 years after the fact. Then I read last week about Ford’s motivation. A sexual predator typically doesn’t change. If Kavanaugh was really guilty of these accusations, which is all they are, I would have expected multiple women to come out from his many years in powerful positions, to corroborate his bad behavior. That never happened. In fact, the opposite occurred when many of his law clerks and others who worked with him said he never behaved unacceptably around them and that they respected and supported him.
84
@J.J.: Maybe you could go back and look at the circumstances surrounding the hearings and how, as it mentions in the article, the Judiciary Committee (led by Sen. Grassley) refused to give the FBI full rein to investigate. The fact that others said he was fine is inconclusive. If you murder your spouse, does it mean that you are a fine person if you didn't murder someone else as well?
116
@Heliotrophic. He passed background investigations at multiple points in his career -- to work in the White House, and also to work as an appellate court judge. The vetting on him was complete when the letter was leaked from Dianne Feinstein's office. This last minute accusation was a last ditch attempt to stop his confirmation.
42
@J.J.: "I would have expected multiple women to come out from his many years in powerful positions, to corroborate his bad behavior. That never happened."
Well, this article documents accusations from a second woman, Deborah Ramirez.
It also documents accusations from a man, Max Stier.
A third woman, Julie Swetnik, also accused Kavanaugh at the time of the hearings.
How many people does it take to reach your standard of "multiple women"?
55
Elizabeth Warren played the Ford card at the confirmation hearings and it was apparent then that Ford’s credibility was questionable. As much as you may want to believe her, there was no smoking gun! She did not tell authorities or even school officials. They debate died then and there.
55
@George Elizabeth Warren is not on the Judiciary Committee. As a former sex crimes prosecutor, I found Dr. Ford very credible, and the allegations by all of the women should have been thoroughly investigated, without limits as to time or the number of witnesses interviewed before the nomination was voted on. Most cases don't have a smoking gun; many cases are circumstantial. Many victims don't tell for many years, if ever.
194
@George
You know very little about the psychology of sexual assault victims. As a male, GEORGE, without training and a proper perspective, you would naturally question a victim’s credibility and look for a smoking gun. Sexually damaged psyches do not leave smoking guns, only quiet suffering in the usual male dominated systems of our society.
26
@jfdenver Absolutely, spot on. I have my own story about a still-prominent attorney that i have kept secret for 49 years. No one in his city would believe it, and I would be slaughtered on the front page of that city’s daily paper if I were foolish enough to declare it. Only the presence of a neighbor, hastily summoned, prevented a full sexual assault. That is what he planned, and what happened on his way out the lobby is burned into my brain. And I never even told the Me Too survivors. I do not question “old” memories. I am living proof they are permanent.
24
This is probably an accurate depiction of how two people from two distinctly different backgrounds came to be at Yale in the 80s, and attended the same party one night where college students did what college students do: drink beer and act stupidly, at times. Ms. Ramirez chose to take this and the "Debbie does..." references personally, when an argument could be made that she needn't have, that college is a time to broaden one's social horizons. If the allegations are true, Mr. Kavanaugh is guilty of having, at that time, during the alleged incident, a lack of emotional intelligence to know that he was making someone very uncomfortable through his actions. But a crime was not committed. It is unfortunate that Ms. Ramirez felt inferior to her classmates at Yale. Many people feel inferior to their classmates in every classroom in America on any given day, and most learn coping mechanisms to grow into their true selves, eventually.
42
No one was trying to ascertain whether Kavanaugh committed a crime but whether he has the character to serve in one of the most important and venerated positions in our public sphere. It’s a different question and one where inappropriate but not criminal actions should be considered.
12
Maybe a bit off topic but worth noting, Felicity Huffman will be serving 14 days of prison time for hiring a person to take her daughter's SAT test so she could attend an elite college. This is an example of privilege among some of the wealthy where they think their children are entitled to the best schools even if admittance is achieved unfairly. This is just one example of the recent cheating college scandal.
Brett Kavanaugh was a smart high school student who was admitted to Yale honestly on his own merits and was a very bright college student. There was not enough evidence to prove Mr. Kavanaugh was guilty of the crimes in which he was charged by these women. He deserved to be admitted to the Supreme Court and has conducted himself In a dignified manner. These women charging Mr. Kavanaugh did not share his politics and wanted to keep him off the bench. It backfired and he was approved by the majority. He has proven to be an excellent Supreme Court justice.
48
@mike: Looking at the speed with which these pro-Kavanagh comments are appearing, and the fact that they are assuming facts not in evidence (to put it in a lawyerly way), I'm thinking that there may be some kind of public relations campaign afoot. It certainly has happened in other contexts.
92
@KMW We clearly did not watch the same confirmation hearing. Kavanaugh, amongst other things, acted like a rabid dog at his confirmation hearings, so much so that, to keep him in his place much less in his chair, Sen. Klobuchar was required to discuss her family's history of alcoholism to shut him down when he demanded to know about her alcohol use. He subsequently apologized to her.
There is less proof that "these women" had political agendas than there is that the events they described happened. Incidentally you may want to check yourself with the condescension of calling them "these women." I do not recall anyone credibly accusing Dr. Ford of Ms. Ramirez of having political motives.
Lastly, as relates to his performance as a Supreme Court Justice, he asks few questions and has written no opinions of note. History will decide what sort of Justice he is. But to call him a gentleman is a stretch.
148
@heliotropic
Thank you for saying this. I also have noticed comments in other articles, the comments were so pro Trump and or Republican, they seemed planted.
24
What goes around comes around. It is time that the private lives of this two,writers got the same treatment that they are dishing out to Judge Kavanugh.
I think you will find a lot of their early life contains events that the are less than proud of. It is time we started investigating the backgrounds not only of these two writers but other like them. Nobody leads a perfect life and we need to see the imperfections in their life too as well as the person whom they are trying to destroy. What goes around comes around.
60
@Jack Connolly
Without conceding your assumption that rich and powerful men live by different standards, isn't it about time to ban anyone from the Kennedy family from elective office? Ted Kennedy shot his chance at the presidency when he was responsible for the death of his young pregnant date, but he was re-elected to the Senate for the next 40 years.
Responsible parents teach their children to be protective of those who are weaker. That includes their daughters who would slap a naughty frat boy across the face and leave a handprint on his face. The other men and women would then subject the naughty boy to ridicule.
If you want to understand why rich and powerful men seem to operate under different standards, listen to the Bush-Trump discussion rather than relying upon the biased media explanation. Keep in mind that Trump was a long time womanizer and everyone knew it long before he ran for office. He expressed surprise at the liberties women allow when in the presence of presence of fame, money and power. If you examine the testimony of his "victims" [none of whom came forward until he was a politician] they consist of sex workers and women attempting to use their sexuality to eke out a out an advantage, rather than women outraged at his behavior.
3
This is slander concealed as journalism. The authors contended that seven people "heard of the Yale incident." They omit whether they were purported witnesses (they were not), what they heard (that an unidentified someone exposed himself), and from whom they heard it (typically from others who didn't purport to witness the incident). So there is no ambiguity--not one person who allegedly witnessed the incident corroborated Ms. Ramirez's allegations. It is all hearsay, double-hearsay, or more layers removed. Just so we're clear on the ground rules going forward, that apparently suffices for investigative journalism now.
106
@James: Read the piece again, slowly. This is not a court of law where the rules of evidence apply. So save the hearsay objections. You might not like what the reporters found, but the reporting is solid.
194
@James This was an interview for the highest court in the land. NOT a trial. Justices should at the very least display good conduct. His performance demonstrated his obvious belief that he is rich, white, male and obviously above laws applicable to the "others" that he will judge. Hence this angry performance at even being questioned. His confirmation sent chills to women throughout this country. Boys will be boys and women can be abused for entertainment. Privilege won, justice lost.
190
@James
Kavanaugh is clearly guilty of these acts and should be removed from the Supreme Court. The multiple sources attesting to multiple related incidents is conclusive.
79
The allegations of Ms. Ramirez and Dr. Ford are without merit and baseless.
The important thing about this whole case is that Justice Kavanaugh and the Republican senators fought off this collateral attack by the Democratic senators and their left-wing supporters. It was a total victory for the Republican Party and conservative jurisprudence.
54
First, I thought headlines were to capture the essence of the article. Second, i forgot that the republicans restricted the investigation then claimed Ms Ramirez’s claim could not be corroborated. Why didn’t the Democrats refuse to participate until in this sham and make the Repugs do their dirty deed in a half empty chamber? #justiceConfirmed. #justicePerverted
6
The photo of Trump and Kavanaugh says it all.
7
@Joe Maliga
Wasn't that photo taken when Kavanaugh looked the American people in the eye and blatantly lied when he insisted that no President had ever done a more thorough search for a Supreme Court Justice than Trump had?
10
It isn’t that we don’t believe Ms.Ramirez, in fact Im convinced it happened just as she said it did, it’s that this type of behavior is not dangerous to her person, career or education.
I’ve seen this type of behavior from teens and 20-somethings of both genders and sexual orientations although more common among straight males. I’ve heard stories of a 20-something year old female colleague flashing boobs at her male coworkers to get attention and another putting a male colleagues hand down her pants in a bar.
Was it tasteless? Sure. Do I care? Not really.
15
Gotta give hyper-partisan lefties credit...once they all agree on a lie they are relentless. Meanwhile, the rest of the civilized world moves on...
25
Brett Kavanaugh committing perjury when asked under oath about his trashing of Renate.
Renate and I never had sex so therefore the allegation that the trashing of her reputation had anything to do with sex is absolutely false.
In other words, what Kavanaugh just demonstrated is that it is okay to trash a person's reputation and lie about it under oath as long as the trashing was also a lie!
4
A rushed confirmation, a sham investigation. That we have a sexual predator on the Supreme Court is no surprise because we have one in the White House.
8
You know what I think? I think he must've done someone quite a big favor for him to get this "gift" of being on the Supreme Court. Because he is the antithesis of justice, ethics and honor. Don't care how long ago it was. You have the privilege of going to Yale University and you run around pulling your junk out at parties where you love your beer so much you are drowning in it? Nah. America, we should be doing way better than this one.
7
This man is unfit for his position and must be impeached ASAP.
8
A sexual predator in the White House and two sexual predators on the Supreme Court.
That's the facts and everyone knows it but they've chosen to ignore it so as to line their pockets.
Oh, and to believe a woman?
12
Molly Hemmingway (who has read the book authored by the two NYT reporters) noted a significant fact, which, curiously enough, was not mentioned in their article:
"The book notes, quietly, that the woman Max Stier named as having been supposedly victimized by Kavanaugh and friends denies any memory of the alleged event. Seems, I don’t know, significant."
https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1173203831397801984
Her tweet was linked to by Matt Margolis of PJ Media, who commented:
"So, Max Stier claims he witnessed an incident involving another female student, but this female student isn't quoted in the article, and neither are any other corroborating witnesses. According to the report, Steir "notified senators and the F.B.I. about this account, but the F.B.I. did not investigate and Mr. Stier has declined to discuss it publicly."
So, while this allegation is new to the public, it was known to the F.B.I. and the U.S. Senate during the confirmation process. In other words, the F.B.I. didn't even find this story worthy of investigating, nor did any senator leak this information to the media or bring it up during the hearings."
https://preview.tinyurl.com/yxm3puqr
Liz Spayd was the NYT's sixth and last public editor. Unfortunately, she was fired and the position eliminated:
June 2, 2017
The Public Editor Signs Off
The New York Times may no longer have a public editor, but if that role’s extinguished, who will watch the watchdog?
https://www.nytimes.com/by/liz-spayd
20
@MM
Why are you so concerned about whether the victim remembers?
Renate did not remember that Brett Kavanaugh and his friends trashed her throughout the yearbook. But we all saw the evidence and we don't need Renate's memory because we have the yearbook.
But Kavanaugh swore under oath that what they did to Renate was something that was perfectly nice with no sexual innuendo intended.
If you believe that perjury, I have a bridge to sell ya.
4
Dr. Ford's testimony may have been searing, but apparently her family (blood relatives) didn't buy it. See below:
https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/12/christine-blasey-fords-father-supported-brett-kavanaughs-confirmation/#.XX2zWwZwfdw.twitter
15
We have a Supreme Court Justice who lied under oath.
7
The calculated, institutionally motivated, and demeaning denigration experience Ms Deborah Ramierz received during the course of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings exemplifies the extent to protect, preserve, and defend Caucasian male privilege. The especially high stakes for Kavanaugh, the Vietnam War draft dodger, and the Republican Party were extremely high. Pulling out all the stops to malign, discredit, and destroy the character of Dr. Ford was accorded the courtesy to testify articulately and competently. Describing the factual details of the miscreant sexual deviancy of the young man now seeking appointment to the highest court in the Republic, the GOP frantically embarked upon a malicious campaign of character assassination and gender demagoguery. Alarmed of the fact that Ms. Ramirez, who provided to the FBI independent corroboratory eye witnesses and a specifically sordid factual descriptiveness of the sexual dalliances of Kavanaugh, the potential horror of a highly intelligent, articulate, and cultured Hispanic American female testifying sent seismic shockwaves across the political landscape. The GOP Judiciary Committee members essentially marginalized Ford's testimony as incredible though not denying that 'something happened' to her. They could not and dare not allow this Latina female to testify for fear of materially exacerbating white male skin privilege by joining issues of race and ethnicity. No Anita Hill moment. Deny her the recognition. Race matters.
3
I see that Trump is now twitting that Kavanaugh should sue for 'liable' (sic) for all these lies about him. Fair's fair. I think that CNN and WaPO and NYT should sue for the attempted damage to their reputations by all the 'fake news' lies from the President. And sue the man, not the Presidency. I don't want to be liable. (Did you see what I did there, Mr T?)
2
Oh, stop kidding yourself. This story isn't about Ramirez at all. These writers couldn't care less about whether or not there's a story here. It's about Trump.
If Democrats really want to go down this road again (using allegations made by unsubstantiated OPINIONS told to two New York Times reporters about a "victim" who won't even back up the claim), go right ahead.
Pair this with their insane incessant impeachment crusade, and it'll be all the voter needs to flip DC completely red.
24
Would we be better off if people with the right kind of social psychology and sociology degrees were sitting on the Supreme Court? People with the know how to reshape world into the way it should be? People who would ignore 2000 years of legal tradition because they know whats right? Who needs proof when you have neuro synapses? It's science.
Let's hope when a Socialist are elected someone like Dr. Ford could sit on the on the Supreme Court. Justice will take on a new and better meaning then.
1
I am a longtime subscriber and active reader of the Times. I don't know what's happened recently with your editorial team writing headlines for the articles and opinion pieces, but it is time to take a long hard look. While I don't expect the headlines to be sensational, I do expect them to be relevant. The title of this piece does a disservice to the content.
22
In my opinion: almost all women know another woman who has been sexually assaulted, but there are very few men who will admit to knowing a man who has sexually assaulted.
8
That Christine Blasey Ford would have made up her story defies reason. Why would she have placed a third party, someone who could easily have denied the allegations along with Kavanaugh making it a 2 to 1 allegation, at the scene of the offense as a witness-- someone who, BTW, *didn't* deny the charges, but instead fled to Martha's Vinyard to avoid reporters? And why would a professional with a solid career and reputation to maintain stick her neck out like this to smear someone simply because she disagreed with his politics and jurisprudence?
Her story was so obviously true as to make the Republicans' defense of BK transparently hypocritical and corrupt ... not to mention nauseating.
7
I join with those candidates,including Warren, to call for impeachment of Kavanaugh
7
The real issue here is that Bret Kavanaugh sexually harassed fellow students at Yale. And that Deborah Ramirez's claims were substantiated last year and the further investigation into Kavanaugh was prematurely cut off.
8
There had to be some sort of evil quid pro quo between Justice Kennedy, his son, and Individual1 to get Barto O'Kavanaugh on SCOTUS. Everything about it stinks especially the FBI investigation being curtailed. They knew the nomination was on its way to imploding. Barto is so beholden to the oligarchs. But, I think he sold his soul a long time ago.
4
The Republican "family values" party has put two sexual predators on the SCOTUS and one in the WH. You couldn't make a story like this up and ever hope to sell it as fiction.
6
More political sport with people lining up to blindly support their side. Kavanaugh may or may not be the cad he is portrayed to be, but what percent of his current detractors twice voted for Bill Clinton (another Yale grad) who was much more credibly accused of worse offenses of rape and sexual harassment (Juanita Broaderick, Paula Jones) both of which occurred during his professional career and not while a teen? Just as over a year ago, if even the hint of bad behavior surfaced within the past 20 years, Kavanaugh would have been finished. Why haven’t these authors and journalists been able to uncover something more recent if BK is the demon he is portrayed to be?
15
That's where we're now.
We have a sham presidency, we have a sham SCOTUS courtesy of the sham GOP, who knew all the information and just wanted to rush the nomination, no matter what it does to the country.
Country completely of the rails, all we hear about is thousands of investigation
are on the way, too little time left, 2020 is upon us and everyone is just bracing for impact...Oy!!!
4
Brava to Ms. Kelly, Ms. Pogrebin, and most of all Ms. Ramirez, for this article and their exposure of Justice Kavanaugh's despicable dishonesty.
3
For all of Schlitz Kavanaugh's evident depravity, what's most appalling is that his ilk is running most of the federal government, from SCOTUS to POTUS, from the Senate to all manner of unelected posts. They remain in power because of their disproportionate wealth, which allows them to readily manipulate those of lesser socioeconomic status by cleverly appealing to the basest of tribal instincts. They are amoral and corrupt down to their cufflinks and, I believe sincerely, illegitimate leaders. Every last pulse of political energy should be devoted to extracting them from their offices and their privileges. Know, though, that they are prepared to make quick and easy use of all forms of treachery in order to preserve their ill-gotten status. Kavanaugh himself warned us: "What goes around comes around."
1
There were hundreds of girls and women protesting against Kavanaugh.
Half of them would have been willing to accuse him of assaulting them if only they had known him.
He didn't even run across Ford and she accused him anyway.
The liberal media, to aid the Democrats, is hungry for every tidbit.
Obviously, there is money to be made with these accusations.
16
Don't know what they intend to accomplish here. Alright, Kavanaugh was a bum as a kid. I went to school with guys like this and didn't like them. Don't know if they ever grow up. Maybe some of them do..
But dredging up things that people did as children is a non-starter
12
Isn't it odd this latest "allegation" surfaces as AG Barr is reviewing the Horowitz report. A distraction from the findings of the IG, perhaps?
8
I wept when I watched Dr. Ford testify against Brett Kavanaugh. I have worked in women's health for 40 years and have heard versions of this same story again and again all over the world. I am both sickened and furious that some men continue to cause so much harm and are not held accountable. May that shift come in my lifetime.
8
Not this again....
"In response to Ms. Ramirez’s allegations, Chairman Grassley’s staff contacted Ms. Ramirez’s counsel 7 times seeking evidence to support claims made in the New Yorker. Ms. Ramirez produced nothing in response and refused a Committee request for an interview."
"Committee staff nevertheless pursued the investigation. Staff lawyers interviewed multiple witnesses with relevant information. Committee staff also investigated the public statements of other individuals and found they had no knowledge of the alleged event."
13
unconscionable that he now sits on the Supreme Court.
5
To vote Republican these days is to confirm and support the reprehensible and blatantly corrupt behavior of the current party leaders: Trump, McConnell, Grassley, Barr, Pence et al., who have cheated, lied, gamed the system, and cruelly harmed so many persons (including children) by their immoral, unethical, and destructive behavior.
I continue to seethe at the way Kavanaugh was railroaded through the confirmation process by the soulless, by-any-means-necessary, and coldly cruel Republican Party.
You would think the Republicans would say thank you to these women for coming forward to spare Trump, the GOP, and the country the shame and embarrassment of confirming someone like Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. But au contraire!
The Republicans did what the worst kinds of lawyers (e.g., Alan Dershowitz) do, which is to go public to relentlessly seek to demean and trash the reputations and lives of the good citizens and victims who dared to come forward to tell the truth about the character and behavior of the kind of men and women President Trump appoints to high positions.
This is what happens when the leaders of any organization or country truly know no shame.
9
I sure hope he did it, otherwise his reputation has been ruined for nothing.
1
22.2%. That is 2 out of 9.
So now "Justice" Kavanaugh is in "good" company, with "Justice" Thomas.
This shows the "wonderful and usefulness" of the temperament called shameless. These two "Justices" aside there is Putin's Trump.
4
That Bret Kavanaugh (and Clarence Thomas, too) possess the judicial chops & law school academic achievements worthy of a Supreme Court Justice is not in question. Both Kavanaugh's & Thomas's morality & character are deeply troubling. Kavanaugh's "unhinged" demeanor, his inability to retain grace, civility & dignity under fire during his Congressional hearing should have been enough to disqualify him for the lifetime SCOTUS appointment. The sexual assault allegations leveled against him are criminal, not to mention morally reprehensible. His alleged behavior cannot be trivialized as some youthful indiscretion or harmless fraternity brother hijinks. A corrupt Republican congressional party, led by the most corrupt & morally bankrupt occupant of the White House in history, allowed only a sham of an investigation to take place in order to favor Kavanaugh's appointment. No, Bret Kavanaugh, this inquiry & hearing was not revenge of the Clinton's or Democrats, as you more or less alluded; it was intended to uncover the truth. We now know that key facts, witnesses & ultimately truths were intentionally omitted by those Republicans contolling the investigation. Hopefully, in the name of justice in 2021, Bret Kavanaugh will be removed from the Supreme Court. As far as Clarence Thomas, his hearing was no less problematic than Kavanaugh's since it was later revealed that key witnesses were omitted who could have corroborated Ms. Hill. Thomas's race may have, in fact, saved him.
9
Trump says that Kavanaugh should 'start suing people'. Just like Trump's threatening to sue the women who accused him of sexual predation, it will never happen. Why? Because then there would be discovery and depositions under oath. And it could end up in a civil court with a jury, not before a congressional committee packed with Republican defenders. That would terrify Kavanaugh as much as it terrified Trump when he didn't carry out his threat to sue. If only Trump and Kavanaugh would sue, they would get what they deserve.
9
I love the comments by the Kavanaugh defenders.
If Kavanaugh is really such a choirboy, he will sue the authors of the book. Then, when EVERYONE is put under oath and has to answer questions -- including his best pal Mike Judge -- Kavanaugh will have to "prove" to a jury that all the women are lying and his perjurious testimony in which Kavanaugh swore under oath that his public trashing of Renate in his yearbook was simply a way to be nice to his "friend" was absolutely truthful.
Anyone think Kavanaugh will sue? If he doesn't, we know he doesn't want to go under oath before a jury and is terrified that witnesses can be called when he counted on the Republican Senate to stop them from ever testifying.
11
So a contested story about a teenager whipping it out in a room full of other drunken teenagers thirty-five years ago is cause for ... what exactly? Now certainly Emily Post would not approve. Nor would I, let me quickly say, and I might be inclined to rescind your invite to the next drunken teenage party I hosted. But, at this date, such gossip counts for exactly nothing. Empty outrage signaling by those unhappy not to get their own way.
15
@Frunobulax Kavanaugh lied about it under oath. The fact that he will not file a libel lawsuit proves it.
4
What does Senator Susan Collins say?
Time to hold your Senators accountable folks. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will change until elected Republicans fear voters than they do The Orange Scourge.
4
Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court is an absolute disgrace. Multiple credible accusations of sexual misconduct that were barely “investigated” and openly lying your way through a Senate hearing should be disqualifying - even for Republicans. The standard for those who serve on our nation’s highest court should be “beyond reproach”, not “well, we did our best to discredit his accusers.”
It is no surprise that he is being defended by Trump, himself a serial liar and abuser of women. We have put the absolute worst human beings in the positions of greatest power in our country. Please vote to rectify this on November 3, 2020.
6
I believe all of the women in these stories, and the creditability of the Times writers
As a male who has been in business for 35 years I can also say that the behavior being written about is consistent with the demeanor of those males I encounter who had been in fraternities in college.
7
Are we all next up to believe and support Vanessa Tyson?
Didn't think so
7
@Elysse I believe Tyson. Fairfax should resign, just like Kavanaugh should resign.
3
There is more than analysis in this piece, so I am disappointed that the New York Times did not include this in the news part of the paper. I am glad to see that others are treating this as news.
5
Why she didn`t come forward during the confirmation hearing ?
Now it is all talk and nothing will happen , sad.
2
There needs to be yet another investigation launched by either the House Oversight Committee or the House Judiciary Committee. Given credible statements of sexual misconduct from multiple sources, why did the FBI fail so miserably in its investigation? Why were witnesses who could have corroborated the accounts of the victims NOT interviewed?
Was there interference from above? Jeff Sessions, William Barr, Donald Trump? Who shut down the investigation and allowed these accusations to go without any legitimate pursuit of the truth?
Until an actual investigation is conducted, Kavanaugh ought to recuse himself from all cases. If multiple witnesses do in fact corroborate the accusations of Kavanaugh's victims, he must be impeached.
Given all that we've learned of massive corruption and Russian interference, there's another legitimate question. Not the impeachment of Trump. Insufficient. The nullification of the entire Trump presidency, invalidating all legislation signed, reversing all executive orders, and removing all judicial appointees.
4
It is a sad state of affairs for the pinnacle court of "Judicial" branch of our Government when many Americans, myself included, were raised with stronger moral standards, and have acted much more ethically in our lives than (2) justices (I include Clarence Thomas as well) currently seated on the SCOTUS. Often to my detriment, I neither lie, nor am I currently, nor have ever been an alcoholic. Brett?.......I'll not forget the dry drunk rant.
3
The republicans will eventually pay for their cheating and lying. People don’t mind giving someone a chance but will not continue to do so when they repeatedly get lied to. Most of us learn from our mistakes and won’t continue to trust those who lie to us.
3
Trump’s base of evangelicals know nothing of morality. His policies and choices are the definition of immortality, requiring all who serve & support Trump to leave their morals outside the doors.
5
If you look at the big picture, and take the long view, it is true that one good person like Debbie Ramirez is worth a thousand not so good persons, like you know who, who will continue to sit on the Supreme Court and make bad decisions for us. You have to be content with a very long, very long view, indeed.
2
It means nothing if Kavanaugh isn’t impeached. A man who cannot own his failings should not be allowed on the Supreme Court. It’s the only way to build trust in one’s ability to change.
Impeach...now.
4
@RodA The Huse can imeach him, but the Republicans will never vote to convict in the Senate, where a 2/3 majority is needed for removal.
1
Nothing will happen. Kavanaugh has a lifetime appointment,
We should keep in mind, however, that two Presidential candidates did themselves and the nation an incredible favor by pushing back against Kavanaugh's nomination -- not with histrionics and puffed up crocodile tears, but instead with steely-eyed calm. Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris, pushing back against a cry baby bully boy, not by getting down with the petulant child, but with righteous resolve that many if not most of us who have strong, no-nonsense moms are very familiar with.
Good experience for both of them if/when they end up going against another bully boy, one who lies with reckless abandon.
4
You tell a valuable story. But let’s not call guys like Kavanaugh worldly. They were privileged drunks and creeps. Plenty of worldly people would never behave the way they did. The great majority, I think.
3
What does this say of Senator Joe Manchin who voted for Kavanaugh? The female Republicans who voted for Kavanaugh? Women should understand the complaints that came from these victims. Some men should also. Victims come in all ages and sex and we should support the victims no matter how long ago the actions occurred. These acts stay with the victims for years until it safe to tell someone. In reading some of these comments you can wonder why some victims stay quiet and keep it inside for years, maybe forever.....is this a way to live one's life w/o justice?
1
As I reread this article, I really don’t know what the point here is supposed to be. Is the point here a girl who lead a very sheltered life who appears to be a middle class plain Jane who was neither beautiful nor rich arrived at the big old Ivy League University socially ill-equipped to function? Is it about her modest choices in life? Is it about rowdy out of control parties at Yale and other elite institutions? Is it about people who are jealous and want to fit in with the cool kids but never could but will do anything to try anyway including exhibiting poor judgment ? Is it about social and income inequality judged by today’s silly standards? Is it about boorish childish boy’s prep offensive behavior that really has nothing to do with whether somebody can serve 30 years later as a mature adult on the High Court from an intellectual standpoint? This is a hodge podge of conflated issues which lead the reader nowhere.
11
@Unhappy JD: it is about Kavanaugh lying under oath.
4
In addition to Kavanaugh, Collins and Grassley have to go.
9
The Democrats have not been able to impeach President Trump so now they are going after Brett Kavanaugh. They are very desperate. They need to have a reason to impeach Justice Kavanaugh and yet have none. He was proven to be innocent of these false charges but they despise and hate him because of his conservatism. This is why they want him off the bench. They are wasting their time and chances of winning any seats and the main goal of the presidency in 2020. People will not put up with this nonsense much longer. Justice Kavanaugh was correctly and justly admitted to the Supreme Court and this is where he will remain. He is an excellent Justice who will serve his country admirably.
12
Here are two critical questions to be put to every Republican running for national office, with a bonus 3rd question for candidates for the Senate:
1. What makes you happiest about the growing wage and wealth gap, not to mention the burgeoning deficit, that came to us thanks to the 2017 tax cut?
2. With which foreign governments do you and your Republican allies intent to work with in the 2020 election in order to promote Republican victories? (A corollary might be, Which groups of American voters are you working to suppress in order to promote Republican victories?)
And the bonus for Senate candidates:
3. Can you think of additional sexual predators that you'd like to see on the Supreme Court?
3
Chief Justice of the United States Brett Kavanaugh assured his 8 colleagues that the McConnell Court he heads will not be deterred from carrying out the president's and the Senate majority leader's programs by this unproven accusation. "I work for the Senate majority leader," he told them, "and you work for me. Got it?"
2
The issue, I believe, has never been whether Kavanaugh is guilty of sexual assault. Every sentient person, and that includes Lindsey Graham, Charles Grassley, and Trump, know that Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez were telling the truth. Even the GOP guys at the confirmation hearing wouldn’t go after Ford’s courageous veracity.
The game was how to get those 50 votes. So by controlling the process, the GOP won. There is no question whatsoever that Kavanaugh committed perjury. I might support someone who did unacceptable things in his youth, but how can anyone support a Supreme Court Justice who clearly perjures himself at his confirmation hearing?
6
When will Republican Senators respect women and our judiciary enough to stop backing judicial nominees with credible sexual assault allegations in their backgrounds?
Anita Hill, Ms. Ford, Ms. Ramirez- they matter and so does a Supreme Court Justice's ability to view women as equal and worthy of equal protection under the law. Republican politicians treat women like irrelevant second class citizens.
3
In light of the recent revelations (mainly in the New York Times) that multiple, independent sources provided information to the FBI concerning serial sexual misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh, some of the Democratic candidates for the Presidential nomination have already called for Kavanaugh's impeachment. While that is clearly premature since it pre-judges the outcome of an investigation, there should be no doubt that investigation is warranted.
The Senate should demand to know why the FBI failed to follow up on multiple allegations of sexual misconduct lodged against Mr. Kavanaugh prior to his confirmation. Based on as-yet incomplete reporting, it appears that the Department of Justice specifically instructed the FBI to investigate only a single claim -- that of Ms. Ford -- and to ignore all others. If that information is correct, DOJ needs to explain why it chose to ignore multiple, serious accusations in what could be an attempt to undermine the Senate's Constitutional right of advice and consent by deliberately withholding information.
The Senate should also demand an open, impartial investigation to determine if Mr. Kavanaugh lied during his confirmation hearing about his past conduct. Lying under oath is a criminal offense. If such an investigation shows that he did perjure himself, then the Senate should immediately move toward his impeachment and removal from office.
4
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo just posted Kavanaugh's perjury in which he claimed it was absolutely "false" that the yearbook references to Renate were at all sexual in nature.
We all witness the man's perjury. We don't have to depend on whether we believe a woman because we saw the yearbook for itself. And yet Kavanaugh was willing to commit perjury under oath to insist that what we saw before our eyes was actually something that a young teenage girl should be grateful for.
4
Kavanaugh was unfit for a judgeship back in the early 2000s under Bush 43.
Maybe that is why Trump picked him, or the last person Trump talked to picked him.
Republicans own this and everyone should know about it and hold republicans feet to the fire over it, Trump included
3
Breck Kavanaugh is the gift that keeps on giving.
He exemplifies the difference between liberals and conservatives. We can continue to hold him up to examination. Then people can take sides. If most of the real decisions the United States want to appoint court an admitted perjurer, at least the youthful alcoholic, at least a youthful sexual predator, and an obvious dedicated partisan to a lifetime position on the Supreme Court making life-and-death decisions about important things, so be it.
On the other hand, if the majority of people want an honest jurist who is not partisan. Someone who will decide cases based on the merits rather than on obvious partisan predisposition, then they can elect senators who will choose such justices.
As for me I’d rather an honest judge who is a nonpartisan to make important decisions. I guess everyone just must make up their own mind.
Don’t forget, vote! Selection of elected representatives is important. They help select the people who make real decisions
2
I believe Ms. Ramirez. What she describes is constent with what we already know about Kavanaugh. At the very least, he lied to Congress about the meaning of those blurbs in his yearbook. Donald Trump and the Republicans have corrupted every corner of our government, not least the Supreme Court.
2
I don't like kavanaugh either. but the fact is the left has made it a norm to crywolf and invent narratives that are often false misleading and pretty much Fabrications in order to take down people they don't like. Have they learned nothing? I am willing to give kavanaugh the benefit of the doubt because I do not trust the left when you do not like somebody they do everything possible to destroy the person's career whether it's fair or not. They need to get a grip on it and realize that their constant dishonesty and false narratives have made them as untrustworthy as a Republicans.
11
This Justice makes a supreme joke of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, it also gives credence to Trump's repeated assertion that the court system is a joke.
That there was so little follow up by investigative agencies shows that the system is both fixed and, if you believe in justice, worthless.
3
The wealthy and powerful protect their own. Period.
Just this week, AG Barr announced he is giving the lawyers on Kavanaugh's confirmation team the highest department honor. Why? For doing their job well? Or for silencing them over how doing their job well meant not pursuing potentially harmful testimony?
The more lawyers a predator can afford to hire the less likely victims are to receive justice. The Republicans have quietly gained momentum to fill vacant judiciary seats they held open for just this reason. To protect their own.
Brett Kavanaugh will forever be tarnished with allegations of misconduct. Stories will drizzle out for a while then another scandal will replace it. He knows that and is willing to watch his name be associated with sexual sleaze and worse because he kept his eye on the prize and won.
Clarence Thomas, how tame his allegations seem now. It may have planted the seed brought on the #metoo movement but there he sits on the highest court in the land, seemingly unconcerned he's the poster boy for sexual harassment. Brett Kavanaugh, message received.
4
This is the "elite" that runs our country. When they bemoan "political correctness," this is the cruelty they don't want to give up.
3
She attended a Catholic high school, and vowed to be a virgin until she married. Within a year of graduating, and as a freshman at Yale, she admits that she and some classmates went to a drunken dormitory party. She also admits that she became drunk at the party . Hardly the actions of a good Catholic girl! Would the credibility of her statements stand up in a court of law? Why should anyone believe the claims of one who is testifying to events that she claims occurred while she was drunk? I am no fan of Kavanaugh. But many of today’s claims of sexual harassment are immediately and unquestionably assumed to be true, notwithstanding the facts.
10
Obviously there is no justice anywhere near the capital. Some of the exact same senators who brayed loudest for Clinton's impeachment were the same who spearheaded Kavanaugh's defense.
2
There is certainly at least one aspect of this sorry matter that cannot be disputed: The FBI investigation was superficial and incomplete, and it was so because of political influence, chiefly from above.
Regrettably, a trickle-down observation is that the practice continues with the full approval of the current Attorney General (of the United States?).
The rot persists.
4
I attended an elite university in the late 60’s, early 70’s. I encountered many wealthy prep school students. Most were oblivious of their level of privilege, but most were thoughtful about the world and what they wanted to do in it, even as they wanted to have a good time. Some were nasty, privileged pieces of work, who knew their indiscretions would be covered over and their careers would be launched through good connections (not to discredit their capabilities).
Kavanaugh now holds top judicial authority over cases which affect both the highly privileged and the under-privileged. His way was paved by a Senate that restricted the FBI from exploring the evidence and then declared the evidence was not found. His behavior may have improved with age, marriage, and family, but I have concerns about his concepts of personal entitlement, personal responsibility, empathy, and ultimately justice.
I am also concerned and embarrassed for my own Senator Grassley’s role in what appears to be a whitewash. I used to be proud of a Senator who sought out wasteful spending, but now - not so much.
9
Merrick Garland should have been supreme Court justice not Kavanaugh. The democrats have been push-overs for far too long now.
Many Americans are beyond disgusted with how timid democrats act or in this case didn't act. I look forward to the new young generation in Washington to see if they make substantial change.
9
Of all the threats of impeachment we hear from Democrats these days -- and not without good reason -- I hope they will focus on what they can actually make a difference on. Brett Kavanaugh is one of them. Kavanaugh lied to Congress and now sits on the highest court of the land. Dangerous precedent. His conduct during the hearings alone should have sent him packing. One may argue in the '70s it was another time, but how does Kavanaugh account for his behavior in 2018. Another big question: WHY didn't the FBI investigate? Why did they not pursue? I hope Congress gets to the bottom of it.
6
I hope they impeach him.
5
Sorrow for what Ms. Ramirez endured. Perhaps this would have happened during another Administration, but to me it's a loud proclamation from President Trump and the GOP that we cannot count on our traditional institutions to perform as they did in the past. Trump wanted Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court and Kavanaugh was willing to diminish himself with his anti-Clinton tirade to make that happen. Just another example of going along to get along.
6
There are still ways to force truth into the daylight. Clearly, this President and the entire Republican Party wants no part of the truth. The Attorney General of OUR country works for this President. But, we don’t need them.
There’s a Pulitzer Prize out there just waiting for the journalists to get to the bottom of this and other Kavanaugh related stories. If this guy is as bad as his accusers say he is, there are still many victims and witnesses who have yet to be heard from. Find them.
At some point, the weight of evidence will cause a few Republican Senators to start worrying about holding on to their cushy jobs.
Then, impeachment will be in store for Justice Kavanaugh.
Perhaps, then, another Pulitzer is possible...for the thorough criminal investigation of the current Attorney General.
11
So, now, we have a longer list of people who say Kavanaugh misbehaved in college, and tried to assault a girl in high school. Even if these allegations are true, what does this have to do with his serving as a judge? (Other than that he lied about the inquiry.) Other judges have done worse and proved to be great Justices. Hugo Black was in the Klan and lied about that to the Senate and the American people. He served with distinction for 34 years, including as a reliable member of the liberal wing under Warren. When will this end? What happened when Brett Kavanaugh was in college? Who cares?
10
Brett Kavanaugh is an illegitimate Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The very fact that he sits on the Court tarnishes the reputation of the highest Court in the United States. When we take this country back from the current corrupt administration and Republican Party, he will be removed. He should never have been confirmed. Thanks to the Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly for their good reporting and to Deborah Ramirez for her bravery in coming forward.
8
@LongTimeFirstTime
Did you like his testimony as well? Why don't you look at it again?
2
The same Republican corruption that denied Obama a Supreme Court nomination for a year bulldozed a hand-picked Trump troll through, suppressing FBI background checks to do it. The religious right supports the anti-abortion at all costs, throwing Trump to throw the Constitution under the bus.
11
Charlie Chaplin didn't fit in, either. He was born into abject poverty and came to the US where his cockney mannerisms and left-wing politics got him into considerable trouble. However, he never got in trouble for seducing---that was the word at the time--so many 13, 14, and 15 year-old girls that would have made Jeffrey Epstein seem a saint. So do we go after him, instead. Boycott his movies? Jackhammer his star on Hollywood Blvd? And then do this to the other thousands of other people who need to be "punished" for our new progressivism. Or should we simply go after a single nerdy Supreme Court Justice who has been over-investigated again and again and proved to be innocent. If we're really going to go down this road, there's a lot of much more low hanging fruit.
9
Re: “proved to be innocent”
Nope.
He’s sitting on the Supreme Court now.
Doesn’t make him innocent.
5
“Drinking heavily” says it all.
8
Looks like the fact that the " victim" of this latest smear has no recollection that it ever occured has put an end to this narrative
11
I am really glad the NYT continues to focus on the Kavanaugh debacle and the nearly untouchable status of white elites in this country. Kavanaugh's righteous indignation "how dare you question me or members of my class" and the support he received from his cronies was revolting. The only way we change this dynamic is to keep it in the limelight.
14
The New York Times and these comments bring up an old memory. Years ago in the southern Sudan I would camp out in bush settlements. At night, hyenas would surround us, eager to attack the settlements' cattle. You could only see their yellow eyes in the dark. The barking dogs kept them at bay, until they retreated at dawn.
I was a registered Democrat for thirty-five years. I left the Party nine years ago, disgusted with its cowardice, greed, corruption, lies, and vindictiveness. I'm glad I left before the Democrats became the hyenas we see on full display today.
18
@Nate
Correct. Those like you who embrace the Republican Trump and his racism and xenophobia will never vote for Democrats. The Democrats won't please you by taking children away from their parents and locking them in cages.
People like you will always vote for Republicans who share their values like locking children in cages. Democrats aren't trying to please people like you. Republicans are your party.
4
GOP controlled senate has shown no integrity or courage in their decisions to protect the people they are supposed to serve. Led by mostly corrupt and immoral old white men whose only objective is to stay in office and hang on to their positions and the power and influence it gives them. I include some of the Democratic politicians especially from the Red states too!
There are two major outdated practices we have in the United States that makes us the laughing stock of the world.
1. If the position of the US President has term limits why shouldn't Senators, House members and Supreme Court justices have term limits? We see how a few really partisan and unqualified justices are serving us for years and years! Such stupidity on our part. LifeTime appointment..Really?
2. The so called 2nd amendment which was meant for the lifestyle and world and societal environment in the 17th and 18th century to protect themselves from tyranny and protect their independence from invaders.
"We" allow assault rifles under the 2nd amendment... why stop there? Why shouldn't we get a military style tank or a fighter aircraft or shoulder carried missile launchers...like ISIS or Taliban? Does the second amendment prohibit these?
4
The sad thing is that even if there was video of Kavanaugh committing an assault, Republicans wouldn’t care. All they want is to ensure the Courts to impose their agenda of racism, homophobia and misogyny on the land. There isn’t a Republican in this country with an ounce of decency or morals. Clinton was right they are “deplorables.”
14
This is such bunk. No one on USSC exhibits homophobia racism or sexism. You’re simply an identity warrior in search of a non existent slight.
9
Brett showed up drunk to a hearing about his behavior while drinking and still got put on the court. The Republican party, it's supporters, are all corrupt. Every. Last. One.
18
The abyss of the Republican charlatans knows no bounds.
10
During the hearings last year Democrats try to tell you you want listen for the Supreme Court hearing even when a professor at Ford testified how she was raped in college Cavanaugh should quit now before the goings get hard. When the Democrats take over they will impeach him. If the Pres. Donald Trump smart about it he should ask Cavananaugh to step down, because he can point somebody else to the bench. As Justice Cavanaugh was smart, you should step down not to let his family go through anymore hearings about the matter sexual misconduct.
This could look bad for the Democrats if he stepped down because President Donald Trump elect another Supreme Court justice before he leaves office in 2020 or voted out. Before Dem's throw out office.
1
This isn't new. We heard about this months ago. And her wealth or lack thereof is irrelevant. To get book sales or gin up readership for the NYT, this story has to be made more dramatic. There must be angle of oppression.
It's not a matter of believing her or not. I do. It's a matter of perspective. Brett Kavanaugh was a young jerk. You can call it "misconduct," but nothing more. No one was raped.
8
It seems readers, and the rest of the media world, are having no problem seeing what is newsworthy in this article. Yet the Times has once again framed this story in terms of class issues and presented it as a piece of analysis rather than reporting. Was and is it difficult being from a less privileged background at an elite school? Did and do white men use sexual predation as a way of maintaining their privilege? Of course. That is hardly news. That we have placed another man on the Supreme Court who used his social privilege as a shield and sword as he humiliated women and that many people were willing to corroborate these incidences is newsworthy. Did this man perjure himself? It seems beyond doubt. And yet the Times chooses to present this news as yet another story about class privilege a la David Brooks. What is the point of having superb reporters and editors working on stories about sexual predation when the top brass at theTimes itself chooses to provoke rather than report?
6
I'm reading this online, where I found it at the very bottom of the home page. I hope that in your print editions, at least, it is an A1, above the fold, story. And if not, shame on you, New York Times, because it should be.
6
@A Reader It was at the top of the page when it was posted yesterday. Relax.
When I was a BU student in 1971, I went to my astronomy professor's office to ask for an extension on a paper. My mother had been quite ill and I had fallen behind. In the privacy of his office, he asked if I might like to join him and his wife in a threesome. I sat quietly while he described his sexual adventures. After giving me my extension on the paper, he got up, came around his desk and kissed me full on the mouth. I rode my bike back to my small room sort of wondering what had happened. I never went to his class again and received a D for course. Years later, this man was relieved of his post at, I think, American University. Then I knew I had not imagined it. Some of you might know who he was.
16
How disturbing that Kavanaugh denies all of this. Like all these women are lying. Like his wife actually believes him. Like his girls will never figure out the facts.
Mendacity is the monkey on his back, for life. This is a small measure of justice, but he knows the truth, he knows that he's lying now, and - if he is really a Christian - he knows how it will end.
9
Thank you New York Times and Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly for not allowing this story to die.
11
We know not enough has changed since Anita Hill came forward. And it's noteworthy just how many men in this administration are guilty of abusing women—from Puzder to Cory Lewandowski and Rob Porter—and more.
The FBI has much to explain here. Why did they not investigate Ramirez' claims. She was of course smeared.
I want the media to focus on these accusations, as well on the five times Kavanuagh lied under oath. Please publish Senator Leahy's letter to this person after his previous confirmation hearing. Please cover these perjuries, and please explain who mysteriously paid all Kavanaugh's gambling and other debts at the time of this hearing.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/09/five-times-brett-kavanaugh-appears-to-have-lied-to-congress-while-under-oath/
While you're at it, remember the connection through Deutsche Bank between Justice Kennedy, talked into resigning some time after his son was involved in managing a huge loan to Trump's son.
This takeover of the country's highest court was wholly manipulated.
11
Let’s be clear about one thing. Had the man in question been a liberal, no one on this thread would care. The Times would suppress the allegations and certainly no protests would take place. The authors would be writing about other topics. This is solely about Roe v Wade. Nothing else
8
Al Franken took a joke photograph pretending to touch a sleeping woman’s breasts, and lost his job as a Senator...at a time when Democrats needed every strong voice they could get. It is highly unlikely a man like Kavanaugh would have made it through the vetting process of a Democratic president in 2019....any concerns about sexual misconduct would have spelled curtains for him....so ...sorry...no dice on your attempt to call this current situation a hypocrisy.
5
Yes it probably happened. A drunken college party with people doing stupid things. It wasn't rape. It was dumb and stupid and ignorant. It wasn't rape. It was a long long time ago and it wasn't rape. Does Kavanaugh belong on the SCOTUS? No. Will he be there until he dies or chooses to leave. Sadly the answer is yes. There's a danger here of spending time and capital on something that will go nowhere and in the end will make the politicians who pursue this look petty and desperate. Time to move on from this one folks.
6
I'm disgusted with the NYT waffling on this story. Instead of retracting and changing the headline why aren't you concentrating on the MEAT - Kavanaugh perjured himself under oath, both the FBI and Senators failed to act on very credible evidence of his actions and we have a proven LIAR installed in our Supreme Court - as if we didn't already know that.
7
NYTs, while you clearly do not accept the fact that your biased point of view (and smear campaign/character assassination) was not accepted and that Judge Kavanaugh was confirmed, it is disappointing to see, day-after-day, the level to which your reporting has sunk. As a 70+ year old, lifetime reader (subscriber) and native NYC resident, I find this fact to be both disappointing and distressing. In today's world, more than ever, we require better. It used to be that one could turn to the NYTs knowing that, while more liberal in approach, it generally reported the news accurately. No more is this the case.
Matters of sexual harassment are serious. A goal of more diversity is warranted. However, articles such as this one, do an injustice to both.
15
Wow, the group think amongst the readers / comments on the NYT is truly scary.
I wonder if the Trump FBI that you folks are complaining about is the same FBI that pursued the other fake news you group thinkers were in love with “Russian Collusion”.
9
My background is enough Puerto Rican that I feel the President should be denied re-election based on his War against the Americans there. Ms. Ramirez has a point about Latinas and "class" in the '80's.
But this vicious attack on a confirmed Supreme Court Justice, solely for the purpose of slanting the 2020 election for the Democrats, should alarm us all!
All voters have to understand the lengths our political parties will go to spread hatred, and teach our Press and Political parties that our votes are motivated by the qualifications of the candidate, not some furious personal, single-issue, activist-led mudslinging.
Or continue to accept a government that gets nothing done because those elected to represent us, actually represent a political party.
6
"The college campuses of the 1980s had yet to be galvanized by the identity and sexual politics that course through today’s cultural debates."
I went to college and grad school in the 1980s and this statement is flat wrong. There was not the social media attention but this was the first era of political correctness and significant sexual politics (it was not called identity politics at the time). There may not have been as much media and public attention to it, but, on campus racial and sexual politics were pervasive.
7
Any individual who has been repeatedly, reliably and consistently known to have behaved abusively as a youth gives society no basis for believing that behaviour has altered in adulthood. Abusive behaviour without correction continues. Either we accept this as permissible and allow the conduct to continue, even endorsing it by rewarding the individual in various ways, or we determine that it is impermissible and stop rewarding it. Whilst punishment in these matters is probably both too late and doubtful of efficacy, withdrawal of rewards will likely at least staunch the ongoing harm to those around the offender.
7
You have only to look at Donald Trump, adulterer, proud self proclaimed sexual assaulter, and indicted rapist, to see what happens when a privileged, white male gets away with harassing and abusing women.
5
Like Donald, Brett should never have risen to his seat of power. There have been 112 Supreme Court justices and only one was impeached.
8
All of the comments and outrage mean nothing unless something is done. Does anyone think that the Democrats have the backbone to stand up and start an impeachment investigation against a Supreme Court Justice. I'm getting really tired of empty words and nothing changing.
6
I feel sympathy for Kavanaugh's 2 daughters, who likely find themselves questioning his denials, his history, and his character.
"Don't believe anything you hear about Daddy" is NOT what Kavanaugh should be telling the kids at this point.
As for Mrs. Kavanaugh, we have to wonder how much of his past and character she knew about before they married. And, why would she stay married to a man who likes his alcohol a bit too much and stands credibly accused of treating women poorly.
8
Trump says Kavanaugh should sue. Ignorant of Trump to lay out a challenge to a coward.
5
Let me get this straight.
After over 1900 comments the NY Times cannot admit that the supposed victim in this story has NO recollection that it ever occurred?
Is that possible?
Has journalism Died?
20
@J Harrod Many victims of sexual assault block out the memory of such incidents. Surely you must know this.
As for the state of today's journalism, it's alive and well, with plenty of malfeasance and corruption to investigate (especially in the GOP).
3
I went to plenty of keggers and fraternity parties when I was in college. It was a decade earlier than Kavanaugh - and I don’t remember anyone dropping trow and flaunting their anatomy. It’s not OK now; it wasn’t OK when he did it. Most men do not participate in “locker room talk”. Those that do these things should not get a free pass. I believe the women; it was assault then and it is now. And they were all assaulted again by the way this confirmation hearing was handled. Dudes need to go.
19
First Thomas, now Kavanaugh, plus "Balls and Strikes" Roberts, Republicans should be proud, and are!
4
Perhaps the most damning evidence of Kavanaugh's sham confirmation is that SOMEONE paid off his enormous debt -- leaving him vulnerable to blackmail -- and that was swept under the rug, stonewalled, and never investigated.
21
@drindl
Thank you. That mystery, and the $1.23 million home for which the Kavenaughs put $245,000 down — when the Kavenaughs had a net worth of $91,000 — suggest Kavenaugh is beholden to someone.
https://medium.com/@gregolear/money-line-parlay-how-did-the-kavanaughs-afford-their-1-225-000-home-b53aaaf31b04
But the Senate had, and has, no interest in these facts. Perhaps the more lurid accusations, which the Senate insured could never be proven during the hearings, provided convenient cover.
Funny that.
5
So, is the important part of this article truly that this woman was not part of the privileged 'in' crowd or that NYT, through long and careful research found that Ms. Ramirez' claim -- previously vilified everywhere -- is, in fact, very, very credible. And that ANOTHER accuser has been found, again with credible and witnessed confirmation. AND that the FBI totally screwed up the background check (though perhaps limited by what Congress directed them to do). And, finally, that there's overwhelming proof that we have both a sexual predator and a liar on the US Supreme Court.
Those are very different -- and much more damning -- ledes than what's headlined as a social problem. An NYT editor or two made major errors in judgement here, requiring a reevaluation of how this story is reported.
4
I believe the women that have accused Brett Kavanaugh of his boorish and crude behavior. I believe it because I grew up in the same generation of changing social mores and partying ways. We all knew the boy on the football team who wasn’t the star player, but hung out with the privileged group of other guys that drank at keggers every weekend and thought that their social standing made it okay to act like a jerk at someone else’s expense. They did well in school and were the popular ones because their family had some money, they were on the football and baseball teams and dated the cheerleaders. They would hang out, get drunk and do stupid things like jump on top of girls in a bedroom when she was alone as a “joke” or pull out their penises to humiliate the shy girl on a dare because it was “funny”. They alluded to it in the the yearbook to memorialize the “fun” times, never considering it would instead come back to haunt them.
I also believe Mr Kavanaugh doesn’t remember the particular incident in this story or the story of Christine Ford because there were so many different times he was the life of the party at someone else’s expense, this particular episode was just one of many. But he knows in his heart of hearts, he probably did do these things. He just had plausible deniability.
By putting him on the SCOTUS, Senate Republicans have ensured he will have more sympathy for those like him, not the young women he victimized.
19
As a Yale undergrad a generation earlier (BS, 1962), I totally get Ms. Ramirez's experience. I, too, was a naive nerd from a Jewish working class family who did well at a Connecticut public high school, but was overwhelmed by the rich preppy, hyper-male Yale environment. It was totally alienating. It was the playground of the rich sons of the wealthy Protestant elite. I never felt socially integrated. It was an unhealthy sexually-charged atmosphere even then. I'm saddened that it got even worse a generation later after Yale went coed. That Brett Kavanugh committed such blatant acts of public drunkenness and sexual assault should have prevented him ever from being nominated to any court. In fact, he should be impeached and disbarred. This may be what Donald Trump thinks will "Make America Great Again," but turning the government into a cesspool [aka "the swamp] is only his, Kavanuagh's, Roy Moore's and perhaps the Republican Party's and the truly criminally depraved idea of "great."
16
A kind critique of this article would be that The NY Times (again) buried or screwed up the lede of a story. A more apropos title would be something along the lines of:
"Additional Sexual Assault Allegation Against Already Accused Supreme Court Justice Gains Veracity"
A sub-hed could've been:
"Ramirez Story Underscores Theme of Kavanaugh Targeting Those Considered 'Beneath' Him in Decisions Both Personal and Legal."
I mean, those are kinda my takeaways.
9
Even if the behavior of youth shouldn't be a disqualifier lying to Congress should be.
43
@Duncan
Why do we 'have' to believe her?
2
I believed Anita Hill in her time (and I still do), and I believe the women accusing Kavanaugh of his loathsome behavior. I am convinced some very powerful people wanted him on the Supreme Court. It is truly a travesty that he is seated there.
48
I hope the revelations of Ms. Ramirez & Ms. Ford have an impact on future SCOTUS, when men and women of my generation serve.
A part of the problem is priviledge and entitlement, especially among young men. I graduated from college in the last decade from an institution, where the 1% was vastly overrepresented. For students, morals and rules were very much relative. I admit to having benefited from this.
Students would get caught drinking underage at a nearby country club, and their reaction would be, "How dare you?!" If not, just laugh at the face of the staff. Sorority girls trashing their suite, while high on cocaine. One young man stealing and giving away someone's Swiss luxury watch that was gifted by a relative. Inconsequential actions to them. Anyone else, maybe not. They're all doing fine these days by the way. Early career at Goldman Sachs, EY, Eli Lilly, Bain, etc.
Not everyone was horrible. But had the latitude to be without too much bearing on their futures.
8
That the two dark and mean souls on the picture accompanying this comment are in such elevated positions of power is a testament to the grotesque failure of our political system, which does not represent its citizens.
27
The fact that Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh immediately planted seeds of doubt in my mind. We all know what a great judge of character he is.
22
Senator Grassley has been in the Senate since 1980 and the one thing he will always be remembered for now is his cowardice with regard to investigations of sexual assault by Kavanaugh and for seating him on the Supreme Court.
26
@Jacquie
In response to Ms. Ramirez’s allegations, Chairman Grassley’s staff contacted Ms. Ramirez’s counsel 7 times seeking evidence to support claims made in the New Yorker. Ms. Ramirez produced nothing in response and refused a Committee request for an interview. The FBI also asked.
4
@Rocket J Squrriel Mr. Max Stier, classmate of Kavanaugh's, contacted the FBI and the Senate and nothing was done. Get your facts straight.
1
Hang on Ruthie, hang on. Let's call this what it is, per their usual modus operandi, Republicans have cheated their way into advantage once more. So sorry if I sound divisive but ... really? People called the FBI with information relevant to an ongoing investigation and received no response? I'm disgusted.
22
Kavanaugh’s behavior (and, let’s be honest, most people believe it was his behavior) raises the question: When does horsing around become sexual assault?
I’m not saying Kavanaugh’s behavior when he was a teenager should disqualify him from the Supreme Court. We’re not talking about sainthood here. But hopefully he will take his own behavior into consideration when he makes his decisions as a justice on the Court.
In short, does misbehavior qualify as a crime?
I don’t believe Kavanaugh intended to cause the harm he did. Does that matter? Should it?
1
@Tell the Truth
It was not his youthful disgusting behavior, but the lying about his teen/college years and the partisan rant during the hearing that should have disqualified him to be a judge on the highest court in our country.
4
I hope Susan Collins reads this article and feels immense shame.
39
Missing from this Opinion piece is the following September 4, 2019 revelation from Debra Katz, the attorney for Chisitine Blasey Ford:
"In the aftermath of these hearings I believe that Christine's testimony brought about more good than the harm the misogynist Republicans caused by allowing Kavanuagh on the court," Katz said during an event in Baltimore. "He will always have an asterisk next to his name. When he takes a scalpel to Roe v. Wade we will know who he is, we know his character and we know what motivates him. It's important that we know and that's part of what motivated Christine."
This disclosure by attorney Katz puts an asterisk by the names of the people making the allegations against Justice Kavanaugh. The quesiton must be asked, "What are the motivations of those making the allegations? Truth and Justice? Or Roe vs. Wade?" One thing we do know for a fact is Justice Kavanaugh's decisions as Justice, and they've been surprising to many people.
7
I was not at all surprised by any of his racist decisions thus far.
2
@math365
It sounds like Ford's own father, and perhaps more of her family, didn't believe her.
"Privately, however, it appears the Blasey family had significant doubts about what Ford was trying to accomplish by coming forward and making unsubstantiated allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. Within days of Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, a fascinating encounter took place. Brett Kavanaugh’s father was approached by Ford’s father at the golf club where they are both members.
Ralph Blasey, Ford’s father, went out of his way to offer to Ed Kavanaugh his support of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, according to multiple people familiar with the conversation that took place at Burning Tree Club in Bethesda, Maryland. “I’m glad Brett was confirmed,” Ralph Blasey told Ed Kavanaugh, shaking his hand. Blasey added that the ordeal had been tough for both families.
The encounter immediately caused a stir at the close-knit private golf club as staff and members shared the news. The conversation between the two men echoed a letter that Blasey had previously sent to the elder Kavanaugh. Neither man returned requests for comment about the exchanges.
Blasey never explicitly addressed the credibility of his daughter’s allegations, but he presumably wouldn’t have supported the nomination of a man he believed tried to rape his daughter."
3
Kavenough was unqualified just on the basis of his lies in the vetting process and his vitriolic partisan rant in the confirmation process. Those things did not require an FBI investigation and GOP cover up to prove: we were all witnesses. He is as unfit for his lofty position as Trump, McConnell, Barr and the rest of the gang of thugs.
21
Ah, the FBI. Never a single Democrat as director. Three Democratic presidents have appointed Republicans. They may have felt some pressure to "not look partisan" by appointing somebody from way down the pyramid - since everybody at the top of the FBI is a lifelong Republican, like Comey, McCabe, and Mueller.
Why anybody thought that Mueller would be some avenging angel never-Trumper that damaged the GOP in order to clean out the rot, is mystifying. He did exactly what the more-FBI-aware observers would expect: spend a long, thorough time so nobody could come back at it as a whitewash, then do as little damage to the Party as he could, even if it spared Trump the worst.
That the FBI would whitewash a highly conservative judicial pick by light investigation would not surprise such observers, like FBI right-wing terrorism agent Mike German, who left the Bureau in disgust:
https://theintercept.com/2019/09/14/fbi-mike-german-book/
I have no great hopes for 2020. "Victory" sure, but only a flip from 48/52 to 52/48: the incoming administration will not have the political capital to clean out the FBI. It desperately needs multiple levels at the top to all be fired, the institution rebuilt.
The incoming Democrat will probably appoint another good, lifelong Republican as FBI director and we will all talk about their 30 years of faithful, "non-partisan" service...to a highly conservative, deeply Republican organization.
4
One of the most degrading moments in the Kavanaugh hearings was when this man was made by the vicious brutality of what was happening to him to reveal publicly something no one should ever have to reveal or talk about publicly:
He stated he was a virgin when he married.
He went on to say he was proud of this and that it was a reflection of his religious beliefs which he had formed as a young man – a promise to himself and to God that he had kept.
Meanwhile during the hearings Sen. Whitehouse of Rhode Island and others supposedly deciphered his high school yearbook and daily calendar jottings and accused him of having had sex with dozens of girls dozens of times.
Now if the senator's accusations were true do we not think that at least one of these girls-now-women, if not very many, indeed an army-ful!, even just one of his, shall we say, legitimate high school sweetheart girlfriends who had held nothing against him over the intervening years, would have stepped forward and denounced Kavanaugh as a liar – lying under oath before the committee, before the nation and the world, before his wife and daughters, before God – in saying he was a virgin when he married when they know, in the most certain way possible that anyone could know, that he was, in fact, NOT a virgin when he married!
Yet no one did step forward. Then. Or in the year since.
Why is that?
Because Brett Kavanaugh was telling the truth. Period.
4
@RLS
Kavanaugh also swore under oath that the references he and his pals plastered throughout their yearbook in which they crowed about being "Renate Alumnius" were done in kindness to their "friend" Renate.
Remember, Kavanaugh swore under oath that there was absolutely no sexual innuendo intended toward Renate by all those nasty yearbook posts.
Enough said.
3
@RLS - If true, that was part of his problem!
2
@RLS
Brett Kavanaugh said he was was a virgin when he married after years of booze stoked frat parties and, of course, he wouldn’t lie about that.
Yeah, sure. I doubt that even his dutiful wife believes that one.
6
Additionally, as reported elsewhere, large portions of Kavanaugh's actual legal work was of such a dubious or questionable nature-- for purposes of a hearing-- that Congress got a curated view of him as a candidate.
That and the well corroborated and concerning testimony suggesting a blackout drunk who engaged in inappropriate and allegedly illegal behavior-- warrants his removal.
7
Please stop with the social profiling. Forget the "socio-economic" pitting---it's totally irrelevant. A kid who works at Carvel over the summer (horrors!) on a scholarship can also be capable of crude, lewd words and actions; rich and poor can also rape/be raped. Stick to the facts of the crude and lewd behavior, the incident(s) and whether these events actually cross a legal line.
7
I am pretty sure that Young Master Kavenaugh committed indecent public exposure which is the very least a misdemeanor
2
We need to clean out our "Supreme Court" of the resident justices who are in fact criminals, who lied under oath, and committed these crimes against these women. It will never be a true hall of justice until we do that, and only then can it be a real Supreme Court.
3
How on earth can the senate have even been allowed to tell the FBI how to investigate and how long to take?
Aren't they meant to be different branches?
Or is that all just a myth?
6
Come ON NYT! We find out in this opinion piece that, not only were there upwards of 2 dozen potential witnesses who could have corroborated Ms. Ramirez'z story, there was also another witness to a completely separate incident of Kavanaugh sexually assaulting a woman, and yet you run this as an opinion piece with a headline "poor girl doesn't fit in at richie university" instead of as a hard news piece with the headline "FBI forbidden to investigate more than 2-dozen witnesses including new allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh." I think most of your reporters are doing really good work. I think your editorial team has got to go.
15
@AMinNC
You nailed it. The NY Times headlines (and tweets) have been atrocious in covering up the rot of the Republican party.
4
Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh will always have an asterisk by there name in the history books. They are forvever stained by their false denials.
9
That's terrible. Did she tell Mom on him? Good bless this survivor.
Let's all grow up.
2
Remember, Supreme Court Justices can be impeached.
9
Let's not forget the Justice Department is presenting the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service to Kavanaugh's legal team for defending him at the hearing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-award.html
The Justice will forever be tarnished but so will the Senate. They did this before with Clarence Thomas.
The Supreme Court now is the most conservative -- except when it comes to moral character.
2
So Ms Ramirez felt out of place and even hazed at Yale. OK, welome to the club -- other than George Herbert Walker Bush types, everyone feels this way at Yale, or did in those days. But Ms. Ramirez didn't leave, didn't transfer out, didn't become motivated to do anything about it at the time, just kept her head down and got through. For that I commend her-- she got the precious Yale diploma which is why she was there, why everyone goes there.
As for the heart of the allegation -- substantiated or not -- it boils down to, Ms. Ramirez was scandalized and offended at a frat type party by a young man who was partially undressed, and whose genitals may have been on wide display. I'm sorry but while that's distasteful, even disgusting, it's hardly unique or wild for those times. Oh, and by the way, maybe it was Kavanaugh and maybe it wasn't. There's only second hand hearsay to back up Ms Ramirez's recollection. And if the description is, it was a young, macho, sloppy drunk, white male of seemingly WASPy lineage, well, that describes what, 90% of the males at Yale at the time?
The important critical cause of female liberation from the patriarchal male culture is undercut by such shallow and frankly silly public trials. This type of overwrought public hysteria just gives ammunition to the real foes, and alienates non-ideological middle of the road allies
Let the hating begin...
7
Look up the lyrics to lady Gaga “til it happens to you” and then read again what you have written. Then try to experience what empathy feels like. Maybe imagine this woman is your sister, wife, daughter. Do you have a sick feeling in your stomach yet?
5
People who think sexual battery doesn’t matter and that calling it what it is undermines the fight for women’s equality are fools and hypocrites.
4
@Harry Mylar
I don't hate you. I pity you.
But more importantly: if you're married or have daughters -- I'm truly frightened and sorry for them. I fervently, passionately hope that no woman, ever, is assaulted or harmed, but if they are and Mr. Mylar is their husband or father, they can probably expect a response of "I'm sorry but while that's distasteful, even disgusting, it's hardly unique or wild." (For intellectual honesty's sake, I did edit "for those times" but are "those times" that far off from "these times"? Colleges are still places in which drinking to excess, and assaults, still occur. How do I know? I teach at one.)
And same goes for your mother. Please, if she's harmed in any way, or has been, even many years ago -- extend more empathy to her than you have to Ms. Ramirez. Even if you're not 100% sure she has solid evidence of the who/what/where, etc.
3
There’s a couple of tried and true ways to deal with the wealthy. The first and best approach is just to live your life in their presence without bowing to their will. Let’s call that the Molly Ringwald in “16 Candles,” or Lindsey Lohan in “Mean Girls” approach. Of course, it is way more fun to flout their conventions directly in their face. As such, Rodney Dangerfield in “Caddyshack” will always have a special place in my heart.
2
Kavanaugh lied to Congress while under oath. Perjury is an impeachable offense.
9
@Michael G Ferran how did he lie?
2
Impeachment of Kavanaugh at some not too distant point in the future is probable as will indictment and conviction of Trump and most of his merry band of corrupt officials. A clean sweep of all the Trump wrongdoing must be done if we are ever again going to own the respect of ourselves and the rest of the world.
4
@M.i. Estner welcome to a civil war if you push that
2
Bottom line,,,,there is no proof of any of this, and people have a bad track record of hidden agendas. Since when is it news that rich kids can be unkind to everyday kids? Are the reporters trying to stir up emotions of class envy & resentment? And what teenager in America hasn't done something they aren't proud of later in life? Even if its true, Kavanaugh has led an exemplary life as an adult. This article is unfair to him and his family.
10
This is an important story, but the headline leads one to think it’s a different kind of story.
A better more realistic and informative headline would say:
“Witnesses come forward to collaborate Ms. Ramirez allegations of sexual assault from Bret Kavanaugh”.
Subhead:
The FBI were thwarted by the Republican Senate to thoroughly investigate multiples sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, and 25 witnesses were ignored from order of Chuck Grassley.
6
I'm a first generation Polish-Slovak Catholic, working class, low income American and I relate to Deborah Ramirez's feelings of alienation at Yale.
It's not about color; it's all about class and cool. Just being a believing Catholic, or having a mother who cleaned houses, or having grandparents who didn't speak English or maybe couldn't read, or being someone who has ever worked a minimum wage job and lived on the income, sets you apart, no matter the color of your skin.
5
For another view, may I refer readers to the new book on the Kavanaugh confirmation by Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino?
2
From the NT Times on September 23, 2018:
"The Times had interviewed several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate her story, and could find no one with firsthand knowledge. Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself."
9
@SusanF. Well sorry, you know the narrative the times is pushing. Past reporting is irrelevant, they want k out regardless of ethics FairPlay or the law. And this is nothing more than slander.
4
I can only hope that one good that can come out of this is the defeat of Sen. Susan Collins in 2020.
This boy who calls himself a man has never grown up and made amends. His anger, tears, victimhood and conspiracy theory (the Clintons are behind this!) at his hearing disqualified him and those that voted to confirm are despicable as they put party over country - once again.
May only good things now come to Ms. Ramirez (and Dr. Ford and all the other women he accosted in such a despicable way). May Kavanaugh be forever known for what he is - a deplorable.
9
What has happened to the character of so many of America's leaders?
7
I'm almost 60 years old. In the midst of this Kavanagh debacle, my dear college gal pal and I were talking about our years at university. We both socialized with many guys from Sigma Nu/Tulane, and we were always treated respectfully. Is everyone perhaps mistakenly lumping all fraternities into one group of disgusting chauvinist pigs, or were my gal pal and I just fortunate?
2
I too was a first generation college student in the 1980s, overwhelmed by the elitism of the competitive small liberal arts college that I entered as a scholarship student in 1985. Pretty sure I wasn't the only one listening, but I distinctly remember getting very clear messages from student and administration leaders that sexual harassment and abuse and nonconsensual contact in any form was NOT condoned or allowed. Pretty sure that "enlightened" Yale got that memo too. Of course, abuse and harassment still happened but no one could have ever say that perpetrators didn't know better. We knew better in the 80s and we know better now. What is happening with Kavanaugh and his buddies is the reality that for some of us the rules don't apply, and their are sturdy systems in place that reinforce that reality. Thus, Kavanaugh is a Supreme Court Justice. For life.
Impeachment hearings for Kavanaugh would be torturous for the country, especially at a time when the President himself is facing such an inquiry; however, could Chief Justice Roberts suspend Kavanaugh until an thorough FBI investigation be completed? The haste Kavanaugh's confirmation, demanded by Grassley and McConnell, should also be investigated.
13
@Fallon
Excellent question. I don't know if Chief Roberts has the power to do that unilaterally? But since seven Justices excluding Gorsuch & Kavanaugh are Constitutionally legitimate Final Appellate's. It would seem that each could publicly petition one another to redress the Gorsuch & Kavanaugh issues. But you are correct impeachment of Judges & Justices is within the domain of Congress. The downside is that if that was successful in The Senate unless Garland was assured his rightful that place Trump & McConnell would again have first choice.
2
Anyone who has occasionally had too much to drink knows about blackouts, if they are honest. You don’t have to be passed out, you just don’t remember stuff. So, when Kavanaugh righteously denies any of his alleged abusive behaviors, he probably believes it; that doesn’t mean we should.
His continued tenure on the Court demeans on of the most important institutions in our society.
15
America's constitution, in the unwritten part, requires two healthy political parties to function properly. Until the rotting corpse that is the gop is replaced, we remain ungoverned.
Part of the cleanup will require resolution, including criminal prosecution, of some egregious wrongs by the fetid zombie right, in the state houses, and legislatures, as well as the White House, Congress and SCOTUS.
Kavanaugh should not grow comfortable in that robe; he'll have to give it up when investigation of his known conduct is complete.
14
@Four Oaks
''America's constitution, 'in the unwritten part, requires two healthy political parties to function properly'." Agree with your sentiments.
But sorry, please explain what unwritten part. And 'no' parties or groups; be they political, business, racial, labor, soviergn states or whatever is allowed to take part in governing. Only individual U.S. Officials can debate and cast votes. Individuals and groups can certainly petition and lobby government officials but they cannot conduct decision making.
1
To me, there were similarities in the responses of Kavanaugh and Barr to their senate questioners. It was said that the White House prepped Kavanaugh for many many hours. Who in the White House is so insidious and devious? Stephen Miller?
11
This article is another enormously important statement about why republicans can not be in charge of anything. The confirmation process was a done deal without ever addressing the low life behavior of Mr Kavanaugh. The pearly white senators were not interested in truth or equality. The FBI should be ashamed of not following through on investigating a man who abused several women. Not even Senator Collins, a republican woman, believed Dr Ford. There is only one way to change trajectory,
VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!!
13
Regarding the buried lede in this piece:
Kavanaugh could have addressed all of this in his hearing. He could have spoken to his troubled past, his abuse of alcohol, and his regret. But he didn’t. He lacks the courage, the character, the eloquence and the integrity Let’s not forget his truly horrific and combative rebuttal of Blasey Ford’s powerful testimony, threatening—threatening!—the democrats with retribution, all of which was cheered on by Republican Senators.
A shameful and dark period in our history that such a man has risen to such a powerful place.
24
Statutes of limitation have meaning. The rest is gossip, and if we don’t like the protagonist, we believe unprovable gossip.
If your son or daughter were accused 35 years later of something that couldn’t be proven at all, and then thousands of gossip mongering ideologues called for him to be fired, would you agree? Of course not. Rational people wouldn’t. Irrational people who should be mad at the Dems for being feckless, and Obama for being silent, focus on gossip. And for RBG for not retiring when Dems has a chance at replacing her.
Also, there are literally no qualifications established for being on SCOTUS, not even a law degree.
Focus on winning an election. All these stale stories do is make people believe victims less, and re-elect Trump.
21
Are you talking about the big chance democrats had to replace a Supreme Court Justice like when Judge Garland was nominated?
1
When the facts are true and witnesses can testify, it no longer qualifies as “gossip.”
1
These charges are an act of intimidation against Judge Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court in general in order to get SC members to go "liberal" in their decisions to hopefully lessen intimidation. Trump suggests the TrumpDOJ might begin investigating the use of intimidation, and eventually bring charges against the intimidation agents, including those making the charge, but more importantly agents of intimidation such as the NY Times. Trump also wants libel charges and lawsuits brought again the agents of intimidation.
10
Trump lies about everything. Only fools believe anything he says.
3
Kavanaugh should not be on the Supreme Court. The FBI should be investigating and their COMPLETE, HONEST, time consuming, detailed report should be given to the people.
Kavanaugh gives a bad name to the elite. Hopefully, most are honest and have some sense of morality. Unfortunately, money seems to protect the wealthy from consequences.
[Trump picks the best. Sexual predators have to stand up for each other.]
9
Ask Felicity about justice; she can tell you exactly what it costs.
2
When I was about 7 or 8, a guy exposed himself to me and my girlfriend while walking home from school. He asked us if we wanted to "play with it". We were scared to death and ran home crying. I told my mother about it and she immediately called the police. They took a description, then a few days later I was called out of class to do a line up. They had 5 men lined up in the school yard outside the principal's office and I looked through half drawn blinds and was asked if the man who exposed himself was among them. He was and he was arrested. Come to find out, this was not his first attempted assault. So, why should this beast, Kavanaugh, be treated like he is some kind of upstanding man in the community. I believe once a predator, always a predator. He needs to be impeached right along with his enabler Trump. If he is allowed to stay on the Court, then we no longer have a high court that serves the country, only another Trump agency.
20
@Carolyn: You were only seven or eight years old, but you were able to run home and immediately tell your mother. Days later police showed you a lineup, and you were able to identify the perpetrator. This is how most women I know remember sexual assault, even in childhood. The details are seared into their brains for life.
What I remember about Ms. Ramirez’s allegations was that during the confirmation hearings, she had a vague memory of a male student at a party shoving his penis at her. She sought corroboration from friends that it was Kavanaugh, but no one was able to help her identify him. After six days (and meeting with her attorneys), she became confident enough to accuse Kavanaugh.
She was in college — and Dr. Ford was in high school — at the time they say they were assaulted. They were not little girls like you were, yet your memory is rock solid, while theirs are muddy.
I believe both women had an awful experience. I do not believe either woman is convincing that it was Kavanaugh.
3
One only has to have lived with an alcoholic to recognize we were listening to a man at the congressional hearings clearly in denial and who has never taken responsibility for the credible accusations against him. His angry, sneering, defensive tone was a dead giveaway. Just because he has no memory, typical of a blackout drunk, doesn't mean he is innocent. The disgraceful way the additional allegations against Kavanaugh were brushed away without proper investigations points to the entire Republican Party/Mitch McConnell fiasco of pushing through nominees without benefit of proper vetting.
18
It’s a terrible crime and injustice that Bret Kavanaugh publicly and aggressively sexually assaulted Ms. Ramirez. It’s incredibly notable and admirable that she reported it and shameful and unjust that he was confirmed after all the credible testimony of sexual assault. NO MORE SO because Ms. Ramirez was a “good girl”, a catholic, from a “good family” was fit, liked simple pleasures like swimming, “innocent” prior to the assault etc.
5
I remember the New Yorker published a story about another person who might have corroborated Ramirez' story, but the FBI didn't interview him either. A Fulbright winner, professor at a divinity school. . . https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/will-the-fbi-ignore-testimonies-from-kavanaughs-former-classmates
8
Budwieser Brett does it again. He's the choice of the 'family-values' conservatives, just like Clarence Thomas. The way things are, if the Democrats don't win the White House, the next Supreme Court appointee could be one of the Trumpys.
8
Trump's sister Maryann is a judge. I'm amazed, as fond as trump is of nepotism, that trump hasn't nominated her already.
Kavanaugh should never have been confirmed as a Justice and would not have been if the rabidly partisan GOP not tortured the process to get "their seat."
He is a stain on the already soiled SCOTUS and, in the fullness of time, will be impeached for having perjured himself during more than one confirmation hearing.
"Impeachable behavior" is what the House says it is (and perjury is an easy call). "Guilty" is what the Senate says it is and no amount of hand-wringing about Democratic partisanship is going to refute the video-tape evidence contrasted with competently-interviewed witnesses' testimony.
The votes will be there.
5
How could any American woman expect anything like justice from a Supreme Court which has two (probably) sexual offender/misogynists seated, with the claims of their victims not investigated?
12
And yet, the fixed Senate Judiciary committee, headed by the once-respected Charles Grassley, now headed by the once-respected Lindsey Graham, sold out. They KNEW Ramirez was telling the truth. They KNEW others had witnessed Kavanaugh doing the very same thing to another woman.
They didn't care. And even if they are all defeated for re-election, lose the Senate, lose the White House, Bret Kavanaugh remains a Supreme Court Associate Justice, having lied, lied, and lied, a Federal felony, to get on the Court. As did Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas, before him.
We are stuck with 150 judges and justices, nominated by Trump and rammed through by MoscowMitch, unqualified, totally biased, disrespectful of Federal Law and the Constitution, for their lifetimes--and one of the worst is only 37! She could sit in her chair for FIFTY years, making horrible decisions that favor the powerful and hurt the Constitution.
Unless we can FORCE people like Kavanaugh off the benches, all of Dr. Blasey Ford's and Ms. Ramirez's sacrifices, like those of Anita Hill before them, will be for NOTHING!
If that doesn't infuriate you, then you're part of the problem.
8
@Dadof2
We will need to review all of these justices and remove those violating the law and unqualified. That includes Kavanaugh.
1
@Dadof2
The Democrats should have run someone besides Clinton.
1
Mr K's nomination process, which would never have happened at all if Moscow Mitch hadn't failed in his Constitutional duty to consider Merrick Garland, was rammed through with indeliberate speed and unless there is a revolution next November or sooner America is stuck with this guy who is even less qualified than the last guy the Republicans, with Biden's help, foisted on the Court and us.
4
I'll take Justice Ginsburg's word for it: ""I can say that my two newest colleagues are very decent and very smart individuals", CNN July 26, 2019. She seems to be an authoritative figure for the left. Those comments carry more weight than vague memories of drunken parties 35 years ago, where unnamed individuals purportedly pushed Kavanaugh into Ramirez's hand. I hope they are looking into the individuals who assaulted Kavanaugh and shocked Ramirez that evening. Max Stier doesn't seem to remember them. I look forward to getting more details on Max Stier. A true D.C. swamp creature with a "non-profit" that puts >$500k a year in his pocket. I wonder where he gets his money from. I guess the authors don't care, the unproven allegation is all they need to promote their book.
9
Kavanaugh should keep his pants on in public and he wouldn't have to worry about where his private parts end up.
5
This just highlights the problems that have been created when our schools have been pressured to expand their student base beyond its own standards. Misfits get in and distract from the true mission of delivering education. It suddenly becomes about nonsense like this and the quality of institution is eroded.
2
Misfits like Kavanaugh? Or do you refer to the young woman who earned her place at Yale through studying but wasn't rich?
3
Bret Kavanaugh epitomizes the age of trump. And Trump epitomizes the white, privileged class and its actions. If US intends to stay a democracy for all, we need to grow beyond it and be rid of these men.
6
@Momo
Yes I agree but I believe Oliver Stone, John McCain and Robert Mueller were also from privileged backgrounds yet showed courage and integrity of character. Some may start from privilege but we're at any given moment seems the most telling.
Red meat for the unhinged liberal base. Nobody actually read the article. Kavanaugh was supposedly pushed by two other unnamed individuals into Ramirez at a drunken party 35 years ago. People keep saying there are all of these witnesses. First off, there aren't. To this day there are zero corroborating witnesses for Blasey Ford, and in this instance, there is one witness who claims to remember Kavanaugh being pushed into Ramirez. Meanwhile, we have Justice Ginsburg saying about Kavanaugh and Gorsuch in July: "I can say that my two newest colleagues are very decent and very smart individuals". Who are you going to believe - Justice Ginsburg or the vague recollections of an unintentional - the witness said he was pushed - event 35 years ago. If you are so outraged, perhaps focus on Justin Fairfax (D), I believe he has multiple, more recent claims of sexual assault.
9
Perhaps he was pushed into her, but I'm pretty sure he took out his own penis, soooooo....
3
It would have been easy for Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to yank Kavanaugh’s nomination after the credible allegations of boorish sexual impropriety were fleshed out. The Federalist Society simply would have rung up another conservative legal soldier. So why did they insist on ramming this awful candidate through the nomination process? Could it be that Trump’s deal to get Justice Stevens to retire included a promise to nominate Kavanaugh as the replacement?
4
If he had any decency or morals he would've declined the nomination. Instead he perjured himself.
Who paid off his debts? $200k doesn't disappear in a puff of smoke. The press has never pursued this or, if it's known, made the information public.
Get him off the bench.
8
My question is, and I believe both women’s statements about Kavanaugh, how does his past behavior affect his current judicial rulings? He is part of a system of white male privilege, a system back 35 years ago when “boys will be boys” backed inappropriate male behavior. Thats' why so many women never came forward with complaints when assaulted by a young man, they knew that the adults in the room (especially the men) would just shrug off the guys bad behavior. In order to be heard, a woman had to be raped at gun point in the woods and left naked and beaten, otherwise, it’s harmless behavior that is the normal part of white males growing up. Does Kavanaugh continue to protect the good old boys will be boys mentality? I suspect so. It’s that attitude that got him into the Supreme Court. He owes those men a lifetime of judicial rulings.
3
I disagree with the premise of this article. How can Kavanaugh be privileged yet Ramirez is just a good Catholic girl who studied and worked hard and yet both made it into Yale..
These absurd dorm parties have gone on for many decades and boys have always been bad. Why keep dredging up a scene that took place at a party 35 or more years ago? What is the point in harping on Kavanaugh? Is this reparation reporting?
It happened as it always has happened and will continue to happen. Can we read one article that doesn't lecture us on the merit of privilege and how we must be self conscious of color, sex and zip code?
7
The world needs to grow up. Let's start first with ditching euphemisms like the "privileged kids."
Let's call it by its real name. These are people who are born on third base and actually think THEY hit a homerun. They are spoiled, narcissistic, entitled, snobs who think they're better than everyone else because of the size of their parents bank account. They learn early on it's okay for them to cut in line, humiliate and intimidate others, sneak, lie, cheat, and squirm their way out of any trouble because Mommy and Daddy have money. Growing up, any kid who had to work for everything they got, was able to recognize these kids for the trash and trouble they were. They were the outcasts because they would betray you in a heartbeat. I'd rather clean toilets my entire life than live be a PRETENDER. No matter how much these types prosper, they are NOT living an honest authentic life. There really is no cure for that, it's a soul-sick existence. I deeply admire the woman that came forward in the Kavanaugh case. The truth is a constant that never wavers.
8
History has shown that the allegations of sexual misconduct were true about Clarence Thomas and are true about Kavanaugh. And in both cases the Senate couldn't get a grip on its responsibility to confirm a justice with an honorable past, who will serve SCOTUS without a cloud over his head. To me, it is far more important to confirm a "clean" justice than push thru a confirmation. Why not acknowledge that the believable & verifiable accusations are disqualifying? Why not choose someone else? Nope, can't do that, politics wins. So now we have a supreme court with 2 sexual predators - 22%. Nearly a quarter of our Supreme Court. Embarrassing, isn't it??
8
In Trump-World, the stories and the behavior behind them most likely create a badge of honor!
2
So now we have two Supreme Court justices who got away with it. And some 40% of The American people don't care. Worse, they celebrate their "victory." So much winning, as Trump promised. Tragically, he was right. And the rest of us, the great majority in fact, are losers. We cannot seem to rid ourselves of this guy, and all the destructive force he wields.
2
The Republicans are so desperate for SC justices that mirror their ideology that they give us Kavanaugh and Thomas as the best they can find. Sad that our justice system has been polluted by men like these. Maybe they (Repubs) could do better. I don't think women or minorities stand a chance when we have this type of person as a SC justice.
3
Well, yes, he should be impeached. But it will open the door to mass impeachments of all democratic justices in future years. But it may not matter, as that is likely coming anyhow.
1
I can't say I'm up on the details of this case, but doesn't the supposed victim deny that this ever event happened?
6
Yes--but he's now a Supreme Court justice and none of this is able to reverse that unfortunate reality
3
One can just imagine the kind of decisions that will be coming down from this court, now that it has been corrupted by unworthy "justices," and while we have been commenting on electronic sites like this Mitch McConnell has been overseeing the packing of Federal judicial benches with mostly white men who will set back Progressive aspirations in America for decades to come. Better buy and read the new "Handmaids" book, because that is the direction into which we are headed.
3
Kavanaugh already publicly threatened revenge, which would be unbelievable in any context other than a guy with a drinking problem nominated by this fraudulent president.
7
I understand how the mix of race, class, and gender is so beloved to many. Especially from a critical viewpount.
The problem, to my mind, is that it not only reduces people to stereotypes, but encourages others to do so.
This story is a prime example.
7
It seems that the rules are different.
3
you knew that Kavanaugh would be back... like a penny. What Ms. Ramirez was confronted by at Yale was the idea, endemic in this country, that privilege always gets its way.. and rarely has to answer for it.... We'll be paying for this episode for the next 35 or 40 years...
5
“But the Republican-controlled Senate had imposed strict limits on the investigation.” To me, that sentence distills the moral essence of the Republican Party.
7
I’m wondering if Kavanaugh or any of his classmates that participated in this kind of behavior or attitude fell any remorse now that they have grown older and, in theory, wiser? If not, are they not the real losers, not the Debbies of the world.
3
I have yet to read a report on the recent allegations reported by Christine ford’s attorney that her testimony was given to prevent kavanaugh from SCOTUS because they feared he would lead the effort to repeal Roe vs. wade. Christine Ford was not a credible witness. The more she testified, the more holes were were found and her stories about her alleged fears of flying, etc were bizarre when the truths were discovered. Where is she now? The left will simply not let go of the fact that they lost in 2016 and no amount of whining and lying will change the facts. Kavanaugh is a solid, moral individual and does not deserve the unrelenting efforts of lefts’ radicals to continually drag him down to their warped level.
7
Are you suggesting that bad behavior is limited to the 'elite' class of young men and women as they experience the hormonal madness of youth and that they target people who are less 'fortunate'? That is simply not true. Every group gains strength from being surrounded by supporters - note all the abusers that the Times has been featuring - and the same goes for kids who do not go to college, or ones who go to city or state schools. They will target the few 'elite' kids and try to dominate.
I am neither supporting nor attacking Justice Kavanaugh, but simply stating that all the behaviors described are owned by multiple groups, in various situations. Embarrassing the 'other' is a favorite topic of our movies and TV shows. Stand down on Kavanaugh and move on from decades ago - or go back and check the behavior of all the op-ed writers. That might be very interesting.
1
Even a superficial reading of the history of the Catholic Church, even as written by its own hierarchy and apologists, unambiguously shows a constant pattern of seeking alliances with secular powers around the globe. Now, your Supreme Court has six members out of nine that identify as Catholic; the last one in being Jesuit-trained Kavanaugh.
Recall the parts of his Senate hearing you may have seen: the facial expressions, the body language, interrupting a female member of the Senate. Would you buy a used car from this man?
While Canada has her own problematic history with the Catholic Church one has to ask: "America: How do you think this is going to play out for you?"
1
Once again, the fix was in for the wealthy and powerful. Now on to the college admissions scandal . . .
3
Thank you for keeping Kavanaugh's unfitness for the highest court salient. His position on the court is the greatest insult to one of our primary institutions.
6
Women should always be believed, except of course, if you were one of the women accusing Bill Clinton. It always comes down to whose ox is being gored. Some will go crazy over this, but that just proves the point. Election of 2020 should be quite the show.
6
I am not an expert on Constitutional Law, but I am an expert on the social habits of Montgomery County teenagers, having raised three sons here who came of age during the '90's, and all of whom went to Bethesda-Chevy-Chase High School. Let me say at the outset that everything Christine Blasey Ford rings true. And everything that Bret Kavanaugh said during his hearings seemed like an evil fantasy.
However, one sentence in your story today does not ring true: "He was . . . known to attend an annual teenage bacchanal called “Beach Week,” where the hookups and drinking were more important than the sand and swimming." This makes it sound as if kids sneaked off to Beach Week, much the same way their aging counterparts retreat to the Bohemian Grove in California. All three of my kids went to Beach Week. The vast majority of high school seniors in the area decamped to the nearby beaches on the Delaware and Maryland coasts.Thousands of kids went, and I don't think all of them went on to be sexual predators. The year my middle son went, Chelsea Clinton was there, for heavens sake, complete with Secret Service detail dressed in shorts and golf shirts, and watching the action on the beach from the boardwalk. You don't have to go to somewhat silly lengths to make the point that Kavanaugh should not be on the Supreme Count.
3
I was one of those kids in Montgomery County, at a private school - though I took driver’s Ed at Bethesda-Chevy Chase. You would have not have approved of anything about Beach Week if you had any idea what happened there.
1
Well this is interesting. It would appear that Justice Kavanaugh May have misrepresented himself. This is troubling. If there are those who know he was lying during his confirmation they can effectively blackmail him into rendering decisions they want. Bear in mind this is the highest court in the land and he has a lifetime appointment. While his boorish behavior is appalling, if he had admitted it and apologized for it one might write it off as youthful foolishness. But if he did lie about his actions it is a much more serious offense. Shame on the Republican Party for their win at all costs strategy. It is obvious that the well being of the nation no longer enters into their calculations.
4
When it slowly sank in to the minds of white male conservatives and white extremists that their privilege based on gender, race and parental income may disappear in the evolving United States they strategized in the 1980s to make the Supreme Court their battle ground from where to rule against a majority.
They are close to achieving this goal.
White women and white men of conscience need to join those who fight the Kavanaghs and Trumps and Mitch McCs with all their might. I certainly do.
5
“But the Republican-controlled Senate had imposed strict limits on the investigation.”
And seated Justices of SCOTUS did not rebuke those Senators based on The U.S, Constitution’s “Advise & Consent” principle? It didn’t seem appropriate for The Justices, a single one of them, to make a quiet phone call to advise those Senators that the qualifying process for such an appointment must present to The Public the highest integrity.
This shameful attitude, lack of candor & a failure to provide proper oversight by US Public Officials is our nation’s most egregious crisis. When some House Dems balk at using their Impeachment power because they feel that may harm their re-election prospects also demonstrates this inability to serve the Public’s interest before personal ambitions.
Being a Public Official is the highest standard of US Citizenship. At least Trump and his ilk don’t pretend such convention! And their regard for personal/public “Law & Order” is no longer maintained under cover. Why not, whose to say otherwise?
4
This sad, sad tale simply underscores the importance of getting out and voting next November to put an end to the Trump/McConnell era.
5
How, in even the shambles of "good conscience," can anyone tolerate the existence of such information, responsibly presented, without insisting on further investigation?
Section 4 of Article 2 in our Constitution seems to me highly applicable to investigation of the disparity between the assertions collected by Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly and those affirmed by not-yet-then-Justice Kavanaugh. Certainly every clear-thinking citizen would consider perjury, especially under oath during a confirmation hearing focused on the substance of these allegations, to constitute at least 'high Misdemeanor."
2
The Senate Republicans railroaded Bret Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court without even a pantomime of real investigation. It is quite possible that shameful details about his past will continue to come to light during his entire tenure on the court, sullying it with further dishonor. How different, and immeasurably better, it would be if Merrick Garland were in Kavanaugh's seat.
4
What if, after a justice's confirmation, credible evidence was discovered that s/he had, for instance, murdered someone? Would Congress be able to do anything? Investigate? Have her/him stand trial? Un-appoint that justice? If we have no remedies for mistakes, then our one chance for getting it right must be thorough beyond a shadow of a doubt and unimpeachable. If our current system and laws allow for a ham-fisted confirmation process, then it must be changed and codified so no one can slip through again.
2
After reading how the FBI investigation was blocked it certainly sounds like Sen. Grassly Did his job well. Unfortunately he’s probably been at it so long that he has no shame about it.
2
We seems we have a criminal on the Supreme Court, sitting in judgement of us all and controlling our daily lives for decades to come. This farce of justice was brought to us by a corrupt Republican Party, who were more interested in keeping personal power, than they were in seating a qualified, unbiased candidate that served this country’s laws and what is right. Our country does not benefit from a Politically Stacked Supreme Court. Those who sit in power do. POWER TO THE PEOPLE. Let’s take our power back. Let’s get out and vote against any person who voted for Kavanaugh and brought the Supreme Court further into Trump’s swamp. We can rise out of this muck, if we stick together as tightly as our Republicans misrepresenters do and don’t allow them to divide and destroy us and our country.
5
The House should forget about impeaching Trump who will be gone in 2 or 4 years and focus on opening an investigation on Kavanaugh who is there for life. The damage he can inflict during his tenure is far worse. Moscow Mitch's worst nightmare is having to run a hearing on a Supreme Court justice that the republicans rammed through the process.
4
Sorry but I don't believe her. She admits she was falling-down drunk and it took her six days of combing her memory to decide that it must have been Kavanaugh. She was obviously on Blasey Ford's side as well as being a democrat who didn't want BK on the Supreme Court. This column makes her out to be an innocent, hard-working student who had a sheltered upbringing and was shocked by such rude behavior at drunken parties. I don't buy it.
4
This is so extremely difficult for me as a woman who has struggled, as all women have, with the treatment we receive at the hands of men. I am all in favor of impeaching Brett Kavenaugh. He has no place in any court of law. I will fight to see this class of misogynists out of office!
10
How many asterisks are there on the Supreme Court? I count at least three: Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. The Federalist Society is responsible for many more asterisks, Barr being the most recent addition to the list of most egregious.
8
@Christy: Suzie Q Collins held no town halls during August break (she never has in twenty years!) but she attended a Federalist rich people's party down on Mount Desert Island.
I truly hope the good people of Maine fire her.
3
If we don’t want ethically questionable people serving on the Supreme Court, then maybe we should begin to scrutinize more closely the character of those who nominate such candidates in the first place.
Other presidents have withdrawn names for consideration for reasons much less salacious than the allegations against Kavanaugh, which have been independently collaborated by Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Max Stier.
But what do we expect from a man — now President —who sees women as inferior playthings, unworthy of respect? Trump’s political future should have ended, full stop, with “Access Hollywood,” as it would have with any other candidate (Gary Hart comes quickly to mind), at any other time in our history.
We deserve — and should demand — better than this constant erosion of basic standards of behavior, and it starts at the top. Kavanaugh’s confirmation should come as no surprise, but the fact that a lot of us are still appalled and disgusted that he is on the bench for life shows that maybe — maybe — there is still some hope that we can turn this country around going forward, that we are not accepting this as “business as usual.”
6
Important article though there's lots of criticism in social media for the way the article is framed around Yale undergraduate culture rather than the corroboration of what happened to Debbie Ramirez. What I found extraordinary is the implication that somehow race wasn't a fraught issue at Yale in the 1980's. First the authors (at least one of whom I believe is a Yale alum from the 1980's) write this: "There were many more unhappy memories of college. Fellow students made fun of the way she dropped consonants when she spoke, but also ribbed her for not being fluent in Spanish. They mocked her knockoff black-and-red Air Jordans. They even questioned her admission on the merits. “Is it because you’re Puerto Rican?” someone once asked her." Then, they make the following ridiculous claim: "The college campuses of the 1980s had yet to be galvanized by the identity and sexual politics that course through today’s cultural debates." As a 1980's yale alum, I have no idea how they can make such a claim. Oh boy, do I have stories.
3
Here is a good rule of thumb if you go to a party or any event where there is drinking, "Make sure you drink less than anyone else and leave before the drinking gets out of hand and take your friends with you."
7
Most of this was known. I read Deborah Ramirez's story during the hearings. The FBI's unwillingness to investigate this, and other incidents, was obvious. Kavanaugh's calendar, made public, was revealing. His lies were televised for all to see. His debts were magically paid, and his personal flaws were laid to rest. He has friends in high places. But the truth will out.
9
It seems we have two on the Supreme Court who likely committed purjery in their confirmation hearings. They are deciding whether people live or die . Can we not ask more from them .
6
The key point here is that the GOP made certain that any credible charge against their boy Kavanaugh would not be investigated.
6
In terms of the FBI's (lack of) investigation: power at the top continues to dominate how American "justice" allows the candidate of choice to slip into the chosen slot. Those wanting Kavanaugh in the Supreme Court outwitted Pelosi's Democrats' hopes for Dr Ford. Dark money, dark power forces surprised even the reality TV star himself into the presidency.
Thank God people like Ms Ramirez are able to come into their own, after a painful struggle, as authentic human beings. Just don't let them seek high political office, or CEO of multinational corporations, or other positions where the corruption of power diminishes their humanity.
2
She drank, he drank, witnesses drank. Alcohol is a mind altering drug. How come do we put so much weight on drunk witnesses’ testimony, 30 years later? How is that justice of any kind?
3
@G. Samuel: Kavanaugh was drunk at his hearing, too. He likes his beer, that's for sure. Whiny, crying 'victim' and we all saw it. And yet he was confirmed.
There is no justice. And we wonder why Americans are cynical? There's no reason to wonder in the Age of Trump and Kavanaugh.
4
Senate Republicans stand condemned for their failure to Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Ford and to the American people. The expediency of politics "trumped" truth. The greatest shame falls on the shoulders of Mitch McConnell, whom we can only hope is thrown out of office in November, 2020. McConnell had to know what more serious allegations would have come forward had he not set the phony deadline on the investigation. Instead, he rammed Kavanaugh's nomination through. Kavanaugh has wasted no time in rewarding his GOP benefactors with his court performance.
10
There is no way that Brett Kavanaugh does not --not get away with this. It's all in line with the GOP/ Trumpian approach of pushing everything to the limit and getting with away with as much as possible. Trump's latest Twitter is absolutely correct -- the newest strategy of the left should be shaming Kavanaugh into becoming a more judicious judge. He has a legacy and a family reputation to protect. Continued reminders of facts (such as a documentary) may force his hand.
1
So much more will come out that, at some point, Brett Kavanaugh will regret to have been made a Supreme Court justice.
17
Kavanaugh and Ramirez were in college at the same time I was.
First off, to use a favorite word of the NYT and its readers, if you were the least bit "woke" in the 80s" you didn't join a fraternity or a sorority, and you never went to one of their parties. I wouldn't let my sisters go to a fraternity party. And if they did, they got my wrath.
I can tell the NYT (Pogrebin & Kelly) this for a fact - the truly privileged at Yale certainly didn't think Brett Kavanaugh was one of them!
7
Why in the world is this article about a woman sexually assaulted by a future Supreme Court justice couched in terms of a culture clash about a middle class woman of color who can't fit in with wealthy mirth-makers? The facts you have reported about Deborah Ramirez, witnesses, and corroboration by a highly respected classmate, Max Steir, who reported witnessing a similar incident by Kavanaugh, are devastating. And this is pitched as how she "couldn't fit in"?
Pardon me but your angle appears entirely tone deaf, reflects a perspective that suggests Kavanaugh's behavior was somehow normal, and aligns with over-privileged frat drunks who felt free to demean and assault women, including this one who has been at least twice accused of criminal sexual. Average people with a sense of right and wrong, whether privileged or not, likely see his conduct as abnormal and contemptible, and not simply reflective of a culture clash.
10
OK, we get it. The guy was a drunken obnoxious frat boy. But these women claiming to be traumatized by this stuff 35 years later is just manufactured victimhood. And bringing them out of the woodwork to spark investigations and charges is just blatant politics. It’s an insult to real assault victims.
4
@Max Defending Kavanaugh after all the verified testimony of his guilt is an insult to the America we loved. Trump/GOP/Conservatives will do Anything to "win". "anything". Impeach Kavanaugh for his lies. When Democrats regain the morality of America in 2020 there will be an accounting. GOP will deeply regret their lies and hate.
7
@Max
No it isn't.
3
@Max, spoken like a man with no daughters. The only way to stop this abhorant behavior in young boys is to make sure they understand that this type of behavior will follow them and haunt them throughout their lives.
3
Of course he is privileged. Brett Kavanaugh was blubbering raving drunk at his senate hearing. What person who is not a product of his privileged world would dare show up to a senate hearing in that condition? What person who put on such a disgusting display at their senate confirmation hearing, for a job as supreme court justice,would be confirmed in spite of their inappropriate behavior at their hearing?
19
so the nytimes and the left still think they can sabotage the republican majority on the supreme court. this article cites FBI agents illegally disclosing, and if true, is the serious crime that should be investigated, not some nonsense what someone may or may have done at a party when they are 20 years old. There is also no basis to have a full article about Ramirez - a total nobody and a proven liar.
7
The Republican majority on the Supreme Court is the result of minority support. That majority exists in contravention of what the majority of America voted for and supports.
5
@Mexican Gray Wolf
yes, that is correct. except the country founders knew the majority could not and should not necessarily be able to decide correctly how to govern. they had extraordinary insight that is especially relevant now with social and mainstream news media (for example this article) mindless echo and amplification. The parliamentary system in European countries provides a similar quality control
2
@sh Attack the Victim; treat anyone who opposes you as trash. Destroy people. Right Wing/Conservatives/Trump have no bottom. Vote Blue no matter who. Impeach Kavanaugh and all the GOP liars.
1
His was not typical frat boy behavior and youthful indiscretions. He was an ugly drunk and sexual predator. And The fix was in for him from the start. His weeping and wailing in the hearings, along with Lindsay Graham's, should has been immediately disqualifying. I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but there are way too many unanswered questions about Kavanaugh, from his his sketchy finances, his past "indiscretions", the thoroughness of his background check and his experience to justify a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. At the risk of sounding like Bernie Sanders, the Republicans have completely rigged the system. No wonder people are too lazy to vote.
21
Another sexual misconduct allegation uncovered against Kavanaugh. These Republicans who were so concerned about Bill Clinton seem to ignore all the misconduct on their end. I would rather have Clinton back. At least he cared about the people, not like Trump and his band of merry men. Deplorable.
16
If Brett Kavanaugh had a shred of integrity, honor, decency, or respect for the Supreme Court, he would have withdrawn his nomination. If he had a shred of any integrity, honor, decency, or respect for the Supreme Court, he would resign today. But he won’t.
Because Brett Kavanaugh, like Donald Trump, has gotten away with it his entire life. So keep the stories coming. Let’s get to know the real Brett. Let’s hear all the details from Max Stier, an attorney who clerked for Justice Souter.
And let’s dig into Brett’s finances. Who paid off those credit card bills that he carried from 2006 to 2016? What is really the story with those baseball tickets? Who puts $200,000 of baseball tickets for friends on a credit card but doesn’t get repaid until the following year?
And revisit your story on the FBI’s very truncated investigation of Brett. They are refusing to release any information on it under FOIA, citing executive privilege or some such nonsense. The American people need to know who ordered it to be so limited. The file is over 500 pages, so seeing it would be nice as well.
17
@NJlatelifemom: The FBI's initial investigation after Ford's testimony was a sham. They interviewed almost nobody. There is proof about the layout of the house she was in and testified about but that got buried completely. It was a sham and a lie. No wonder Americans are cynical and don't vote.
2
The House needs to reopen the completely disingenuous “investigation” by the FBI of the Blasey Ford AND Ramirez allegations. Kavanaugh needs to be humiliated off the bench. He is a lying, vengeful-but-typical Republican hack.
11
The Trump brand is above all else, a con. The Republican cowards on the Judiciary Committee, who used a "lady attorney" as their human shield during the hearing and crippled the FBI investigation, eagerly embraced the con and rubber-stamped Trump's selection to the Supreme Court because the world is getting browner but the Supreme Court certainly can't.
Brett Kavanaugh, mendacious and apoplectic, carries the Trump brand well and embodies the con. A sexual harasser from privilege who tripped his way to the top. "Grab them by the --" indeed.
My only hope is that the Trump brand will do to Kavanaugh what it did to an airline, a casino, and a "university".
15
You have to give it to Trump for being such a genius. Evil but genius.
Hire people whose character is at least as flawed, if not more, as yours. This will ensure that there will be no internal dissent.
Putin may have to learn something from him. Or may be he taught him all this. Birds of a feather, &c.
5
One more thing to remember:
Kavanaugh's high school friend Mark Judge wrote a book that recounted disgusting teenage exploits. Mark Judge should have been called to testify. Instead, he was allowed to simply give a limited affidavit and we now understand that the FBI was under orders not to pursue any leads.
Mark Judge should have testified under oath. The fact that the Republicans prevented him from being asked the questions that would surely have confirmed this behavior in other circumstances would have added a lot of credibility to Dr. Ford's testimony.
Instead, Kavanaugh was allowed to testify under oath that a girl whose reputation he trashed in his yearbook -- Renate -- was the recipient of kindness(!!) from her "friends" like Kavanaugh who made sure to memorialize in their yearbook their membership as "Renate Alumnius".
The man committed perjury. Why is he still on the Supreme Court.
10
@RJ
Mark Judge is the creator of the Blasey Ford myth.
If he had never written "God and Man At Georgetown Prep" Blasey Ford would never have heard of Kavanaugh.
1
So we now know that Kavanaugh loves beer and exposing himself (literally) and apparently has no issue with other men manipulating his manhood. Too little, too late. Would have been great if she had had a Sharpie to autograph his member.
5
In my view, it is not acceptable for these NYT writers to report the Max Stier assertion in this article without reporting the caveat reported in their book - the alleged victim identified by Mr. has absolutely no recollection of this event.
6
I mean, even if he did that, is it really an outrage? Journalism has become more damaging to society than helpful. Do you remember the sexual revolution that encouraged much of this? Liberals have become puritanical authoritarians and not liberal at all.
Let’s just do away with coed, because obviously women cannot handle men being men. And it is not right to completely transform us into your idea of what we should be, hence authoritarian.
3
Attorney General William Barr has actually created a "dark state",
in the Department of Justice. Gone are AG Sally Yates and FBI Director Comey and Asst. FBI Director McCabe.
Rather than actually do the legal work of America, Barr has dragged the Department of Justice to yet another low, with his unusual award to his loyal DOJ lieutenants who squeaked Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh through an inadequate FBI background check for sexual assault.
Oddly Inspector DOJ Inspector General, Michael Horwitz managed to please AG BARR sufficiently by lynching Asst. FBI Director McCabe for using his 1st Amendment Rights and his FBI job of communicated with the Wall Street Journal staff.
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh disgraces the Supreme Court, and much to Vladimir Putin's happiness, most Americans have increasing anxiety about the value of American Justice under low life's, like Barr and Kavanaugh.
8
I don't know if Deborah Ramirez is a liar or if she is just confused. And you know what? It does not matter because what happened was so long ago that there is no point in even considering DR's story.
But as a compromise, I suggest we ask all of Kavanaugh's clerks for their judgment.
BTW, they are all women. And you have to believe women, right?
6
Second and third hand hearsay, repressed memories....All very thin reeds to build the narrative...Ramirez and her 40 year-old recollections without corroboration were nothing a year ago--and not any better now. OCD abounds with these writers and way too many comments below. Get a life and get over it.
6
It's truly sad to see a once great country being run into the ground by a mob of Republicans of such low moral character.
8
This is a bad day for Susan Collins...She doesn't want anyone to remember her critical vote to confirm Kavanaugh..
7
@Darchitect
Susan Collins has been a bad faith actor her entire life.
3
@Darchitect: That was my first thought. My second thought is that she also voted for Barr - who is a criminal aiding and abetting a criminal president. Why are we even paying his salary? Trump should cut him a personal check every other week.
2
Who he is now is part of who he was when younger and he has complicity lied his way into a job other's ramrodded him into.
Kavanaugh's patten confirms who he was. Period.
Please keep writing and publishing these articles.
Many some kind hacker can slip this one on the Fox news website.
5
Justice Kavanaugh is Donald Trump's kind of guy: a privileged, white male misogynist who believes that women only exist for his sexual amusement, to be abused, assaulted, or raped for fun and power.
With Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, and Brett Kavanaugh, the Republican Party shows how misogynistic Republicans truly are.
5
To those that say it's just a case of youthful indiscretion, I have just one question: what if the accused were a black man?
7
An apology from the judge would have been nice. Making up for his past disdain for women isn't simply rectified by choosing women to clerk for him. Acting like a pig is a discredit to the smartest barnyard animal!
2
White privilege is sure serving our country well. What a horrible joke we have for a government.
3
How truly Trumpian.
2
Just read that Trump tweeted that Kavanaugh should sue the NYT for “liable” [sic] over this story. I hope he does. Discovery will uncover the full truth and allow all of the people who were not permitted to testify during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing to speak out.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/15/trump-brett-kavanaugh-1496181
8
Once the Democrats gain the senate Brett should be the first person they impeach for his sexual crimes. Second they should indict our lawless President and put him behind bars. Both of these acts would go a long way to demonstrate that no one is above the law.
4
Why isn't the headline of this piece "Kavanaugh Lied In Senate Testimony"?
7
This is a story about more sexual misconduct by Brett Kavanagh, not about whether Ms. Ramirez "fit in" at Yale. A shockingly misleading headline, which caused even me, an experienced newspaper reader and onetime metropolitan newspaper reporter and copyeditor, to skip over the story on the Times' website (I picked it up from the Huffpost account of the Times story). It is also a story about flagrant misconduct by the FBI in its "investigation" of Kavanagh, something that also could have made its way into the headline and higher in the story. The Times can do a lot better than this. And it should.
9
Republican Party's message to America:
"Boys will be boys, and sexually assaulting girls and women is no big deal."
7
But only for white men. Melanin in the skin? Off to jail with them!
I casually knew these sort of guys at college. And...I did not like them even though they seemed to "like" me. Snobbery works in both directions, you know. I looked down on them. They seemed like fratty /eating clubs jerks to me. College was too short a time to spend with those guys when there were so many witty, nice men to spend time with.
4
In such a short space of time, America has lost its high place in the world's rankings of societies where "justice" means what it says.
The ascension of BK to the SCOTUS was almost as profoundly improper as Trump's entry into the WH -- with Jared & Ivanka in tow.
Jared was granted highest-level security clearance in direct contravention of norms, regulations, benchmarks & explicit advice from national security professionals.
BK was instantly acclaimed as "family" by other justices -- even while there were multiple official complaints from peers, about his judicial conduct, that were simply dropped.
Nancy P does not care how it looks to have Trump's transgressions not even officially weighed in Congress. And now Holder says Trump must be permanently declared to be 'above the law' -- forever -- because it might be 'problematic' to prosecute him, even for so many egregious offenses.
Parscale, fawning while he rakes in the loot, asserts that a "Trump dynasty" is about to be imposed on the USA, with all these officials clearly acquiescing in such an unconstitutional, explicitly un-American development.
Barr & Pompeo eagerly help, grinning, even as they invert & pervert the actual purpose of their exalted office.
Once criminals feel there is no price to be paid for their corrupt, dishonest, cowardly pursuit of personal gain above all else, does anything the USA amounted to, for 240 years, even exist anymore?
We're coming apart at the seams. Who will stop this collapse?
3
Why on earth would the NYT use the term "fit in" when depicting a sexual predator?
2
Perhaps what is especially relevant towards credibility wrt this reported incident is what fraternity did he belong to. Certain fraternities bragged about grossing women by flapping that out! It wa sort of their trademark and supposedly great fun to see the shock in her eyes. I remember a fellow Dartmouth student describing the shock to a female when a certain fraternity guy flipped his down on the Pisano she was playing.
The teller bragged that was much of the fun at their parties, seeing the shock, and actually tame compared to the labyrinths tunnels leading to the several foot tumble into a large mattress lined room in the basement where it was likely to take several days to manage to get out. (The rooms always had a toilet room adjacent.)
1
This is pathetic. The NYT has become a paper run by hypocrites, which daily engages in hypocritical behavior, hires and defends racists, hate-mongers, and bigots, as it panders, lies, and twists the "news" to promote a particular POV.
This is just another example of that. Beyond continuing to smear Kavanaugh, what purpose does this serve?
Does it help to take attention away from the fact that the unraveling of the "Russian Collusion" is about to see McCabe indicted? Is the NYT hoping no one will remember its lauding and vigorous defense of him?
It's sad to see a once-great newspaper reduced to a partisan supermarket tabloid.
9
@vastly amused
Do you not want to know if a current justice actually engaged in behavior about which he lied under oath?
I do. I bet you would too, if the subject were, oh, I don't know... Sotomayor? Kagan? Methinks you'd be calling for her head to roll.
"Continuing to smear Kavanaugh" is an interesting way to put it. If the man had not done these things and lied about them, then there'd be nothing to report on, right? Seems to me he's doing it to himself.
4
Let me get this straight:
Ford has no corroborating evidence/witnesses, couldn't remember how she got to the party where the alleged event occurred or how she got home. No one remembers her & Kavanaugh being together at any point, she didn't confide in anyone at the time -- but you believe her -- and based on this "story" he shouldn't be on the supreme court?
Next we have Ramirez who claims she was at a drunken party where they were passing around an artificial penises --- and some guy flashes her. And there are seven people who remember something like that might have happened. Really? What is a good girl doing at such a party.
Both alleged events happened over 35 years ago. No charges brought at the time. No one notified school authorities, etc.
The only reason you believe these stories is either you don't believe in the rule of law (presumption of innocence, burden of proof) AND/OR you don't like the fact conservatives hold the majority on SCOTUS.
And for those who say, Kavanaugh wasn't on trial, it was a job interview, so it's OK to bring up these alleged events as a matter of character and accept them w/o proof, I say, you wouldn't support that idea if it were a dem nominee. The only reason to not approve Kavanaugh being on the SC is because of these alleged crimes -- which he has never been charged for, or accused of (with no evidence) until 30 years later.
If you want a country that has this kind of legal system (Salem like) good luck.
9
@Ralphie How many rapes have you witnessed, Raphie? How many attempted rapes? Right. There’s a reason there are never witnesses.
Details are missing an hour after. A day after. A month after. Some details may come back, some never do. This is NORMAL in the aftermath of a sexual assault and has nothing to do with whether or not it happened.
2
@Ralphie
I bet you have been a trained lawyer - the US legal profession has produced both great and evil minds, but its training has always been devoid of a moral compass.
Thus we get Brett and Ralphie and Donnie.
1
How come that FBI never investigated these reports from witnesses...
Pressure from corrupt WH, Barr's intimidation campaign, his financial debts magically evaporated, you tell me what does it sound like.
What kind of person is exposing his genitals...
Max Stier told the outlet he "saw Mr. Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/new-york-times-deletes-tweet-stating-that-brett-kavanaugh-thrust-his-penis-in-face-of-yale-student
Seat for life on a Supreme Court...
Yes, perfect fit for this WH.
3
Thanks to Republicans we now have two sexual deviants on the Supreme Court. Thanks, guys.
3
New allegations of sexual misconduct by Brett surfaced on Saturday. Why so slow on the reporting NYT ?
I have wondered how many times Kavanaugh's parents 'got' him out of trouble. He was a drunkard, according to all accounts, in high school as well as college. Dr. Ford most likely was not his only attempted rape victim; Ms. Ramirez was the 2nd known victim of his penis thrusting - again according to this account - so how many others were there? Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez are courageous women while Grassley and fellow Republicans were/are cowards, bobbleheads clicking their heels and yes siring the self-described sexual abuser in the WH.
5
Besides Kavanaugh, several federal judges should be impeached or pressured to step down, including but not limited to:
Neil Gorsuch for the SCOTUS seat stolen from the Obama administration by Mitch McConnell.
All judges rated 'Not Qualified' by the American Bar Association appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Republican Senate. Also, judges nominated and confirmed in defiance of traditional blue slip disapproval from Senators.
Judges which have shown clear instances of failing to show 'good behavior on the bench' should also be considered, though only for the most egregious offenses.
If the process of impeachment and pressure to step down fails, expanding the courts aka 'packing' should be considered as a last resort, and only in limited ways to neutralize or restore an individual court to a state that it would have been had a fair and thorough confirmation process actually had been conducted.
For example, if Gorusuch and Kavenaugh refused to step down and fail to be impeached, the next Democratic administration could consider adding 3 new SCOTUS seats, two 2 to neutralize their votes, and one to restore the seat stolen from Garland and Obama. Adding any more would be tantamount to the judicial equivalent of gerrymandering, as despite Kavenaugh's unfitness, his appointment was Trump's to fill.
Finally, unwritten norms and rules need to be codified to prevent anyone from ever abusing the past honor system again when it is in their political interests to ignore them.
2
If Democrats take the senate and the presidency Kavanaugh will be investigated. The Justice department and the FBI will do their jobs. I wish they would have waited, I hate to give Trump a second chance.
1
That was 30 years ago. If he was able to apologize for his blackout drunk (perhaps no memory of incident) and he has proven he has lead an exemplary life since then, can we not move on?
2
In my view, the problem is not his behaviour as a young man. His behaviour was abhorrent but we should recognize that everyone has the capacity to grow up and become a better person. The problem is that the judge will not apologize and continues to lie, or at best selectively recall his past. How does he feel about the many middle-aged men and women in US prisons for crimes committed in their late teens and who have sincerely repented, unlike him?
4
To me, he sounded like a garden variety alcoholic in denial. Unable to make amends and willing to denigrate himself in front of the whole country in order to defend his right to drink! I kept thinking of the Serenity Prayer as I was watching him. I wonder if he had been able to be honest with himself, how it would have influenced the hearings. I think there would have been a different outcome on both sides. He had an opportunity to make amends to Dr. Ford and Ms Ramirez.
It could have been a healing experience for all of us.
He still has the opportunity to show compassion in his seat on the Supreme Court. Maybe some day he will be able to do that.
4
I agree that Kavanaugh's alleged behavior is reprehensible but I do not believe it should disqualify from being a Supreme Court judge. Moreover, his alleged behavior has nothing to do with privilege; there are many people of privilege who conduct themselves respectfully towards others, while there are those not of privilege who conduct themselves repugnantly. This more to with character than privilege. Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court for life, it would be very difficult to remove him. Judge Clarence Thomas had similar accusations hurled at him and seems to have done just fine as a judge. So will Kavanaugh. I support him as I do the President who appointed him. Thank you.
3
Ms. Ramirez‘s story shows exactly how privilege helped Cavanagh to be sexually abusive. According to people who were at the party, she was targeted because of her innocence and outsider status. His status protected him both while at Yale and while being shallowly investigated by the FBI. Ms. Ramirez couldn’t get the FBI to return her calls. Sure smells like privilege to me.
2
These accusations against Kavanaugh are more then enough ammunition to make Trump and McConnell's packing of the Supreme Court a legitimate political issue in 2021 and beyond.
We will likely never have the 67 votes in the Senate to remove him via impeachment, but we will have more than enough ammunition to taint his lifetime appointment (especially when coupled to McConnell's refusal to allow a hearing to Merrick Garland), and thus make a persuasive argument for a liberal expansion of the Court.
3
The FBI background investigation into Brett Kavanaugh was a sham meant to appease enough Democratic Committee members to get Kavanaugh to the senate floor where the Republican controlled senate rubber stamped a nominee selected from a list complied by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation.
Kavanaugh deserves to be a justice on the Supreme Court in the same way that Clarence Thomas deserves to be a justice on the Court. The article makes it almost impossible to believe that Kavanaugh did not expose himself to Ms. Ramirez during an alcohol fueled party at Yale.
The article also shows the inherent difficulties that flow from inserting students like Ms.Ramizrez into the Ivy League culture for which they were inadequately preapred socially and in other ways.
Although outstanding academic achievement might get some people like Ramizrez into Yale, that alone is not enough to prepare them for the rigors of being surrounded in a society populated by the sons and daughters of the most elite people in the United States.
I am sorry that Ms. Ramirez was exposed to the underbelly of the elites in the United States. I have had any number of colleagues who grew up in the most elite surroundings, attending the best prep schools before obatining undergraduate and graduate degrees from elite institutions. Some are good people. Some, not so much.
The Kavanaugh hearings deserve a full and complete investigation, which I hope this book will provide.
9
Maybe now that colleges are getting backlash on legacy admissions, and flat out bribary admissions, these elites will not find it so easy to collectively abuse those who are there due to actual intellectual merit.
If "Keg" Kavanaugh could treat Christine Blasey Ford, a person from his own social circle, in such offensive manner, it is not hard to imagine the lack of regard he had for Deborah Ramirez.
Besides being a habitual drunk Kavanaugh seems to have had a proclivity for exposing himself in the presence of witnesses. I find that very disturbing. This goes beyond heavy drinking to other behavioral problems.
12
@cl
Kavanaugh never met Blasey Ford, as her best friend who was supposed to support her about the alleged assault stated that she had never met Kavanaugh and didn't know who he was.The weren't in any circles together.
Ford picked up Kavanaugh's name only after reading " God and Man at Georgetown Prep" when she recognized the author's name and was told it related to her own school intimately involved with the same social circles.
I had a similar experience reading " Stingray Afternoons".
2
He's not the guy I would want coaching my daughter's soccer team. That's for sure.
1
In a more perfect world, Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch would be impeached and returned to the world of lawyering. In a perfect world, not only would they be impeached but the worlds of places like Chevy Chase and their occupants would be turned, like what occurred at Yorktown, topsy turvy. Perhaps it will come.
5
What Ms. Ramirez has that Kavanaugh never has had is the strength of character that compels you to follow your conscience and do what you believe is the right thing even though it may cost you your standing among your cherished tribe and dearest friends. What I saw in the Kavanaugh hearings was and still is a frightened little boy still desperate for the acceptance and inclusion of his tribe, and terrified of ever being expelled from that tribe. I do not see Kavanaugh’s behaviors so much as misogynistic and privilege based as I do based in a boy that never developed into a man that can suffer the slings and arrows of tribal rejection, and be his own man, do the right thing and be comfortable with the fallout. And, Ms. Rameriz and Dr. Ford have had this strength of character all along.
After all, it is one thing to do the right thing, but it is another to do the right thing even if it costs you every friend you have. Kavanaugh doesn’t have the right stuff, he will always be manipulated by his fear of rejection of his tribe. This is what these women who have come forward have shown more than Kavanaugh’s boorishness.
9
Suffocating constantly feigning "wokeness" climate, University ostracism, sanctions chilling free speech, students needing outlet, off campus outside academic hours, amongst likeminded tribal members minus specious "racist" accusations; a right already granted to subalterns accepting their freely chosen separateness ( graduation convocation, safe spaces minus white majority).
4
@Sean
Freebasing Rand + Derrida. Dude, don't.
When even Dr. Blasey Ford's FATHER thought that his acquaintance Brett Kavanaugh would make a fine Supreme Court Justice, you finally have to admit that the folderol and propagandizing against this innocent man has gone far enough.
Progressive have made themselves look absolutely ridficulous with this mob scene concerning Kavanaugh and yet the coastal press is convinced that holding on to progressives needing their biases reaffirmed is thei only route to survival.
Ms.Ramirez needs to come back with dates, times, and corroborating witnesses - oops! Actually, she would be a year late, wouldn't she?
Even zealots should have the sense of when beating a dead horse has progressed from crusade to hopeless farce.
11
A young man who repeatedly shoved his unwanted naked penis at young women. Ew. And now he’s on the Supreme Court.
1
Judge Kavanaugh smirks from the bench dispensing justice as he sees fit, because these Republican men refused justice -- even inquiries to confirm their stories -- to the women he abused in the past.
“You can’t look at justice as just the confirmation vote," someone wrote. I do. And justice in this case was not served.
7
What it comes down to is, Kavanaugh's appointment was illegitimate at the time and remains illegitimate, and so his opinions will never be respected like those of other justices.
He also taints all the other Trump judicial appointees, since it's clear that the administration's vetting process is inadequate.
Indulging that one spoiled brat has done immeasurable damage to the rule of law.
12
I would say Mr. Kavanaugh's current tenure, is only as safe as the current make up of the legislature, and White House.
Article II Section IV
The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
8
Maybe, just maybe, Kavanaugh will be impeached, convicted, and removed from the Supreme Court.
Hey Kavanaugh: Think this scenario is likely? Ponder it. Rest easy, Bart.
5
The Supreme Court is sullied by Kavanaugh's presence, but apparently nobody's going to do anything about that.
10
The very idea that we have Supreme Court Justices that are at best questionable is unsettling and frightening.
The “bar” for judges, congress people, presidents has been so lowered that citizens like myself are questioning the very essence of our government.
Each party deserves to be in the spotlight for lowering that bar at some point, but, you know what....so does the American public for not educating themselves before elections and for being stupid about their choices. The public blames everyone but themselves. Get a grip...learn who you are voting for and demand the high ground!
5
This is sickening. Again. It was obvious from the beginning that the FBI was hamstrung in its investigation, having been given such a tight time schedule that a thorough investigation wasn't possible.
Ted Cruz on "This Week" chuckled when George Stephanopoulos asked him about this article. He said that "this article shows the obsession with the far left, with trying to smear Justice Kavanaugh by going 30 years back with anonymous sources. It really is another sign of how nasty and divided the time is today."
Trump tweeted: "Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue. The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!" (I responded by tweeting that Kavanaugh can't actually use the Justice Department as his personal counsel, but I'm fairly sure that Trump 1) doesn't know that, 2) doesn't care, and 3) never reads tweets that oppose him.)
So that appears to be the GOP response to Ms. Ramirez and the dozens of people who would have corroborated the story of Kavanaugh's disgusting attack on her. Is it a surprise? No. Will there be an impeachment hearing to address Kavanaugh's lies before Congress? No. It's business as usual, and sadly, the women Kavanaugh ridiculed and abused will be forgotten.
12
I can tell you with certainty that this behavior still occurs from the rich white men who are on the conveyor belt to high power positions. When I was in a sorority in college, the fratboys and affluent drunks like Kavanaugh were known to be the most notorious sexual predators, and now that my children are in college, they tell me those stereotypes still exist and are still true.
10
I feel like weeping. Not simply from sadness although that’s there. The frustration and outrage that has been triggered in me and so many other women is overwhelming. Wrongdoing towards women is happening in plain sight and the men swagger away unscathed.
Somehow I thought that the Access Hollywood tape would automatically disqualify Trump. Yet this nasty predator is rewarded with the Presidency of the United States. Kavanaugh was so repugnant, clearly not deserving of a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. Yet there he sits on the Supreme Court.
I’ll have to default to Karma, hoping that someday, somewhere, somehow, these men will face consequences. They truly are bad guys.
13
I hope Senator Collins reads this, is voted out and is ashamed of how she went along with the boys club.
18
Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Ford are both very creidble. Kavanugh ("I LIKE BEER!") is not. He comes across as entitled and, for lack of a better word, bratty. I don't think it's that some people don't believe the women and don't believe he engaged in this behavior; it's that they simply don't care. These women are brave for coming forward.
#MeToo is not a passing fad. It's the new normal. I hope men who enjoy preying on women recognize this.
14
Thank you for writing this. I am so grateful for people like Deborah Ramirez. Courageous leaders inspire us to to do more.
And thank you for not letting this story die. A misogynist rapist is sitting on the Supreme Court. We can never forget that. He needs face that every single day. If he had any decency he would resign.
10
It’s too late now. The horse is out of the barn and our children’s children will be stuck with this contentious and unsuitable member of the court for 50 years.
It’s another disgusting legacy of the current occupant of the White House.
4
Dr. Ford told the truth great article
7
But Senator Susan Collins told all of us in a long speech that Mr. Kavenaugh is a "man of the highest moral integrity“.
Was she duped yet again?
12
Why can’t the house hold hearings?
5
I watched the entire hearing, it was a tale of two distinct events. Ms. Blasey Ford was human, nervous , polite and honest. There were reports that Trump found her credible and she was credible. Well that couldn’t stand!
After the mid day break, the hounds were loosed. No female GOP prosecutor questioning Kavanaugh, no, no, no. Sen. Lindsey Graham, breathing fire, took over. Brett Kavanaugh, who doubtless had been told his appointment was going up in flames if he didn’t show passion, became the furious white male victim. Plenty of people fell for that, male people, that is. Whining, wheedling, poor pitiful Brett appeared. Ironically, he appeared quite like the arrogant drunk Ms. Blasey Ford had described. But, it’s still a white man’s world baby and it worked like a charm. Insult Democratic senators, check, play the aggrieved poor little rich boy, check. He now sits on the Supreme Court for life, and as we all know, he still likes beer (a lot)! He told us so.
10
Did you ever see the movie Animal House where Belushi's character goes on to become a US Senator. There you go; life imitates art.
6
Can we please stop pretending these highly political allegations, raised 30 years after the alleged occurrence, by individuals who have every reason to lie, and often indicate they were too intoxicated to accurately recall the alleged events, are worthy of consideration.
Imagine your son or brother, having attained success in his chosen field, accused by a woman - who obviously vehemently opposes your son’s or brother’s success - and who claims to have been extremely intoxicated at the time, some 30 years ago, witnessed your son or brother don something wrong.
Unless you’re a politically hack, or intellectually feeble, you’d immediately take great offense at any such unsubstantiated attack.
Come on America, we are better than that. We left witch hunts and McCarthyism in the dust decades ago.
8
@John Guess how long ago the Holocaust happened? HINT: It was more than 30 years ago. Yet it still matters. I'm betting money you have a penis. AMAZING writing skills tho. Cough.
3
It’s a lifetime appointment! So, yes, sexual assaults you did 30 years ago still matter.
1
@John You feeling guilty about something, John?
It’s nothing new that every single thing about SCOTUS nominee will be vetted thoroughly. And stuff comes up, as it did for BK. But what’s at issue is that it wasn’t thoroughly investigated. All that needed to be done was to suspend the hearings, let the FBI fully investigate, then report their findings. Where there’s smoke ther’s fire.
1
The beginning of the end was blocking Merrick Garland.
It continued with the Kavanaugh nomination.
And now we all pray for RBG.
10
There are two kinds of elitism, but only one of which is sneered at. The first kind is a respect and reverence for knowledge, culture, science, and expertise. This is usually mocked by "real Americans". The second kind is privilege, money, hierarchy, and arrogance. It's what typifies Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, the GOP's Big Money donors, and the conservative commentariat. You can be a lowlife and elitist at the same time. The Republican Party proves it daily.
8
The writer failed to mention that according to "credible" Ford's attorney, much of Ford's motivation was to stop Kavanaugh because of Roe v. Wade. So she is not credible at all.
9
hopefully, once the House no longer has to spend every investigatory resource of the plethora of Trump's crimes, the Judiciary committee will bring Ramirez and all of her witnesses to testify in open session of Congress -- and then demand that Charles Grassley appear, and explain why he lied to the people of the United States to put a sexual predator on the Supreme Court.
5
THe FBI investigation was clearly hampered and constricted from the start by republicans. It's of a piece with their entire year's body of work.
4
There is only one Brown, One Harvard and one Yale, etc. They are among the top wonder-schools, as so many people claim them to be. Why then are wonder-schools so wonderfully few in number? What do we lack as a nation that we have such a small number of them. Why are so many denied access to the wonder-schools? Because there are so few of them...but why so few?
There is only one SCOTUS and nine justices. There are many well qualified people who could be placed on the court. Of the nine, we wind up with two perverted and despised justices. We have many well qualified people to be POTUS, yet we have created processes that insured that sooner or later a degenerate would win the office.
Why are our major educational and governmental institutions becoming such hangouts for such perverse, sickening runts?
7
Beyond the very credible allegations by Ramirez and Ford, there's so much else surrounding Kavanaugh's appointment that it's hard not to see the entire Supreme Court selection process as compromised: Andrew Kennedy's retirement while Trump is in office, given his son's (and Trump's) Deutsche Bank connections, the Federalist Society involvement and Trump's allegiance to this very partisan group, Kavanaugh's 2009 article on presidential power, and his highly questionable financial situation. That he would even be nominated given the number of well-qualified judges without his baggage is disturbing. That he is now a SC justice is truly depressing.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/09/the-many-mysteries-of-brett-kavanaughs-finances/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/announcement/frontline-investigates-the-battle-for-control-of-americas-highest-court-in-supreme-revenge/
7
I have always been admonished that lying on your resume means, if you are discovered, that you will be fired from your job for lack of integrity. We, the American public, need more information on the testimony these investigators recorded. If that provides a preponderance of evidence that Kavanaugh was a sexual predator and heavy drinker who lied about both on his “resume,” then he should be fired just like the rest of would be from our jobs - for his lack of integrity.
6
The Kavanaugh hearings were hugely significant in my loss of faith in our government. It truly hurts. Our democracy is dying.
7
@Just Curious I had not seen him before the hearing and my first impression was that he was hung over. Then I realized he was. Then he carried on like he was badly hung over. I remember Betty Ford and telling friends "she's stoned". They did not like me to say that. How could I !??! Then it came out.
2
At the heart of this issue is a disregard for ethics whose values should be demonstrated in every aspect of one's behavior. Our President is a leader, championing the disregard for and abuse of ethics and has a clear and direct connection to Brett Kavanaugh. It's not about sexual behavior it's about a missing component in every aspect of our lives.
5
I hope and pray that Kavanaugh takes Trump's advice to sue his accusers. Nothing would discredit Kavanaugh more than doing so. It would ultimately involve his fellow justices in a conflict of interest unless it accepted an appellate court's verdict. It would require him to prove a negative, that he did not do what the accusers say he did. It would expose him to the great risks which he would face under oath in cross-examination. And he would lose. He would probably not resign; he is too angry at his perceived enemies and too pleased to exercise power over them to surrender his seat in the name of decency and justice. The man is as squalid in his way as the man you nominated him is.
5
Thanks to the NYTimes for continuing to research this incident. On ABC's Stephanopoulos show this morning, Ted Cruz characterized the Times as "being bitter-enders" and that those of us who are upset about the Kavanaugh hearings and confirmation need to let go of our anger "and recognize that the democratic process actually moves on." Apparently Sen. Cruz thinks that truth doesn't matter and that failing to investigate properly doesn't matter. He's wrong, and I hope there will be actions taken soon to properly investigate all allegations against Justice Kavanaugh, with the Judiciary Committee proceeding honorably based on the result of adequate investigations.
8
By limiting the FBI investigation, the President and Senate Republicans created a fraud on the American people.
Kavanaugh must be impeached and tried in the Senate. In other words, let’s get all the evidence and let Kavanaugh be examined honestly. For confirmation, all he needed as a 51 vote majority. For impeachment, all he will need is one-third to avoid removal from Office.
The one thing that is obvious is that if he is to be allowed to help determine what is legal or not is he must be given a chance to clear these previously hidden claims of wrongdoing. If he cannot, he must be removed from the SCOTUS.
6
It will take decades to undo the damage caused by Kavanaugh. Thank you for telling this story. I believe these women.
9
Looking at someone's facial expressions tells you just about everything you need to know about that person. Why the one highlighting this article couldn't convince a senate "advise and consent" panel is beyond me. Evidence was superfluous.
What violence?
To this date there has not been a single eyewitness to corroborate this man's story, nor Ford's, nor that of Ramirez.
Indeed, Ramirez sent letters to multiple individuals who she thought attended the party with Kavanaugh,although she stated that she NEVER SAW him there.Did any of the witnesses that she contacted ever see what she later claimedKavanaugh did?
No.
8
Did you read the article? What Kavanaugh did was the talk of the school. Several classmates contacted the FBI. But, the real question is, do even care?
4
Kavanaugh is not a valid Supreme Court Justice and never will be. His appointment will tar the SCOTUS until the day he retires, or hopefully, is forced out when there's a real investigation of his character.
His appointment was completely partisan to a body that defines itself as non-partisan.
The larger issue, is of course, that the SCOTUS cannot be non-partisan again until the "nuclear option" of confirming judges by a 1-vote majority, depending absolutely on which party has the majority at the time of the confirmation, is abolished
The two-thirds majority confirmation standard should be enshrined starting now in the SCOTUS confirmation process, and Kavanaugh's botched confirmation should be the textbook example taught to all future law students as to why that is necessary.
7
At a minimum, the D.C. Bar has to discipline Kavanaugh for lying … even if only about whether this high school drinking was legal (it was not). That lie was at least as relevant as Clinton's about a consensual extramarital affair.
Although Kavanaugh does not need his law license to remain on the SCOTUS, suspension of his license -- as Arkansas and the SCOTUS did to Clinton, who also didn't need his law license -- gives Kavanaugh a well-deserved stain while restoring some of the integrity and ability to police itself that the legal community has since the 1980's lost.
13
So relieved to see that Brett Kavanaugh will still further in public see what bad he did. He should himself been brave enough in honesty and in respect even to himself and family
to never have accepted the appointment to the Supreme Court. He has a misunderstanding and disrespect for the Supreme Court if he does not understand what his being there means.
I hope this situation stays up front forever in whatever degrees it can. The past is important.
I see it helps others stand up - extremely important. There needs to be far more examples brought forward and there needs to be justice, not in just accusing, but more so so that real lessons are learned. Not every example will show injustice, but every example will show humanity if done according to the rule of law. I have been the lead lawyer in a case now that has taken, instead of 3 to 6 months, it is now 18 months - this is also injustice in itself
All these above matters need to be worked on. For example, lawyers are very important in our democracy now more than ever before, almost a fourth layer of government. They as a group and individually have a massively important rule of law role to fulfill which might not always be profitable in terms of remuneration.
7
I do not believe a word of it. Another hit job on Kavanaugh. No proof at all.
13
@Doris Keyes
And what would you consider "proof" short of an actual video of the event? Why does this woman have a motive to lie (in contrast with Kavanaugh's motive, which is obvious), and why do you not find it troubling that Republican senators limited the FBI investigation so tightly that they could not interview any of the potentially corroborating witnesses? Had the FBI not been so politically constrained, perhaps there would in fact be further proof that Ms. Ramirez is in fact telling the truth?
11
@Doris Keyes
25 witnesses. Repeat, there are 25 witnesses who were willing to come forward and who tried to reach the FBI.
That is proof.
5
@MPS
How about an actual fact; there were multiple witnesses according to these stories.
None have confirmed them
2
Apparently, there's no statute of limitations when it comes to character assassination. And, among cocktail party liberals, no familiarity with the concept of moving on.
9
@Peter Murphy
Are you saying that Brett Kavanaugh and his friends' permanent assassination of their "friend" Renate's character throughout their high school yearbook should get a pass because it happened a long time ago.
Are you saying that you demand that because Kavanaugh's character assassination of a young teen girl happened so long ago, he should be allowed to commit perjury now to hide it?
Shameful morals by a Trump supporting Republican. But typical.
2
Impeach Kavanaugh. Not for his sexual harassment. For lying under oath. Sen. Patrick Leahy had identified his perjury in earlier testimony regarding a different issue. Once the Democrats achieve a Senate majority. Impeach him.
15
Didn’t Kavanaugh’s calendar make a point he was just plain weird? Where did he store all that stuff and why would a teenager start collecting their calendars?
Betting Kavanaugh did a lot of stuff he tried to alibi. Enter the calendars.
6
Kavanaugh could have gone up before the Judiciary Committee when the accusations against him first surfaced and leveled with the American people by saying something honest like:
“I drank way too much in high school.
I got drunk a lot.
I treated a lot of girls badly.
Yes, I roughed up Dr. Ford.
And later when I had daughters of my own I was sorry for how
I acted.
But it was too late then for me to do anything about it.
The truth is I am now a very different man who believes he could be a very good Supreme Court Justice."
The American people are usually pretty good about recognizing honesty in politicians and a truthful statement from him about how he behaved many years ago might have saved his reputation.
But it wasn’t in him, and he has still not apologized to Dr. Ford.
So it’s time now for him to step down.
13
If Kavanaugh had made that confession and stated that he was now a very different man, that would have been a lie. He was blubbering, raving drunk at his senate hearing, indicating he hasn't changed at all.
3
These stories must be kept alive and at full volume. Kavenaugh should not be on the Court. He should be forced off (after 2020!), either through resignation or impeachment.
6
Sounds like a plan!
1
The agency that has lost all credibility is the FBI.
2
@Areader
No, that would be the U.S. Senate, which has under Republican control not hesitated to politicize and weaponize to its advantage every agency of the U.S. Federal government.
9
There are so many better people than Kavanaugh. Women or men.
8
She said, he said.
Why is Ms. Ramirez coming forward 36 years after the alleged incident?
Why did Ms. Ramirez not file a civil or legal action against Mr. Kavanaugh in the intervening 36 years? Why isn’t she filing a civil suit now, unless she has been advised by counsel that such a suit would likely be tossed out or fail?
This sounds to me like part of an ongoing effort by the NYT and the Democrats to smear Mr. Kavanaugh even after he has been confirmed to the Supreme Court.
9
@Mon Ray
Are you saying that because Renate could not win a civil suit against Kavanaugh for the trashing he did to her throughout his yearbook (which is on record), that it was okay that Kavanaugh committed perjury and insisted that he and his friends did it to be nice to their friend?
No statute of limitations on the perjury that Kavanaugh committed to get away with his trashing of a high school girl's reputation.
3
Job #1 - Defeat Trump !
Job #2 - Defeat McConnell !
Job #3 - Impeach Kavanaugh for lying to congress.
job #4 - Get on with the business of running the country.
I know that is a lot to dump on mere mortals, but it must be done to maintain our republic.
12
@USMC1954
Job #5 - Have the hearing for Merrick Garland, and if he passes, replace Gorsuch, who accepted the stolen seat, with the rightful Justice.
1
I have no idea if this story about Brett Kavanaugh is true or not. I do know that if he were a Democrat, the left would not care at all about this allegation. You have only to look at Bill Clinton, who was a serious, serial abuser of untold numbers of women, in particular a very young woman, Monica Lewinsky, to know that if a leftie does it, it's excusable. If a conservative does it, he'll be hounded til death.
7
Not true. Times have changed since Clinton. Look at Al Franken. Al Franken’s inappropriate joke photo makes him look like a choir boy compared to smarmy Kavanaugh.
Bill Clinton didn't abuse anybody. All of the women he had sex with were adults and willing. If you are looking for a comparison allegation you have merely to look at Al Franken, who the democrats forced to resign.
@Kathleen880, you are confusing a consensual affair with rape. Huge difference.
If Democrats can retake the Senate, impeaching Kavanaugh should be high on their list of housecleaning jobs. Perjury to Congress is sufficient reason.
6
As infuriating as these new facts are, they are merely confirming what every woman in America saw when Brett Cavanaugh testified last fall. We have all encountered an entitled, smug, privileged young white man like him. We see through whatever charm is there. We see him.
13
So, where was Ms. Ramirez when SC Justice Kavanaugh was confirm to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals?
5
25 people corroborate her version of the Events.
They were not allowed to speak.
The FBI was told not to interview them.
The Peoples House should talk to them NOW!
11
@Marty
Actually no eyewitness corroborated any of these events
The original Ramirez second hand corroborating witness' source contradicted him and said Kavanaugh was not involved
9
When yoiu venture into new territory you can sometimes feel out of place. But the allegations against BK is a sad sad commentary about why women need and want to lash out- even if its with lies.
2
Smacks of Biden, Hatch, and Spector keeping two other women from testifying against Thomas. The natural apotheosis of this litany of Republican corruption is Trump himself. Possibly the last gasp of a dying racist and misogynistic white minority which will inevitably be forced to surrender power to a new majority.
Kavanaugh ripped a page out of the Trump playbook and that, coupled with his disgusting behavior in the past, was disqualifying.
Deny, deny, deny, never apologize, never back down. Ignore the harm you cause and continue top membership in the boys club. It's shameful that his man was awarded a lifetime appointment after committing perjury.
12
This is not journalism. This is a hit piece rehashing debunked allegations masquerading as journalism. Check the descriptors... Kavanaugh was “straining” to defend his character against Ford’s “searing” testimony, and the like.
Also, the FBI *did* interview three other individuals to try to corroborate Ramirez’s allegation. There was no collaboration.
This is just a couple of journos trying to make a name for themselves while rehashing an old story whose cache of credibility has long since waned.
But the sheep will baa and they will get feted at all the right parties. So no harm done... except to the truth. And a further erosion of journalistic credibility in general.
This isn’t some fact finding mission. It’s a witch hunt. And it’s sad because it takes the attention away from real examples of sexual harassment and assault.
10
@Christopher
Kavanaugh testifying under oath that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Renate trashing in his high school yearbook because it was just he and and his friends being nice to a girl.
Enough said.
4
It’s not a witch hunt if it’s true. A lot of people care about Kavanaugh’s sorted past. And because of that, journalists will keep digging. These nasty frat boys don’t change their stripes post college. There will be more allegations. Kavanaugh will regret letting his ambition forge ahead of common sense. His secrets will be revealed.
1
Here is the crux of the article. "But while we found Dr. Ford’s allegations credible during a 10-month investigation." Last week the NYT reported that Ford's own attorney didn't find her claims creditable and thought the only reason she brought them up was Kavanaugh's reputed stand on abortion.
When you lead off with a claim that has been refuted the rest of the story loses some of it's cache.
7
Deborah Ramirez is courageous. The behavior described by Kavanaugh and the other students and their comments, is appalling, disgusting, and sad. Please keep reporting on this NYT. This man lied under oath and should not be on the SCOTUS.
4
The left can't let their politics of personal destruction go. Justice Ginsburg has spent more time with Kavanaugh than Ramirez did decades ago. I'll take Ginsburg's take on Kavanaugh today over Ramirez's vague recollections of college behavior. Good luck selling your book.
6
Kavanaugh gave himself away at the hearings. He is a nasty piece of work who will in time reflect on his lies and regret that
his raw ambition was so much on show. I hope that his disgraceful behaviour at those hearings will be shown from time to time to remind him of what a poor character of a man he is.
8
Kavanaugh’s sexual violence toward women is well-documented and wholly credible, as Ramirez’s account palpably demonstrates. All the Senate cowards who voted for his confirmation should be named and shamed in perpetuity, and certainly never again must women vote GOP. It is obvious now and was certainly clear during the bogus confirmation hearings that Kavanaugh is a sex offender, and, in fact, so is Trump. As a result, all the Trump SCOTUS picks should be invalidated. Otherwise, the message from the top is that women are second-class citizens not just at Yale, but everywhere in the country.
4
Another spoiled rich kid sins and wins. What is happening to our country?
3
Nothing has changed!
The fact that some people still feel that this is not important shows how far this country still has to go in terms of real equal rights for women. If a man was making these accusations, Kavanaugh would NEVER have gotten the nomination. (Which shows that gay rights have even farther to go.) Can’t we find anyone who is capable of telling the truth and, by the way, can also keep his private parts in his pants when appropriate?
2
Maljustice Brett Kavanaugh had exactly the qualifications that the current POTUS supports. The complaining women probably added to the criteria of the POTUS for confirming the nomination of BK.
2
Weren't there other conservative candidates for the court who weren't attempted rapists? The GOP through this entire process was just brazen. It is an embarrassment to this country, just like this administration.
7
Maybe there aren’t?
oh they all know he did it. but they would have done it as well. so no big deal. boys being boys.
2
Deborah Ramirez lied.
Why hasn’t she been prosecuted?
4
@Frank
She should be.
Ford should be prosecuted for lying about flying, lying about the remodel of her house, lying about being ignorant of the offer to testify in California, lying about coaching polygraphs and finally for lying about the year the assault took place- as Kavanaugh wasn't even around at the time she originally claimed the incident took place.
4
This battle was fought in November 2016. Time to get over it.
7
@Mike, it's not over until the truth comes out. See Epstein for a clue.
2
Let us not forget Susan Collins' delayed but full-throated support of Kavanaugh who had, apart from his past misdeeds, revealed his lack of fitness for the Court many times during the hearings by his lies and rants. And let us not forget that Susan Collins is up for re-election in Maine.
14
None of this is surprising and it is helpful that Ms Ramirez story was further corroborated.
But what to do?
Kavanaugh , like Thomas is shameless...this is his birthright.
The answer is either to add more justices to the Supreme Court, the McConnell correction factor. Or you impeach Kavaugh for lying and let him defend himself and see if the same privileged sneers work again.
3
Talk about burying the lede. It invites mockery and dissembling. The story is that there is much more credible testimony of Kavanaugh's history of sexual assault. But the headline invites the interpretation that there is nothing more to say except that Ms. Ramirez was a fish out of water.
The Times' quality has been declining.
2
Impeach Brett Kavanagh and remove him from the bench.
And don’t forget his perjury: that counts, too.
Get this lying man off the Court.
It’s not his politics that disqualifies him; it’s his character.
6
Shame on everyone who pushed this man through to our once respected Supreme Court. This is on their hands.
6
I'm gay ..... I don't remember all of the insults thrown at me over the years .... by both men and women. Or the silly stunts done by both as well. Way too numerous.
I'm a bit older and "animal house" hit my senior year in high school ... the first of quite a few silly but influential movies .. surprisingly so.
There was a lot of boorish behavior at the time -- completely acceptable ..mostly by men .. but not exclusively. And, being a "white male" had nothing to do with it.
Maybe I'm just "hardened" ... but, I just can't get too worked up about this encounter ....
5
It is unfortunate for our democracy and its processes that the Times and its writers seem to want to relitigate the whole charade on the anniversary of the performance.
I hope that this is not going to be an annual affair.
No one in this saga comes off looking good...not Ford, not Kavanaugh, not Feinstein, not Grassley, not Harris, and certainly not Spartacus.
The one coming off looking the worst is the Judiciary Committee and its willingness to allow partisan cheap shots to dominate the process of confirming a nomination to the Supreme Court.
As the coin of Congress flips from heads to tails, the Democrats are going to find that only an archangel is going to have smooth sailing through the nomination process. The nominee's bedroom antics are going to be fair game, as will their use of illegal "recreational" drugs and matters of domestic harmony. Their families will be dragged unwillingly and unfairly through the mud being thrown by individuals from their past with whom they have dealt with for decades. All semblance of fairness will be subsumed by the bitterness and dirty fighting of politicians that are hardly accountable for their excesses.
Harry Reid is now thinking seriously about the wreckage that he caused by eliminating the filibuster.
I foresee the day when the Democrats are going to be thinking seriously about the wreckage that they left in their bitter...and losing...attempt to derail the nominations of bot Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh.
3
Personally, I found Kavanaugh very convincing at the Senate hearing. He convinced me that he was a creep who would attack a woman and then deny it to his last breath.
11
Nancy Pelosi has the votes to impeach Kavanaugh for perjury. Let the Senate vote to keep him if 67 Senators won’t remove him.
2
Even a foreigner like me knows that the Ivy League, especially Harvard and Yale, are more exclusive clubs than institutions of higher learning. They are most useful for joining a certain tribe, validation for the insecure, and networking among people with those needs and weaknesses. Just look at your awful Supreme Court--all Harvard and Yale law school graduates, except for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who transferred to Columbia to be near her husband. It's mathematically impossible that in your huge country, only 3 law schools are worthy of generating Supreme Court justices.
6
The boys of Yale and the boys of the Senate [plus that mealy-mouthed senator from Maine whose name need not be said] played the same game again. One can just imagine them with their knowing winks. We need to vote them out & then change the rules so no one can do this to us again. As for Ms. Ramirez you deserved to be at Yale through your hard work. Thank you for trying to tell us and now telling us exactly what happened. Another negative mark on the Senate and the Supreme Court; can you hear us now?
4
Too bad we continue to have 'the Grassleys' in Congress, denying the evidence presented by victims of sexual assault, and then ram through Kavanaugh's nomination. Corruptly partisan.
4
These are referred to as "fresh" allegations because the allegations from Christine Blasey Ford are now rotting in the pile of falsehoods and, as we've recently found it, perpetrated for the purpose of protecting Roe vs. Wade and not because there was any truth behind them. Nothing is surprising from the anarchists who concocted "Russian Collusion" hoax to take down the duly elected president of the United State.
Now we're into round 2 of Kavanaugh. I hope we won't have to live through a divisive farce like Round 1, which produced zero corroborating evidence) but fully supported by the Political Antifa (a/k/a The Democrats).
7
SO much judgement here on these comments.
Aside from all the “perfect people” opinions out there, we should be able to agree that a process that examines 30 yr old accusations should be have been thoroughly vetted away from the public and not used last minute as a political ploy. It is designed to protect the innocents —his kids, wife, biological family, and friends.
And now it just goes on and on......with articles, books and the like. People making money and reputations off a now one sided fight that’s designed to take down the “sinner”and purify ourselves in the process. Well good luck with that. Because however you feel about BK, and I am no fan, you should take a good look at the collateral damage that had nothing to do with these decades old accounts and ask yourself if you believe it’s right. I know I don’t.
5
The only reason that the FBI was forbidden to fully investigate all the charges against Brett Kavanaugh is because someone in power knew that what Kavanaugh did needed to be covered up.
If Kavanaugh was innocent, he would have asked for a full investigation the way Al Franken did when he was accused.
Can you imagine if the Franken investigation consisted of one woman allowed to testify with no one else allowed to? It would have been rightly called a sham by the very same Republicans like Susan Collins who worked so hard to cover up what Kavanaugh did.
Susan Collins clearly knew a full investigation would be a bad idea and thus she rabidly supported Mitch McConnell to make sure it didn't happen. How dare she ever hold herself out as anything but a person more than willing to throw sexual assault victims under the bus to protect her job. She is no different than the people who protected Harvey Weinstein.
She is complicit.
6
Kavanaugh was never properly vetted before he was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. Chief Justice Roberts sat on 30 complaints about his behavior and the FBI never pursued Dr. Ford’s accusation, properly interrogated his high school buddy, or searched for the home that she described in which she was assaulted.
His intemperance and unbelievable behavior and anger towards Democrats on the Judicial Committee alone should have disqualified him from a position on the US Supreme Court and BTW who paid for his debts???And why was he in debt and to whom? A questionable character at best and now he sits in judgement of others? He owes someone something. He will pay back that mysterious benefactor someday. We pay for his every vote and shall all pay more and more with every torturously reasoned 5-4 Supreme Court decision.
5
The allegations against Brett Kavanaugh need to be thoroughly re-investigated once we elect a Democratic administration and can assure that an actual, by-the-book investigation takes place. After we have removed the grinning toad William Barr from squatting over and defiling the Department of Justice, I expect that we will find ample grounds for impeachment of the very-questionable Kavanaugh and can then proceed to remove him from the Supreme Court.
Getting rid of tRump will be only the first step toward cleaning up his very putrid swamp.
3
This is a terrible headline for an important story. “Not fitting in” is quite the euphemism for the harassment and discrimination Ramirez faced.
2
The headline and lede - either by accident or design - give no indication of the new and damaging allegations contained in the article.
Why is that?
4
How come the republicans never brought up the numerous more qualified Asian American students that Kavanagh displaced to get his spot at Yale law and undergraduate ? I thought they were against racial preferences ?
3
Take the Senate back, and then conduct the necessary purges.
Joe Biden might even redeem himself in part by backing the removal of Clarence Thomas from the bench.
4
Really, I'm sorry to say this, I wish I could feel differently, but I hope Kavanaugh suffers the rest of his life for his self righteousness and arrogant and ignorance.
9
B. Kavanaugh has been “layin’ in the weeds,” as it is said, pretending to be “judicious” until he gets a shot at the big enchilada: Roe.
Then we’ll see him carry water for the catholic/evangelical cause of further oppressing women.
With all due respect to Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez, we will witness a further Kavanaugh assault on women.
7
It is highly disturbing that the FBI did not follow up with Ms. Ramirez' classmates
4
This article is absurd. There was not and is not anyone who can corroborate this story with Ms Ramirez. NONE. They interviewed people at this alleged party and no one could back it up.
6
Hopefully when the Dems win the WH and (fingers crossed) the Senate they will open impeachment hearings against kavanaugh.
Then we need to do something about gorsuch. He is also a completely illegitimate appointment.
3
How in the world did Susan Collins vote to confirm?
3
NY Times what is the value of this reporting? By all accounts Cavanaugh is a dedicated father with adoring children. What about his children? What have they done to deserve the ridicule from peers and the tearing down of their loving father.
Cavanaugh's confirmation hears were enough. His past misdeeds were illuminated for all to see.
Certainly Ted Kennedy was given the opportunity to redeem himself.
Please let it rest.
3
You can live the honorable, conservative life, but when you show it to the power that is, they will pall before you and construct a lie so they may be comforted in their ignorance.
Gorsuch and Kavanaugh do not belong on the supreme court.
5
Well I think we all know "where the equipment is" -- in the pants of men with money.
Impeach him. He more likely than not lied under oath.
4
It appears that the NYT cannot not accept that Trump is president nor that Kavanaugh is a Supreme Court judge. Time to move on. Interestingly, instead of their usual criticism of Catholics, they hold Deborah up as an outstanding and honest person because of her religious upbringing. I guess they believe Catholics are wonderful when they fit into their preferred story, but are awful when they object to any progressive agenda. Hypocrisy at its finest.
5
In my book Kavanaugh is still a lying pig and I believe he will still behave as one of the brown-lipstick one when the occasion rises professionally and personally.
There is no excuse for the treatment of Ms. Ramirez and Dr. Ford.
5
She said, he said.
Why on earth is the NYT dragging out of the darkness yet another allegation against Bret Kavanaugh, who has long since been confirmed to serve on the Supremet Court?
Ms. Ramirez has had 36 years to file civil or criminal charges against Kavanaugh, yet has not done so.
Why not? Probably because she has been advised by counsel that she has no chance of getting a civil or criminal judgment against him due to lack of evidence.
Anyone can make allegations against others; however, in this country the accused is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
5
@Mon Ray -- From the history of Cassius Dio -- "It was at this time that Publius Clodius debauched Caesar's wife in Caesar's own house and during the performance of the rites which according to ancestral custom the Vestals carried out at the residences of consuls and praetors out of sight of the whole male population. Caesar brought no charge against him, understanding well that on account of his associates he would not be convicted; but he divorced his wife, telling her that he did not really believe the story, but that he could no longer live with her inasmuch as she had once been suspected of committing adultery; for a chaste wife not only must not err, but must not even incur any evil suspicion."
An associate justice of the Supreme Court must, like Caesar's wife be above suspicion. Kavanaugh is beneath contempt.
2
This kind of civic ignorance is why we have Trump as president. A Supreme Court confirmation hearing is not a criminal trial. “Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law” is categorically irrelevant in this context. The issue is Kavanaugh’s fitness to serve as a justice. By that metric, he failed, no matter how many rubber-stamp Republican votes he was given by senators from rural states that represent a minority of the American citizenry.
1
The politicalization of our judicial system will be our country’s downfall. Twi judges in the same year -Kavanaugh and Aaron Persky in Santa Clara County, CA are both caught in the web is sexual misconduct with polar outcomes. Persky was forced out of his position through a recall vote on last fall’s ballot because he let Brock Turner off with a 6 month sentence for sexually molesting a woman on the STANFORD campus. Yet, multiple and substantiated instances of sexual misconduct by a Supreme Court nominee are dismissed or ignored. And this is justice?
5
Absolutely immediately, unequivocally he must step down from SCOTUS. For perjury, his false testimony under sworn oath in front of Congress.
Thank you for the reporting. Godspeed against the right-wing trolls.
3
It sickens me to have this man on the supreme court of the United States (for LIFE!), along with another man very credibly accused of sexual misconduct. We have a president who brags of sexual misconduct, and we need to make sure he's gone in 16 months! It is hard not to despair.
5
I nominate Debbie Ramirez for Supreme Court Justice—to replace Brett Kavanaugh.
3
hey maine voters:
get out there and vote out collins
her vote mattered
and if dems get control of the senate they should investigate his lying under oath
if he did
impeach him
the gop would do that in a heartbeat if the tables were turned
it's time that dem voters demand that their senators play hard ball
it seems they only do this against their own - witness chuck's treatment of al franken
dump collins
impeach kavanaugh
7
They don’t give up trying to smear Justice Kavanaugh, do they?
4
I’m afraid he smeared himself.
4
Salem witch trials were nothing compared to today.
3
The left, particularly The NYT, needs to get over this. It's over. None of these wild allegations stand up under scrutiny, not even this latest investigation. Judge Kavanaugh has led an exemplary professional life without a hint of scandal yet we are continuously told he wasn't like that back in high school or college. Human nature doesn't turn on a dime. Stop trying to ruin and delegitimize this fine Supreme Court justice. Take the word of the left's go to gal, Notorius RBG, she's a Kavanaugh fan.
5
The piece ends,
“You can’t look at justice as just the confirmation vote,” [said one message to Ms. Ramirez]. “There is so much good that came out of it. There is so much more good to come.”
But it 'remains,' and shall for too long remain, that Kavanaugh, a punk, sits as a Justice of The Supreme Court of the United States.
3
Kavanaugh and Grassley should both be impeached.
5
".. we found Dr. Ford’s allegations credible during a 10-month investigation .." Really? Where's the story?
5
Why would a woman with Ms. Ramirez's background make up a story like this? She wouldn't. I believe her.
5
Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance just tweeted: ““There must be a full Congressional investigation to determine whether someone, and if so who, gave orders that kept the FBI from investigating credible allegations and speaking to witnesses who reached out to them.”
It seems that we now have two sexual abusers on the Supreme Court and at least one perjurer. How much longer can we take what this court does seriously? And let us not forget about the Republican-controlled Senate that made what was called a “full investigation” a sad joke.
5
If he was 'chosen' by Trump, you can be sure he is cut from the same cloth.
4
Does this not put Kavanaugh at risk for impeachment?
2
I just googled some of the coverage from one year ago when this was front page news. Curiously some of the articles read as if they were cut and pasted from to create this one, e.g.:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/26/politics/who-is-deborah-ramirez/index.html
But here is some of what this article has left out:
"Ramirez told The New Yorker that she was initially reluctant to come forward because she was intoxicated when the alleged incident occurred and "her memories contained gaps."
The New Yorker said it was unable to identify any other witnesses who remember Kavanaugh attending the dorm-room party in question.
The magazine said that two of the men Ramirez identified as being in the dorm room where the alleged incident took place, the wife of a third man she said was there, and six more classmates all signed a statement disputing Ramirez's story.
"We can say with confidence that if the incident Debbie alleges ever occurred, we would have seen or heard about it – and we did not," the statement read. "The behavior she describes would be completely out of character for Brett. In addition, some of us knew Debbie long after Yale, and she never described this incident until Brett’s Supreme Court nomination was pending."
This article is just another example of the new "activist" New York Times which no longer reports the news objectively and soberly but has a political agenda in every word it publishes. This is also the kind of stuff that might get Trump re-elected.
7
Oh how I remember the day of non-stop testimony. Lindsay Graham too was a sham. Couldn't believe the Kavanaugh's fake tears. They were priceless. As if to say, "Please go ahead with the nomination. From the moment of my birth, I am so privileged. I have no other path than the top! I deserve nothing but the best, regardless of how I treated women."
4
I am deeply saddened by what the male students at Yale, and Mr. Kavanaugh specifically, did to Ms. Ford and Ms. Ramirez (and I would imagine did to other young women while at Yale, and in High School).
It sickens me to have witnessed what the women were put through 35 years after the original attacks, a smear campaign with lies and accusations hurled their way during those pathetic Senate confirmation hearings.
The Republican Senators, most especially Grassley, would be ashamed of themselves if they were capable of feeling and expressing shame.
I feel nothing but disgust for that group of men, and they all deserve every ounce of that disgust.
5
I'd be honored and privileged to meet Ms. Ramirez. I would have no such interest whatsoever in ever crossing paths with Mr. Kavanaugh. A sorry excuse for a human being as witnessed by his pathetic behavior during his confirmation hearing.
5
A lot of people behaved stupidly when they were young.
Kavanaugh would have gotten some admiration if he'd only owned up to thoughtless youthful behavior and asked for forgiveness.
His handling of his nomination shows a greater character flaw than his adolescent behavior.
4
So many good men and women who could have been selected and yet we get this spiritually empty man...
7
Statistically speaking, two of the five conservative (Republican) SC justices have credible allegations of sexual misconduct.
And then we have the biggest misogynist, woman abuser as the president of the nation! Also Republican!
Doesn't look coincidental!
Is there a Democratic equivalence anytime in the near past?
2
Well, that Clinton guy. And Weiner (though he was ousted) I mean, I loathe the figures you mention, too, but yeah.
2
I am saddened by this story, grateful that it has surfaced, and very glad that Ms. Ramirez has seemed to survived the trauma of having to deal with selfish idiots. If she were near, I would give her a hug and say I'm sorry........and thank you.
Unfortunately, as we are witnessing, quality of character does not matter in the current right wing movement with sociopaths and their sycophants in charge.
I hope that the efforts of what's left of the decent people can overcome the current power grab and prevail in the next elections.
2
I believe he has a drinking problem.
2
I hope one day America will do better by women.
I hope Kavanaugh knows at his core he is an undeserving fraud and that the shame is crushing his soul.
I hope Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez know they are American heroes and that pride lifts their souls.
I hope America voters do the right thing to save our country.
3
I hope we get some follow up on why this was not looked into.
2
Kavanaugh's display of temper in his defense should have been enough to disqualify him.
The Senate is such a misogynistic institution. As a result, we now have two sexual predators on the Court.
3
Joe Biden does not deserve to be the Democratic nominee for president.
Biden said in 1991 he ran into a senate colleague who asked Biden to ensure Clarence Thomas got a swift confirmation to the Supreme Court. Biden agreed.
The cascade of sordid details about Thomas at the hearings, including committing sexual harassment while he worked at the EEOC, was repulsive. Anita Hill gave damning testimony against him.
Women all over the U.S. were galvanized at finally hearing a woman speak publicly about enduring chronic sexual harassment in the workplace.
Biden, as Chair, refused to call witnesses who would have supported Hill's testimony & permitted a circus atmosphere where male senators mocked & humiliated Hill.
When asked at last week's debate to recall a mistake he'd made in his professional life, Biden had an opportunity to say "I should have given Anita Hill a fair hearing." He instead talked about his family.
For decades Biden has refused to acknowledge his hugely consequential mistake, speaking about his role in what happened to Anita Hill like he was a helpless bystander in that disrespectful mess - which paved the way for Brett Kavanaugh's hideous confirmation hearing.
Biden broke Supreme Court confirmation hearings with the Thomas confirmation. The standard after that was abysmally low.
Biden has taken absolutely no responsibility for making that a shambles or disrespecting Anita Hill.
He's who we have to thank for Brett Kavanaugh.
Joe Biden.
1
Gosh, that face alone, in any expression is the give away !
3
When are people on left going to stop flogging dead horses? First Jerry “Ahab “ Nadler chasing impeachment after Trump was exonerated by an incompetent special prosecutor and now a hatchet job by two women on Brett Kavanaugh after the character assassination by Senate Democrats during his sad confirmation charade. Why don’t progressives just move on?
4
I feel sad for Ramirez. She will never get another chance to go back to Yale and be treated like a human being. She deserved her spot at Yale more than Kavanaugh did. Kavanaugh was a white, rich, privileged kid who apparently believed he was entitled to assault an underage girl, or to force his naked body on Ramirez. Could a brown-skinned male undergad have behaved that way? Kavanaugh used every white, rich, male, privileged backdoor he could get access to. Because he was a rich white male, Congressional Republicans defended him, overlooked his disqualifying histrionics, and went after the more credible Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh applied to Yale as a legacy student. The odds of acceptance for legacy applicants are 4-10 times higher than non-legacy applicants. The hearing and these events tell us that Kavanaugh is unfit for the Supreme Court. Though he might have been narrowly qualified (a debatable point given his blackout drinking), he was almost certainly not broadly qualified. There are many other folks who are narrowly qualified to sit on the Supreme court. And many of those are almost certainly also--unlike Kavanaugh--broadly qualified in terms of character, honesty, and the like.
4
Brett needs to be disbarred.
4
We knew he was a liar as soon as he said that "Bermuda Triangle" was a drinking game--not even close. Nothing coming out of BKs mouth after that can be trusted.
Start listening to the women!
2
Perhaps it is his indiscretions that make him vulnerable pliable and a valuable puppet player.
2
Yep, the frat boys go to Yale and Harvard, and the poor boys go to war. 58,000 of the poor boys with their names on a wall, and the retired frat boys living the life of luxury. Or maybe sitting on the Supreme Court.
2
No one should be surprised by any of this. This is typical Catholic school-boy behavior. They are the product of a culture that devalues women and has terribly misguided ideas about human sexuality. So many ruined lives, alas.
3
The most disgusting aspect of this is not that the FBI's supplemental investigation was inadequate.
The very most disgusting aspect of Kavanaugh's confirmation is that under oath at his confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh lied about matters material to the allegations against him, including lies about his history of alcohol abuse.
A person who lies under oath about a matter material to allegations against them does not respect the justice system enough to serve credibly in it.
Shame on the Senators who voted to confirm Kavanaugh.
3
40-year-old allegations of misconduct during a college party vs a distinguished, unblemished professional career on the president's staff and on the US Court of Appeals. It's as if no one else ever did stupid, uncouth, vulgar things in their youth. And is then able to well recall this nonsense decades later. A hit job on a distinguished judge...for shame.
3
Do you really think that this Supreme Court Justice, this craven administration, and this corrupt justice department have any shame what so ever? In normal times, a Kavanaugh type nominee would have crawled back into the woodpile out of shame. In the age of Trump, you deny, punch back, never back down, then blame your political enemies. It’s the Trump creed, the Republican strategy, and America’s disgrace.
3
"They also had experience with drinking and sexual behavior "
Experience with drinking and sexual behavior is the domain of the privileged?
You might have a story to tell but casting everything Ms. Ramirez was not familiar with as the domain of "privilege" is ridiculous and absurd.
2
Republicans, again, show their shameful support of sexual deviancy toward girls as long as they can pack the Supreme Court with one of their sycophants to do their dirty work against women. For example, women’s healthcare ! The fact, the republicans had hindered the investigations of credible witnesses is the real story and their corruption to me says Mr Kavanaugh is the last person to be on our Supreme Court and representing women. Sleezy republicans and Mr Kavanaugh and shame on Susan Collins !
3
The NYT has to let this go. None of the allegations against Justice Kavanaugh were raised during his earlier confirmation hearings to the federal bench. The attack on him was simply an effort by Democrats to derail his appointments for political reasons.
5
I believe Kavanaugh's accusers, and I don't like him.
But I am appalled that his critics, often those who see fascism everywhere, believe that mere unproven accusations, even if they feel right, should be enough to destroy a man's career and reputation, if not more so because he is the wrong kind of man, white, straight, preppy, wealthy.
I also am absolutely certain that if Kavanaugh was a liberal, with a strong record on supporting abortion rights and other liberal positions, and had been nominated by a Democrat, that he would defended maximally by feminists and the NYT, and suddenly these same people would be lecturing about fairness and due process.
4
This essay tells me everything I need to know about the authors' forthcoming book. Don't waste my money.
5
Here is the problem. The Times opposed the Justice from the outset due to his politics. And nothing here but innuendo, substantiates that the FBI investigation was “incomplete,” or if there were or were not valid reasons for how the FBI acted. In an even-handed account of decades-old claims, we’d get into the background of all the parties in an equally critical fashion. This reads more like a simple hit piece written by authors promoting their upcoming book, and this is a reason many do not find Times reporting as even-handed as it once was.
5
Since the FBI did not investigate the claims of Ms. Ramirez's 25 witnesses, I'm hoping that the NYT will investigate and report it for us all to read. While the GOP and Bill Barr may have blocked the investigation into Kavanaugh, they cannot stop the NYT from investigation and reporting.
4
To think that this woman as a college student had to rub elbows with Kavanaugh and his pals makes me ill. She seems to have come from a smart, loving family. Can the Kavanaughs of Yale say the same? She was fortunate to have a roommate that cared and understood.
Kavanaugh is another player in this slimy time in America. History shined a light on Caligula and his cronies. It will do the same with this charade in DC. and all who have participated and benefited.
Thank you NYTimes for exposing this...again.
1
Please change the headline of this article. Also, this is a news piece, not opinion. Perjury in front of congress:
During his Senate testimony, Mr. Kavanaugh said that if the incident Ms. Ramirez described had occurred, it would have been “the talk of campus.” Our reporting suggests that it was.
At least seven people, including Ms. Ramirez’s mother, heard about the Yale incident long before Mr. Kavanaugh was a federal judge. Two of those people were classmates who learned of it just days after the party occurred, suggesting that it was discussed among students at the time.
"We also uncovered a previously unreported story about Mr. Kavanaugh in his freshman year that echoes Ms. Ramirez’s allegation."
2
This is a good example of The New York Times attempts at destroying reputations. In our current toxic political environment I believe very few stories like this one. Let’s assume for a moment that it’s true, in the words of Hillary Clinton “what difference does it make?” It certainly made little difference to her when Governor and later President Clinton was cavorting with numerous women. I am not sure whether these stories are true or whether they are trumped up charges. In politics the stakes are high and the lies are even higher and bolder. I will not be reading your book.
6
Yes!! College pranks like this are despicable and should ruin a man’s life no matter how he conducted his life for the last 40 years. Everyone knows we should judge people by college pranks and not by 40 years of adult conduct! It’s why we should also take down statues of the founding fathers who owned slaves. Too bad for them! They deserve no public honor!
Uh huh. Brilliant.
3
Finally conservatives are admitting Kavanaugh did it. Of course, unsurprisingly, conservatives are calling sexual assault “college pranks.”
Here’s a question: since conservatives are admitting Kavanaugh did it, why aren’t they demanding he apologize for it? Why hasn’t Kavanaugh apologized?
2
This may not be Atwood’s Gilead yet, but being a citizen of a country with a psychopathic, lying narcissist for a president and a Supreme Court justice like Brett Kavanaugh who’s confirmation history and background had to be either obfuscated, redacted or suppressed makes this patriotic American extremely unhappy.
6
I'm sad that this woman had to suffer so much. She was sold a dream that ended up being a nightmare. And now the Brett Kavanuaghs feel empowered to rule the world once again under Trump. History repeats itself.
2
I don't understand what's new here. All of this has been investigated and investigated and investigated. This article reads as if the issue is now less a gender/sex issue and more a race and religion one--almost as if the writers are following the NYT script away from Russia or sexual assault and toward race.
The only recent revelation was the one in which Ford's lawyer suggested that Ford was motivated in part by a threat to Roe. Is this non-news article just an effort to diminish the possible effect of that revelation?
3