Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Tell Sen. Flake: Brett Lied Under Oath, He's Disqualified


The petition to Sen. Jeff Flake reads:
"Brett Kavanaugh has repeatedly lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee. You have said that lying would be disqualifying. Publicly confirm your no vote on his confirmation to the Supreme Court."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►

Tell Sen. Flake: Brett Lied, He's Disqualified
It's time for Sen. Jeff Flake to back up his words with action.
Last week, Sen. Flake forced his fellow Republicans to slow down Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to make time for an FBI investigation. Since then, he has twice stated that if Kavanaugh lied to the committee, he cannot be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
But we already know that Kavanaugh lied to the committee – repeatedly. Dr. Ford's brave and credible testimony and Kavanaugh's unhinged denials should be enough for any senator to vote no, but if Sen. Flake is concerned about other lies, there are plenty to choose from.
Kavanaugh's false statements, along with his evasions, vile rants and partisan threats, made it clear he is not qualified to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. If lying is disqualifying, Sen. Flake should publicly confirm he's voting no on Kavanaugh.
Several organizations have compiled Kavanaugh's false and questionable statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee going all the way back to his 2004 and 2006 confirmation hearings.1 But even just in last Thursday's hearing, Kavanaugh lied repeatedly:
  • Kavanaugh said he first heard about Deborah Ramirez's allegations when the New Yorker published them on Sept. 23. But text messages show that Kavanaugh and his team were trying to refute Ramirez’s allegations before they became public.2
  • Kavanaugh claimed to have “no connections” to Yale, explaining that “I got there by busting my tail.” But Kavanaugh’s grandfather attended the school, giving him an advantage as a legacy student under Yale's admissions policies.3
  • Kavanaugh said that he and Dr. Ford did not travel in the same social circles. But Dr. Ford dated Kavanaugh's friend Chris Garrett (aka Squi), who Kavanaugh mentioned repeatedly in his testimony, in the summer of 1982.4
  • Kavanaugh said that none of the gatherings on his calendar included the group of people that Dr. Ford identified. But a July 1 calendar entry included the same people that Dr. Ford said attended the gathering.5
  • Kavanaugh claimed that "[a]ll the witnesses who were there say it didn’t happen." But Dr. Ford's friend Leland Keyser, one of those Dr. Ford says was present, said she believes Dr. Ford's allegation.6
These lies matter. Each one undermines Kavanaugh's denials of the multiple sexual assault claims against him. Each one calls into question his trustworthiness and his ability to be an impartial and honest jurist. Because lying under oath is an impeachable offense, the lies also open Kavanaugh up to blackmail by anyone who could expose him, a risk that FBI agents are supposed to assess during background checks.
Sen. Flake has said twice that lying is disqualifying. When asked on "60 Minutes" whether Kavanaugh's nomination would end if he lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Flake said, "Oh, yes."7 On Monday, he again said that if Flake “lied on particular things that is demonstrable, then that is disqualifying.”8
Sen. Flake needs to decide. He can be a leader who acts on his principles, or he can prove yet again that when it's time to offer more than speeches and platitudes, he flakes.
Tell Sen. Flake: Brett Kavanaugh lied to the Judiciary Committee. Vote no on his confirmation. Click the link below to sign the petition:
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
References:
  1. Demand Justice, "Kavanaugh: 31 Lies and Counting," Oct. 1, 2018.
  2. Heidi Przybyla and Leigh Ann Caldwell, "Text messages suggest Kavanaugh wanted to refute accuser's claim before it became public," NBC, Oct. 1, 2018.
  3. Jason Lemon, "Kavanaugh Said He Had 'no Connections' To Yale. He Was, In Fact, A Legacy Student," Newsweek, Sept. 30, 2018.
  4. Michael Kranish et al., "Details in Kavanaugh’s 1982 calendar entry could be scrutinized in FBI investigation," The Washington Post, Sept. 28, 2018.
  5. Li Zhou, "Brett Kavanaugh’s July 1 calendar entry that could help Ford’s case, explained," Vox, Sept. 28, 2018.
  6. Ariane de Vogue, "Christine Blasey Ford's friend is not refuting Ford's allegation, will cooperate with FBI, lawyer says," CNN, Sept. 29, 2018.
  7. Kristine Phillips, "Kavanaugh would not be confirmed if FBI probe shows he lied to Senate committee, Jeff Flake says," The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2018.
  8. Paul Steinhauser, "Jeff Flake: ‘Disqualifying’ if Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About ‘Particular Things’," Daily Beast, Oct. 1, 2018.
More Information:

Fortune: A Classmate Has Told the FBI That Kavanaugh Lied Under Oath About Knowledge of Yale Assault, Report Says

Video of Kavanaugh's speech at the hearing:

blob:http://fortune.com/176dc7b2-afca-489a-9701-0f58daa5c504

Kavanaugh's college friend explains how he lied under oath:

https://youtu.be/MLLjYGBWLyo


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