'She toast'! FNC scoop deals major blow to anti-Kavanaugh Sen. Heidi Heitkamp's pro-'survivor' cred

So, remember last week when heroic Heidi Heitkamp heroically risked her Senate seat by heroically voting against confirming Brett Kavanaugh to take a stand for survivors of sexual assault?

Yeah, well, about that:

FOX NEWS: "North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp did not push to prosecute individuals responsible for physical and sexual abuse of students when she was the state's Attorney General, with one accused school employee subsequently sexually assaulting a child." https://t.co/aCFUSuybZ3

— John Ashbrook (@JohnAshbrook) October 9, 2018

More from Fox News:

Heitkamp, who served as the North Dakota’s attorney general between 1992 and 2000, oversaw the North Dakota Bureau of Investigation’s probe between 1993 and 1994 into allegations of abuse at the Wahpeton Indian School (WIS), now known as the Circle of Nations School, a boarding school for troubled Native American students.

…

The allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the Native American school were largely confirmed by four state and federal investigations conducted by the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office, the North Dakota Department of Human Services, the FBI, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

But despite the investigations and the corroboration of the allegations, none of the government agencies, including the office led by Heitkamp, recommended pursuing charges against individuals who allegedly committed the crimes.

In a 1994 memo written by Heitkamp, she cited State Attorney Earle “Bud” Myers’s opinion that no charges should be pressed against individuals who allegedly committed the crimes. Heitkamp didn’t press to revisit the case and pursue the allegations.

The campaign also provided a statement from Lyle Witham, a former North Dakota Assistant Attorney General who worked also worked under Heitkamp, who said only State’s Attorneys determine whether to prosecute a crime and the attorney general “does not have the legal authority to press charges in criminal cases.”

OK, but:

But attorneys Fox News spoke with said the campaign’s comments are a convenient excuse and ignore the reality of how state attorney generals operate.

“A state attorney general is the lead law enforcement officer in the state. If they want to bring a case, they are not going to be stopped by a county attorney’s recommendation,” a trial attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice official told Fox News.

In other words, while Heitkamp’s authority may technically have been limited somewhat, it seems like she didn’t push all that hard to seek justice for the alleged victims. That doesn’t exactly line up with the fearless-crusader-for-sexual-assault-victims self-portrait that Heitkamp painted:

My statement on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh: pic.twitter.com/exZcK78JtF

— Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (@SenatorHeitkamp) October 4, 2018

Welp.

This confirms my theory: those who screeched the loudest against Kavanaugh (despite all evidence pointing to innocence) are the ones with ugly skeletons in theie closets.

Guilt is a hell of a drug.

— Lê Costa (@LeCosta90) October 9, 2018