A Day Before The Hearing And The Story Is Changing

It feels a little like Christine Blasey Ford has the weight of the world on her shoulders as she gets ready to testify tomorrow. CNN reports, “There will be one round of questions in which each senator will have five minutes each to ask Ford questions. Those five minutes can be yielded to counsel if a senator chooses.” If at the end of the day her story seems credible, will a committee vote–scheduled for Friday morning–be delayed?   What about others who are also coming forward?  Donald Trump is already dismissing the latest allegation by a third woman as false, accusing her attorney, Michael Avenatti of being a “low-life.”

This is now officially a three-ring circus.  And the GOP, hanging by a thread with midterms a month away, can’t be thrilled when Trump begins tweeting. He doesn’t mention the woman who is making the new claim at all, it’s as if she doesn’t even exist. But not only does Julie Swetnick exist, she is a well-respected member of the DC community. The Hill reports:

Swetnick is a Washington, D.C., resident who currently holds clearances with the Department of the Treasury, U.S. Mint and the Internal Revenue Service, according to her declaration.

She has a long career in government, having worked for the State Department, Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, according to the document. She graduated from Gaithersburg High School in Maryland.

As for Kavanaugh, he is denying that he even knows Swetnick. The White House released a statement on the Supreme Court nominee’s behalf saying, “This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened.”

Meanwhile, we are getting an early look at the remarks Kavanaugh has prepared for the hearing Thursday and it turns out his story has already changed since he spoke with Fox News Monday. During the interview with Martha MacCallum he portrayed himself in high school as “doing my service projects, going to church.” Now we are learning in his testimony he is expected to say:

“I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now.” 

What else might change by tomorrow? Senator Jeff Flake took time on the Senate floor today to say he is waiting to see the hearing himself before making up his mind. He remarked, “These people are not props for us to make our political points, nor are they to be demolished like Anita Hill.”

Meanwhile, all ten Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have written a letter to Donald Trump demanding that Kavanaugh’s nomination be withdrawn immediately.