memeorandum: The Fear Driving Conservative Support for Kavanaugh (Peter Beinart/The Atlantic)

10:35 AM ET, September 27, 2018

Top Items:

Senate probing new allegation of misconduct against Kavanaugh — Supreme Court Nominee has been asked privately about an accusation of physical assault, sources tell NBC News. — WASHINGTON —The Senate Judiciary Committee is inquiring about at least one additional allegation of misconduct …

RealClearInvestigations:

Suppressed Blasey Ford Yearbooks Reveal Fast Times at Holton-Arms — Democrats plan at Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to use the high school yearbooks of embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which they say imply he and his prep school pals regularly got drunk …

Discussion: National Review, Real Clear Politics and The Right Scoop

Politico:

Ex-boyfriend filed restraining order against third Kavanaugh accuser — Julie Swetnick, the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a friend of attending house parties where women — including herself — were sexually assaulted, had a restraining order filed against her years later in Miami by her former boyfriend.

Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:

Two Men Told Senate Staffers They Had “The Encounter” With Christine Blasey Ford, Not Brett Kavanaugh — WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee staff interviewed two men who said they believed that they, and not US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, had “the encounter” …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, USA Today, The Week, Bustle, AOL, Politico, Front Page Magazine, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Outside the Beltway

Deirdre M. Bowen / USA Today:

I'm from Kavanaugh's elitist world. I know how prep-school privilege buries secrets. — Students attending Washington-area prep schools are groomed to be society's leaders. But a blemishless record speaks more to secrecy than integrity. — CONNECT — The whores on the hill.

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, ABC News, Bustle, The Hill and HuffPost

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic:

The Fear Driving Conservative Support for Kavanaugh — It's remarkable: The more women accuse of Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, the more committed to his confirmation conservatives become. On Monday, after Deborah Ramirez became the second woman to accuse Kavanaugh of wrongdoing …

Discussion: Vox, USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, HuffPost, The American Conservative and Bustle

CNN:

Collins privately raises concerns about new allegations, lack of subpoena for Kavanaugh friend — (CNN)Sen. Susan Collins, who could determine whether Brett Kavanaugh gets a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court, raised serious concerns at a private meeting about the newest allegations …

Discussion: Washington Post, Liberty Unyielding, NY State of Politics, Vox, FOX 61, KTLA, Talking Points Memo, FOX31 Denver, KTVQ-TV, WPIX 11 New York, Bustle, Right Wing Watch and Breitbart

Jill Abramson / New York Times:

This Hearing Is Stacked Against Christine Blasey Ford — It is almost unthinkable that there will be a second Supreme Court justice taking his seat under suspicions of perjury and sexual misconduct. — Ms. Abramson is a former executive editor of The Times and author, with Jane Mayer …

Discussion: Townhall, The American Spectator, The Federalist and The Atlantic

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Third Kavanaugh accuser gives first TV interview — The third woman to accuse Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct said in her first on-camera interview that she believes the behavior she claims to have witnessed from him during the 1980s should disqualify him from serving on the Supreme Court.

Discussion: Bustle and Joe.My.God.

YouTube:

EXCLUSIVE: Julie Swetnick Meets With John Heilemann | THE CIRCUS | SHOWTIME — In this exclusive interview, John Heilemann meets with Julie Swetnick, the third woman to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavan...

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post, AOL and Axios

David Rutz / Washington Free Beacon:

Tapper: There Is No Corroborating Evidence for Any of the Charges Against Kavanaugh — CNN anchor Jake Tapper noted Thursday there is “no contemporaneous, corroborating evidence” for any of the sexual misconduct allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Discussion: Townhall, The Daily Caller and New York Post

Scott Wong / The Hill:

First Republican calls for FBI to investigate Kavanaugh — Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) became the first Republican lawmaker in Congress to call for an FBI investigation into allegations by three women that President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, sexually assaulted or harassed them decades ago.

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, LifeZette, Breitbart and Mediaite

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:

‘Give it to me’: Trump lets loose with 81 minutes of bluster, falsehoods and insults — The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights — President Trump's 81-minute news conference Thursday began predictably enough — with a first question tossed to a favored reporter …

Discussion: KTVQ-TV, CNN, Hot Air, Mediaite, Liberty Unyielding, Common Dreams, Breitbart, Political Wire and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Mark Judge's former girlfriend is ready to talk to FBI and Judiciary Committee, her lawyer says — The onetime girlfriend of Mark Judge, who is alleged by Christine Blasey Ford to have been present while Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the 1980s, has emerged as a pivotal if hidden figure …

Peter Hasson / The Daily Caller:
Man Apologizes For Claiming Kavanaugh Sexually Assaulted His Friend, Says He ‘Made A Mistake’

Discussion: Townhall, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit and twitchy.com

NPR:
READ: Christine Blasey Ford's Opening Statement For Senate Hearing

Discussion: Shareblue Media, POLITICUSUSA, Tennessee Star and 89.3 KPCC

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Kavanaugh “hopping mad” ahead of hearing

Discussion: ABC News and LifeZette

Joe Tacopino / New York Post:
Two men tell Senate that they, not Kavanaugh, assaulted Ford

Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY and Shot in the Dark

Becket Adams / Washington Examiner:
No Standards: NBC News' latest charge shows that the media will report any allegation against Kavanaugh, however thin

Discussion: National Review, Fox News, Breitbart, Roll Call and Hollywood Life

Christina Cauterucci / Slate:
Toxic Bro Culture Finally Found a News Peg

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Vox and NBC News

Mairead McArdle / National Review:
Judiciary Committee Talking to Two Men Who Think They Assaulted Ford

Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY, Conservative News Today, twitchy.com and CANNONFIRE

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Where things stand on Kavanaugh

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run and NPR

Bret Stephens / New York Times:
This Revolution, Too, Will Eat Its Children

Discussion: Bustle, Roll Call, Washington Post and Splinter

Sohrab Ahmari / New York Post:
Third Kavanaugh accuser's accusations riddled with holes

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Conservative News Today, CNBC and twitchy.com

New York Times: Read Christine Blasey Ford's Prepared Statement

Emily Jane Fox / Vanity Fair:
“I Was Ashamed”: After Ford's Accusation, a Generation of Holton-Arms Alumnae Wrestle with Their Own Truths—Together

Discussion: Breitbart, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Taylor Marsh, New York Times, POLITICUSUSA, HuffPost, Hot Air, Vox, BloombergQuint, ThinkProgress, Bustle, France 24, WPIX 11 New York and Splinter

Eli Watkins / CNN:
Kavanaugh denies two additional accusations to Senate Judiciary Committee

Discussion: Townhall, POLITICUSUSA, Law & Crime, The Week, USA Today, twitchy.com, Jezebel and New York Times

Todd S. Purdum / The Atlantic:
President Trump's Surreal News Conference Didn't Do Kavanaugh Any Favors

Discussion: BloombergQuint and New York Times

Stephen Collinson / CNN:
A day that will resonate in history

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze and Gothamist

The Federalist:
BREAKING: KAVANAUGH ACCUSER CALLED FOR MILITARY COUP AGAINST TRUMP, ACCUSED HIM OF ‘MANSLAUGHTER’

Discussion: twitchy.com, Splinter and Front Page Magazine

The Daily Beast: ‘Disaster’: Trumpworld Starting to Sweat Over Brett Kavanaugh's Mounting Sexual Assault Allegations

Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:
Bill Clinton accuser to make Capitol Hill appearance in support of Kavanaugh

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Kavanaugh questioned about Rhode Island sexual assault allegation

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire and twitchy.com

Michael E. Miller / Washington Post:
Who is Julie Swetnick, the third Kavanaugh accuser?

Discussion: Politico, Townhall, Fox News and National Review

Politico:
GOP anger over Kavanaugh allegations boils ahead of hearing

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Week

Beth Baumann / Townhall: WATCH: NRA Blasts Key Democrats in Jaw-Dropping Ad in Support of Kavanaugh

Michael Lewis / The Guardian:

'This guy doesn't know anything': the inside story of Trump's shambolic transition team — Chris Christie noticed a piece in the New York Times - that's how it all started. The New Jersey governor had dropped out of the presidential race in February 2016 and thrown what support he had behind Donald Trump.

Discussion: emptywheel, AOL and Raw Story

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:

Trump claims he rejected a meeting with Trudeau over NAFTA — but Canada says it never asked to meet — President Donald Trump says he declined a one-on-one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the United Nations General Assembly. — President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday …

Discussion: New York Times, HuffPost, CNN and Washington Post

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Fact check: 8 things Trump got wrong at his news conference

Discussion: Politico, Hullabaloo, Washington Post and POLITICUSUSA

New York Times:

Sessions Aide, a Trump Loyalist, Is Seen as Ascendant Amid Rosenstein Chaos — WASHINGTON — Convinced that the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, was ready to resign after the revelation that he suggested President Trump was unfit for the job, senior White House aides got to work last weekend installing a replacement.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, NPR, BuzzFeed News, AOL, Vox and Just Security

Politico:
‘Can you do this?’: Russia probe conflicts rampant among Rosenstein replacements

Discussion: New York Times, Lawfare and ABC News

Rachel La Corte / National Journal:

Massive House Map Continues to Grow — Recent polling and new TV ad reservations suggest an expanding battlefield with 40 days until the midterms. — Ally Mutnick — Democrats are finding compelling evidence that a new set of Republican-held seats are becoming increasingly competitive, stretching an already expansive map.