Media continues to insist Brett Kavanaugh 'credibly accused' of sexual assault
NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck and Fourth Watch newsletter editor Steve Krakauer break down the significance of media outlets continuing to call Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh a 'credibly accused' sexual assaulter.
The Washington Post editorial board raised eyebrows after claiming Wednesday that Ketanji Brown Jackson had endured worse treatment during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings than Brett Kavanaugh, who at one point was accused of gang rape, did at his.
"During the hearings, Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) have congratulated themselves for declining to treat Judge Jackson the way Democrats handled the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh," the Post wrote. "In fact, by the most relevant measures, Mr. Graham and a handful of other Judiciary Committee Republicans have handled themselves worse."
The Post argued that Jackson had been "smeared" by Republicans who invoked what they called her soft sentencing on child pornography offenders and also complained about questioning by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on transgender individuals and Sen. Ted Cruz's, R-Texas, critique of critical race theory's influence at Georgetown Day School.
The Post repeated the frequent mantra in the media that Kavanaugh was "credibly accused" of sexual assault, referring to Christine Blasey Ford's claim Kavanaugh attacked her at a high school party in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh's confirmation vote was delayed for a federal investigation, and Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her claims. However, she was unable to produce corroborating evidence or witnesses, nor could she say exactly when or where the attack occurred.
At one point, Julie Swetnick, represented by now-convicted felon Michael Avenatti, came forward to accuse Kavanaugh of participating in gang rapes at parties in high school. The wild allegation was also unproven but still made its way into the congressional record; Swetnick eventually changed her story from her initial sworn statement, and the claim is widely viewed as salacious and discredited.
All 10 Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats said at the time that President Trump should withdraw Kavanaugh's nomination over Swetnick's allegations or order an FBI investigation into all charges against him.
Kavanaugh was aggressively questioned by Senate Democrats about his high school days and his drinking habits. Several said that he was not entitled to a presumption of innocence since it was a job interview and not a court of law, and they believed he was guilty of what Ford accused.
While Jackson's proceedings have been relatively quiet, Kavanaugh's were repeatedly interrupted, even before the assault accusation rocked the country, by liberal protesters engaging in outbursts during his hearings. Senate Democrats like Cory Booker, D-N.J., also interrupted the proceedings with objections; Booker at one point compared himself to Spartacus and said Republicans supporting his confirmation were "complicit in the evil."
(AP)
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, told men across the country to "shut up" over Kavanaugh and said she disbelieved his denials because of his past judicial rulings. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., declared she believed Ford because she was "telling the truth" and that Kavanaugh's lack of desire for a federal investigation was evidence of his guilt.
The Post made no mention of the details of Kavanaugh's proceedings, instead fretting that some GOP members' questions overshadowed what should have been the "order of the day": recognizing the nomination of Jackson, who would become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court if confirmed, as historic.
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"Unfortunately, their colleagues’ antics distracted from their more productive questioning, and from what should have been the order of the day: recognizing the historic nomination of the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court and using the opportunity to probe thorny legal questions in good faith," the Post wrote.
Republicans have at times recalled the ugliness of the Kavanaugh hearings this week as how they hope to not conduct Supreme Court hearings.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Biden deputy press secretary Andrew Bates shared the Post's editorial, which was attacked by conservatives as a form of memory-holing.
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"It must be wild, treating every day as if it were your first," journalist Becket Adams tweeted.
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