But Trump seems to be doing everything he can to insure that the FBI does not investigate Kavanaugh. If he maintains that stance throughout the next couple of days, then I will have to rethink my little scenario.
And yet...this.
"If she doesn’t show up, that would be unfortunate," the president told reporters Wednesday as he left the White House to view hurricane damage in North Carolina. "If she shows up and makes a credible showing, that’ll be very interesting, and we’ll have to make a decision."TRUMP said THAT?
Sorry. Can't buy it. I can't accept for even half a minute that Donald Trump would speak reasonably about a woman. Any woman. And in this case, we're talking about a Democratic woman who threatens his Supreme Court nominee.
Trump just doesn't do reasonable. He must have an ulterior motive. He must be planning a trick.
Let's presume, for now, that my initial exercise in theorizing was wrongheaded. What other theory would explain Trump's behavior? He is unnervingly eager to have the woman testify but -- so far -- does not want the FBI to look into her story. Why?
The whiff of skullduggery pervades the air. But what the hell is the plan?
Added note: Michael Flynn will be sentenced on December 18, after the midterms. I think we all know what his Christmas present will be. How do you gift wrap a pardon?
I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why I should be optimistic about Manafort's cooperation. If he corroborates the tales told by Flynn and Papadopoulos, Trump is home free. Pardons for everyone will wait under the tree. Ho ho ho!
9 comments:
Somebody got through to Trump, if he wants Kavanaugh on the SCOTUS to run interference on any constitutional questions about removing a sitting president he gotta appear sane.
As far as any plot using Dr. Christine Ford to discredit Democrats and the FBI in order to seat Kavanaugh, why?
Dr. Ford has said no testimony w/o an FBI investigation first and republicans got the vote bc Red State Democrats will cave as they always do.
Theresa May seems to be setting herself up as Mary Kelly, Jack the Ripper's most horrifically mutilated victim. Just look at that necklace.
I agree with Mr. Mike. Trump wants Kavanaugh so badly he’s willing to appear sane. I don’t think Ford is a stalking horse for Trump to screw the Democrats. No one would want the FBI to investigate their own allegation of rape if it’s false. Senate Republicans will confirm Kavanaugh. They want him to protect Trump in order to cover their own dirt. If Trump falls, they fall. If McConnell pulls Kavanaugh’s nomination, it signals they’re worried his confirmation will cost them the Senate. If not, it signals they know Russian midterm election interference will keep them in power. If Republicans keep the Senate, it will give Trump a clear pathway to destroy what remains of institutions protecting our fraying liberal democracy.
Your first mistake is to assume that anything Trump says has any connection to reality, much less a "plan".
Second mistake: See mistake#1.
Here's Josh Marshall's take, which I think is pretty much spot on.
My Take on Where We Are With Kavanaugh #4 (The Fix Is In)
With the exchange of letters today between the key players in the Kavanaugh controversy, we are finally getting a degree of clarity about where this is going, albeit a clarity of a tendentious variety.
Senate Republicans have managed to unite themselves behind a simple proposition: try to corner Blasey Ford into appearing in a stacked hearing, hoping that she’ll back out and allow them to move quickly to a vote. As I noted below, there’s really no reason they can’t ask the FBI to do a simple review which would likely take only a few days. Nor is there much reason not to call other witnesses. Two of the key witnesses support Kavanaugh, his two friends who were allegedly there that night, one of whom is an alleged accomplice. The simple aim here is to face her with a take it or leave it choice – “her one chance”, as Senator Cornyn put it yesterday – in the hopes that she’ll back down and allow them to vote.
It’s a fairly brazen and thus far effectively executed power play.
Unfortunately, I think there’s a good chance that this will work.
I also think it’s a bluff. What I mean by that is that, despite the intentionally one-sided hearing they’ve planned, I doubt Senate Republicans have a good plan for what they’ll do if Blasey Ford shows up. But that of course places a great deal on her shoulders. Will she agree to a one-sided quickie hearing with no review of the facts of the case or other witnesses who can shed light on the facts of the case?
It’s not clear to me that Senate Democrats have thought of another card to play to give Blasey Ford other options besides the ultimatum she’s presented with. Senate Republicans control the gavel and make the decisions.
Remember too that Grassley has said that if Blasey Ford wants to testify on her behalf on Monday that he has to receive her written testimony by Friday morning. So she has about 36 hours to decide whether she’ll accept their take it or leave it offer.
By JOSH MARSHALL
She should testify. She'll have the opportunity to deliver carefully-framed shaming remarks. Then the Senators will follow by brow-beating her and acting like asses, thus proving the points she made in her remarks. All of this will be remembered at the ballot box. This is the Year of the Woman.
"If she doesn’t show up, that would be unfortunate" Am I the only one that finds this a bit chilling? Like a mob boss referring to a prosecution witness at their trial? Maybe not, but if she gets "suicided" or has a massive heart attack or something, let's remember these words.
Looks like she's agreeing to testify, so between the WaPo's op-ed speculating a Kavanaugh doppleganger, Ed Whelan burning up Twitter with confidence that Kavanaugh will be exonerated, and your theory concerning the reactions of Conway and Trump, I'd say you're barking up the right tree.
Chatter on Disqus is there's someone coming forward to say "She's mistaken, I'm the guy who molested her at that party."
Missy: A-HA! I knew it.
Of course, if and when the big plot twist happens, nobody will give me credit for predicting it. In part, this is due to the fact that everyone (on both the right and the left) has been brainwashed to accept only one framing. If you posit, as I do, that Blasey Ford has been cajoled or manipulated into pressing a false charge, with the ultimate goal of helping Trump, people will think you're from Mars.
Yet the scenario I've forecast would be a classic application of the "McAlpine gambit," which I have described in many previous posts. Lord Alistair McAlpine, friend to Margaret Thatcher, put it very plainly:
"First, create a situation where you are wrongly accused. Then, at a convenient moment, arrange for the false accusation to be shown to be false beyond all doubt. Those who have made accusations against both the company and its management become discredited. Further accusations will then be treated with great suspicion."
His wording was very simple. MY wording has been very simple.
Yet my readers still insist on misunderstanding me.
Michael: "Your first mistake is to assume that anything Trump says has any connection to reality, much less a "plan". "
In other words, you are saying that Robert Mueller is wasting his time. The whole point of Mueller's (doomed but honorable) investigation is to demonstrate that Trump was party to a plan. The use of the term "collusion" indicates a plan, and that Trump was a witting participant.
EVERYTHING Trump says has a connection to a "reality" which he is trying to concoct.
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