As Twitchy told you, Chuck Grassley has released a letter signed by “65 women of bipartisan backgrounds who knew Judge Kavanaugh in high school”:
65 women of bipartisan backgrounds who knew Judge Kavanaugh in high school: "For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect" & has "stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity" #SCOTUS https://t.co/9dT54BC2qM pic.twitter.com/5QtcPfwjX5
— Senate Judiciary (@senjudiciary) September 14, 2018
The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein, for one, isn’t impressed:
Republicans having 65 signatories ready to go to attest to Kavanaugh’s high school conduct suggests that they too knew about the outlines of these allegations and have chosen strategically to play defense.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 14, 2018
Nor is Crooked Media’s editor in chief Brian Beutler:
Nothing is surprising anymore but it is still shocking that Republicans knew about this allegation, sat on it, and got their ducks in a row to help Kavanaugh weather it, in the event that they couldn't jam him through with the allegation concealed. Vile. https://t.co/RpeESquJWi
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) September 14, 2018
Nor is film and TV writer John Rogers:
1/ This. Regardless of how all this falls out, the fact Grassley had a list of 65 women from Kavanaugh's high school as character witnesses LINED UP is literally the biggest, dumbest tell that they knew this was coming down the pike. Even wait until Monday, for chrissake. https://t.co/opKijAUBmj
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) September 14, 2018
So, basically, guys like Stein and Rogers think Senate Republicans had been collecting these signatures for weeks, waiting to deploy them in the event that Dianne Feinstein would pull the stupid stunt she pulled yesterday.
The fact that it's easy to find dozens of female peers willing to vouch for you is now taken as, what? Evidence of guilt? https://t.co/T5s9LPu7WK
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 14, 2018
Apparently Stein and Rogers have never heard of email before.
Several journalists surprised to learn that email is a thing that exists today. https://t.co/gLn28YBHaj
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) September 14, 2018
Dear @BresPolitico et al.
Email! How does it work?? https://t.co/vKx8smSKOU
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 14, 2018
Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible that 65 signatures could be collected on short notice. The internet is a pretty amazing place.
Stick to facts, not speculation.https://t.co/vKx8smSKOU
A signer of the letter learned of it yesterday. https://t.co/srj7ZLnvWj
— RBe (@RBPundit) September 14, 2018
Virginia Hume, Brit Hume’s daughter, was indeed one of the letter’s signatories.
I knew Brett Kavanaugh in high school. We graduated same year. I never heard anything untoward about him.
— virginiahume (@virginiahume) September 13, 2018
And she said she only found out about it last night:
This is absurd. I signed the letter. I learned of it last night. https://t.co/hTnxOvYNU6
— virginiahume (@virginiahume) September 14, 2018
——————-> https://t.co/B3Quaa7Iv9
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) September 14, 2018
Huh.
One of the letter signers is Brit Hume's daughter. So did Fox News know this was coming too?
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) September 14, 2018
FFS.
— virginiahume (@virginiahume) September 14, 2018
Rogers is still not convinced:
That's fascinating. Did Senator Grassley's office contact you?
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) September 14, 2018
And did they give any indication they were working from a list Judge Kavanugh had provided, or did it open more like "Did you go to school with Judge Kavaugh?" and go from there?
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) September 14, 2018
So when it comes to the charges against Kavanaugh, you're happy to make assumptions. When one of the signers contradicts your narrative, it's time for the tough questions?
— Palmetto Joe (@Palmetto_Joe) September 14, 2018
"… how did they contact you?" is not a tough question, amigo. I'm genuinely curious how they managed to find 65 women who went to high school with Brett Kavanugh so fast.
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) September 14, 2018
Remember when #BelieveAllWomen was a thing?
#BelieveWomen#Sometimes https://t.co/piX8hZ67Ew
— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) September 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1040649068370898944
Awkward.
So now responding quickly to show a false smear campaign to be the disgusting lie that it is – is now a conspiracy.
It doesn’t get much lamer.
— Dean Wright (@vfx_dude) September 14, 2018
***
Update:
For the record, Sen. Grassley’s communications adviser Garrett Ventry is also pouring cold water on the suggestion that Grassley and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were sitting on the letter defending Kavanaugh:
This is false. We recieved this letter today. https://t.co/sPvBrN5Thn
— Garrett Ventry (@GarrettVentry) September 14, 2018
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