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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFBI facing allegation of "fake" 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh
Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator and former prosecutor who serves on the judiciary committee, is calling on the newly-confirmed attorney general, Merrick Garland, to help facilitate proper oversight by the Senate into questions about how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.
The supreme court justice was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford and faced several other allegations of misconduct following Fords harrowing testimony of an alleged assault when she and Kavanaugh were in high school.
The FBI was called to investigate the allegations during the Senate confirmation process but was later accused by some Democratic senators of conducting an incomplete background check. For example, two key witnesses Ford and Kavanaugh were never interviewed as part of the probe.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/16/fbi-brett-kavanaugh-background-check-fake
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)This tip line appears to have operated more like a garbage chute, with everything that came down the chute consigned without review to the figurative dumpster, he said.
He also criticized FBI director Chris Wray, who President Joe Biden has elected to remain in place, for not answering questions about the investigation.
While it is unclear whether the FBI would re-open an investigation into Kavanaugh, who is now one of nine justices on the Supreme Court, the letter could push Garland to force the DOJ to respond to questions about the investigation into Kavanaugh.
A2er
(8 posts)It seems like I remember some 'interesting' stuff about Kavanaugh having some significant debt involving paying for baseball tickets for friends, etc. and then all of a sudden the debt was paid off and the old 'nothing to see here' deployed.
Does anyone else remember that incident and the odd ending?
Who paid off the debt? Why? Was it just for 'baseball tickets for friends'?
Asking for an enemy.
KS Toronado
(17,269 posts)RANDYWILDMAN
(2,672 posts)KNEW IT !! KNEW IT !!!!
You filthy slime
Sentath
(2,243 posts)magicarpet
(14,155 posts)Accusations of Gambling Debt
The dice game on the boat led to further conversations surrounding Kavanaughs non-beer vices. After the email leak, Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse submitted written questions to the SCOTUS nominee, asking if he ever sought treatment for a gambling addiction and requested that he detail his gambling habits. Kavanaugh dismissed anything beyond a casual and infrequent relationship to betting, but that did not put an end to speculation about the massive debt he reported in May 2017 somewhere between $60,000 and $200,000.
Kavanaugh defended his potential six-figure credit-card debt by the time of his nomination with a janky alibi: He was buying playoff baseball tickets for a handful of his boys, though he never provided Whitehouse with the requested dates of reimbursement the senator asked for. Past financial disclosure forms showed this was not the first time the judge racked up substantial credit-card debt, falling into a similar $60,000 to $200,000 hole in 2006, the year he was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit.
The Debt Evaporates
Kavanaughs explanation for how he got rid of the debt also doesnt hold water: He claims that his friends simply paid him back for the Washington Nationals tickets in cash. But as former Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub notes:
An Income Versus Asset Imbalance
The financial incongruities continue. Not only was Kavanaugh able to quickly pay off the substantial debt on a federal judges salary of $220,000, he also paid his mortgage on his $1.225 million home in Chevy Chase, Maryland; tuition for his kids at a $10,500-a-year private school; and annual dues of $9,000 at a tony country club all with a single breadwinner in the household. Back when he purchased his house in 2006, he would have needed $245,000 in cash for a standard 20 percent down payment. But as Mother Jones reports, in 2005, Kavanaugh had assets of around $91,000. (Also in 2006, he reported between $60,000 and $200,000 in debt, split between three credit cards and a loan, per the Washington Post.) After the purchase, according to financial disclosure forms, Kavanaughs liquid assets did not decrease. Questioning the judge in writing, Senator Whitehouse asked:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/kavanaughs-confirmation-all-the-unanswered-questions.html
bucolic_frolic
(43,196 posts)the appointment settled, and find out if dark money greased the wheels. Don't tell me it can't be done. Do it.
maliaSmith
(80 posts)Follow the money, find out who paid off his debts and also investigate his perjury to the Senate. If he's found to have lied, impeach him or enlarge the court so we can have two more appointees to cover for Garland and FFFFKavanaugh.
Karadeniz
(22,540 posts)Really should know better than to call to alert an old friend about an investigation, so the friend would know what to say. Didn't hear anything about the girl who was molested in a car.
triron
(22,007 posts)certainot
(9,090 posts)even telling his audience who and where christine 'balsey' ford's parents were
brewens
(13,598 posts)who it was because they were there.
2naSalit
(86,650 posts)Sen. Whitehouse is on top of this stuff and I am glad to see it.
Remove the scumbag
secondwind
(16,903 posts)BComplex
(8,054 posts)We could use a few more like him come the next election!!
soldierant
(6,890 posts)also for the attention he is trying to bring to the need to fill judicial vacancies with QUALIFIED judges.
JT45242
(2,281 posts)As damning as the sexual harassment allegations were, the bigger issue that was ignored was the questionable financials that were not fully investigated.
I will stipulate that he is a loathsome sexist, pig. BUT....if he was paid off or was beholden to someone in a bribery or blackmail method because of money that could have him removed from the bench. Where did all that money come from that paid off more than a year's salary worth of debts?
Follow the money and that is the way to change the court. Follow the money and you will likely get to Deutschbank and Scalia's family. Follow the money and you will have tax fraud, bribery, and potentially RICO if you can tie this to a conspiracy to help Trump (should not be hard with Deutschbank and Trump money laundering and shady loans). This is the way to pull at the strings, because Kavanaugh will not take the fall for Trump and his ilk, he will try to save his own skin.
Follow the money and you might find something about why ACB was picked as well.
bucolic_frolic
(43,196 posts)mopinko
(70,138 posts)that was the most stunning bit of the whole drama if you ask me.
i do believe whitehouse is also on the heels of that particular group also.
wray has got to go. now that garland is in place, i'm just assuming his top priority is finding new dept/agency heads.
Botany
(70,522 posts)The Judicial Crisis Network.
Secretive conservative legal group funded by $17 million mystery donor before Kavanaugh fight
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/05/dark-money-group-funded-by-17million-mystery-donor-before-kavanaugh/
The JCN also spent millions to stop Merrick Garland too.
TheRickles
(2,067 posts)A link to his summary is here, and it links to the four previous chapters, which are very detailed and chilling. Opus Dei and the Federalist Society are big money players. I hope Sen. Whitehouse has seen this material.
[link:https://gregolear.substack.com/p/who-owns-kavanaugh-index?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo5MjMyNDk0LCJwb3N0X2lkIjozMzMzOTUwMywiXyI6IlJVQ0xuIiwiaWF0IjoxNjE1OTAxOTgzLCJleHAiOjE2MTU5MDU1ODMsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yMDY5NSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ._QyLGzXxztMTLjnfVjN0ppjzp-3m0gCwS8mV9B6RnyQ&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share|
Dark n Stormy Knight
(9,771 posts)Thanks.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)available to Senator Whitehouse, of whom he is an admirer. I don't see that he claims special insider access himself, and has never worked for one of the major investigative journals with big resources. (?)
It's useful to realize that, besides the rest of the enormous resources available to powerful U.S. senators, including him and his colleagues and staff assistants on the judiciary committee, Whitehouse himself has a few dozen extremely highly qualified professional staffers, and together they all have contacts and access most could only dream of, including among our intelligence services.
We can always hope Olear came up with a new item to add, though. At very least, one will have checked out this series as part of his or her job. If he was connected enough to be a source of information not available to the public, rather than a compiler of what is, it's likely they'd have talked to him.
TheRickles
(2,067 posts)I'd've thought Olear might mention Sen. Whitehouse in one of his most recent posts, but he hasn't. Which could mean any number of things. Bottom line - it's great to see this issue getting more public attention!
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Compiling, vetting and presenting what's known on something like this is hugely valuable when well done. My eyes cross at just the thought of it.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Asking for an enemy.
twodogsbarking
(9,763 posts)There usually are.
Botany
(70,522 posts)Last edited Tue Mar 16, 2021, 10:01 AM - Edit history (1)
"They" didn't interview Dr. Ford, Kavanaugh, Dr. Ford's friends, associates of Kavanaugh,
Dr. Ford's therapists, or anybody in their "investigation." Although Trump, McConnell,
other GOPers, and even main stream media talked about how the investigation cleared
Kavanaugh of the charges.
If Kavanaugh lied under oath @ his senate hearings we should have a real investigation
done on Kavanaugh and if warranted he should be removed from the Supreme Court.
BTW Brett saying he didn't know the meaning of slang terms that every teen boy knows
was bullshit. I think it was the 4 F club.
The Blue Flower
(5,442 posts)I'm very glad to see him making this part of that issue.
Blue_playwright
(1,568 posts)Resignation is brought to light. The circumstances are fishy and that reaction he had while talking with Trump immediately after was telling
crickets
(25,981 posts)Hekate
(90,717 posts)llashram
(6,265 posts)sooner than not. Kavanaugh is a trumpist pig. Rammed through because of the knowledge in the WH that they were going to try to attempt a coup if trump the pig lost the election. Of course this conjecture. Stephen Miller should never be discounted as the ideologue fighting to turn America into a fascist state.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)it was a farce from day one.
Pepsidog
(6,254 posts)and provable lies about stupid stuff like what Boof , Renata Club etc. Those were provable lies under oath. I went to a private Catholic school at the same time as Kavenaugh and Boof didnt mean fart. If he lied over stupid stuff then he definitely lied about the serious sexual assault allegations.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)gab13by13
(21,362 posts)...and sent to jail.
Alien Life Form
(370 posts)Senator Whitehouse is our Senator here in RI.. just on a local radio show demonstrating a wide knowledge and understanding of what is going on in Washington. Talked about dark money and how the GOP has decided they cannot win unless they suppress the vote.
He knows what the GOP and the rest of these slime are up to..
Response to bullwinkle428 (Original post)
Martin68 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Martin68
(22,822 posts)there even was one. I suspect they wanted to avoid getting politically tangled up in the approval process and tried to avoid it.
Evolve Dammit
(16,743 posts)ever be removed. Clarence should have been also, he's still fat and happy with his seditionist wife.
kacekwl
(7,017 posts)worried about his handling of the Capitol attack and those involved. ALL involved including government officials and employees. We'll see I guess.
gab13by13
(21,362 posts)he would never be confirmed but put him on as acting FBI director - Malcomb Nance. He could do a lot of cleaning up in his temporary time.
Duppers
(28,125 posts)Takket
(21,579 posts)McConnell gave them like two days to verify his drivers license and they said looks good! Im being facetious of course but it was pretty absurd.
bluecollar2
(3,622 posts)Popcorn may soon be a hot commodity....
KS Toronado
(17,269 posts)The very type of individuals we need to purge from the Biden administration. We can't have a functioning
government with holdover McTurtle want-to-be's
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,356 posts)Demsrule86
(68,599 posts)KT2000
(20,584 posts)He wants the integrity back and he is doing the work!!
Duppers
(28,125 posts)lindysalsagal
(20,693 posts)They're finally using their power of oversight.
In 2000-2006 they were complicit.
GoodRaisin
(8,924 posts)SpankMe
(2,957 posts)As a SCOTUS nominee who was denied a rightful hearing and vote, any investigations in this area could be characterized as sour grapes or a conflict of interest.
I know Merrick Garland has too much integrity to actually have sour grapes. But, that's what detractors will say and poison the public discourse about Garland.
Because - fuck Republicans.
triron
(22,007 posts)BobTheSubgenius
(11,564 posts)...you have to admire his commitment to beer. To openly sob over his love of it during a "job interview," in front of a live television audience is a serious attachment.
Respect, Brett.
Blue Owl
(50,435 posts)Faux pas
(14,682 posts)those of us with critical thinking skills knew it was BS at the time.
BGBD
(3,282 posts)it's not the FBI's job to do background checks on SCOTUS candidates.
I don't see the benefit of throwing them under the bus for something that was an impossible situation for them to begin with. Conduct a thorough investigation of something that happened 30 years prior, with no first hand witnesses, in a week?
The only body that has a responsibility to vet SCOTUS nominees is the Senate. If the Republicans pushed through somebody with serious problems that we're properly explored, then point the finger at them, not the FBI.
Then again, I'm not sure what we have to gain in this fight. Kav is confirmed and has a lifetime seat save for an impeachment that is never going to succeed. This fight wasn't a good one. for us when it happened and would be even worse now.