New Delhi: Thousands gathered at Washington’s Hart Senate Office building on Wednesday to protest the appointment of US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The protestors launched a last-minute effort to mount more pressure on Republican senators to reject Kavanaugh’s nomination, just as preparations to move forward with the procedural vote plan gained momentum. The protestors mobilised to the slogan of ‘We believe Dr Ford’, referring to Dr Christine Blasey Ford who has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school.
According to the Guardian, over 300 protestors were arrested including comedian Amy Schumer and model Emily Ratajkowski.
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“Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power,” Ratajkowski tweeted. According to Time, the protest was the first in a series planned by organisations such as Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, the Women’s March etc.
Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power. pic.twitter.com/nnwq1O4qk3
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) October 4, 2018
“This is our way of taking over their spaces in the same way this trauma has limited our lives,” Flor Montero, special projects coordinator with the Women’s March, was quoted by Time as saying. “People are no longer afraid of being singled out as a victim of abuse.” At a rally on Tuesday, President Donald Trump had mocked Dr Ford’s testimony, pointing to supposed gaps in her memory of the assault.
Also read: Amid Kavanaugh Fight, Trump Says It Is a ‘Scary Time’ for Young Men
“I’m sick and tired of seeing women’s experiences not be given weight,” demonstrator Christine Zagrobelny, 29, a software engineer from New York City, told Reuters outside the Supreme Court.
Activists rally inside the Senate Hart Office Building during a protest in opposition to US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, October 4, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarqu
Republicans to move forward with voting
According to Reuters, the Republicans are planning to confirm Kavanaugh’s nomination by the end of this week. Two wavering lawmakers responded positively to an FBI report on accusations of sexual misconduct against the judge.The report, despatched by the White House to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the middle of the night, has been denounced by Democrats as a whitewash attempt.
The report, the Democrats have said, was too narrow in scope, overlooking the depositions of critical witnesses. “It smacks of a whitewash,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters, saying the report should not give political cover for Republicans to vote for Kavanaugh because “it is blatantly incomplete.”
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The Republicans are planning to move forward with a key procedural vote on Friday followed by a final vote on Saturday. The party controls the Senate by a 51-49 margin. The voting however could be complicated with the absence of Senator Steve Daines not being able to vote because of his daughter’s wedding. For Kavanaugh to win, he would require every Republican to vote for him.
“So far, none of the Republican senators have vouched to vote against Kavanaugh, although four in the party have not committed themselves to supporting him.”
These comments made by two Republican senators – Jeff Flake and Susan Collins – indicated that the FBI report, the latest twist in the high-voltage political battle over Kavanaugh, may have allayed their concerns. Flake, a frequent Trump critic, was instrumental in getting the president to order the FBI investigation last Friday.
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives with US Senator Orrin Hatch, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Mike Lee for a news conference. Credit: Reuters/Yuri Gripas
On the other hand, Senator Joe Manchin, the only undecided Democrat, said he would finish reading the report on Friday morning.
Most Democrats opposed Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh from the outset. If confirmed, he would deepen conservative control of the court. The sharply partisan battle became an intense political drama when Ford and two other women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct and assault in the 1980s when he was in high school and college.
Also read: Brett Kavanaugh Goes to the Movies
Kavanaugh defends himself
In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed titled, ‘I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge’ Kavanaugh defended his emotional testimony. “I know that my tone was sharp,” he wrote, “and I said a few things I should not have said.” He also said that he was there in his capacity as a son, husband and father and was foremost thinking about his family.
Kavanaugh has been severely criticised for his belligerent comments during the Senate hearing. The nominee further wrote, “I talked about my long record of advancing and promoting women, including as a judge—a majority of my 48 law clerks have been women—and as a longtime coach of girls’ basketball teams.”
File Photo: Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary committee regarding sexual assault allegations at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, US, September 27, 2018. Credit: Gabriella Demczuk/Pool via Reuters/File Photo
The guarded FBI report
The FBI investigative report, though not released to the public, seems to have increased Republican confidence about Kavanaugh’s appointment. According to BBC, Republicans declared that the FBI report had fully exonerated Kavanaugh.
According to Reuters, White House spokesman Raj Shah said the Trump administration was “fully confident” Kavanaugh had the necessary support.
LIVE: Anti-Kavanaugh protesters take over the Hart Senate Office Bldg. atrium on Capitol Hill. https://t.co/GYXkD32NJV
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 4, 2018
(With agency inputs)