Kamala Harris on Kavanaugh Allegations: Lack of Proof 'Doesn’t Mean It Didn’t Occur'
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who rose to national prominence on a wave of liberal antipathy to last year’s nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, is calling for new scrutiny of Kavanaugh regardless of any proof of wrongdoing.
Kavanaugh was already facing a rocky confirmation process last year when allegations of sexual misconduct arose. Christine Blasey Ford stepped forward with allegations from Kavanaugh’s high school days. Other allegations followed, but none — including Ford’s — came with any proof attached.
After a dramatic appearance by Ford in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed with Democrats who opposed him saying they still might try to impeach Kavanaugh if a cause could be found.
The cause appeared to have emerged over the weekend in a New York Times essay about Kavanaugh that cited a new book that contains another allegation against Kavanaugh from his days at Yale. The only problem — and one that left the credibility of The Times report in tatters — is that the female in the incident never made any allegations that correspond with the latest accusation, and does not remember any such incident.
But despite the flawed material at hand, Harris and others are trying to fashion it into a weapon to use against Kavanaugh. On Sunday, she called for his removal from the court through impeachment.
“I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice. He must be impeached,” she said.
I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice.
He must be impeached.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 15, 2019
Harris, a former prosecutor, told NPR that the lack of evidence is meaningless in this instance.
“I would say that the fact that someone does not remember the details of an incident doesn’t mean that there’s lack of evidence if there are other witnesses who can establish that the fact occurred,” she said.
Harris then said that despite the apparent lack of anything to investigate, the alleged incident should still be investigated.
“Someone should investigate this because the fact that something has not been proven, it doesn’t mean it didn’t occur, right?” Harris said.
Harris then insisted that Kavanaugh has never received the level of scrutiny she felt was appropriate.
“But if you don’t investigate it, if it hasn’t been investigated, then there’s not been a full airing of the issue. And my point from the beginning about all of these allegations against Brett Kavanaugh is that there’s not been a robust, a meaningful investigation,” she said.
“There’s not been an investigation with the level of attention that normally would occur around these kinds of allegations and especially related to the subject at hand, which is the appropriateness of this individual who’s serving on the highest court of our land for a lifetime appointment.”
Harris insisted that the White House tied the hands of the FBI when it investigated Kavanaugh last year and that what she called an outside counsel should investigate allegations against Kavanaugh.
Harris, who told NPR that her drive to use the new allegation as a vehicle to start impeachment proceedings against Kavanaugh has nothing to do with her current campaign for the White House, also insisted that Kavanaugh “lied under oath.”
However, as CNN reported, Harris has also used the incident in a fundraising pitch.
“From day one, Kamala has been a leader in the fight against Brett Kavanaugh’s illegitimate nomination to the Supreme Court and the Trump-McConnell right-wing takeover of our judicial system,” her campaign has said in fundraising emails.
Even some people who often criticize the Trump administration are hesitant about attacking Kavanaugh on the strength of the flawed Times report.
“Even the most liberal of liberals are scratching their heads over how badly The New York Times botched that,” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said Tuesday, Fox News reported.
Scarborough said Harris may be going too far in her efforts to impeach Kavanaugh on the basis of The Times essay.
“As a prosecutor, she really should put an ‘alleged’ in front of the word victims, especially in the case in The New York Times essay, the baffling essay, the baffling editing process that they put forward,” he said.
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