The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)

Delay, deceive and destroy

- Contact Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Cal Thomas

Who believes another FBI investigat­ion of Brett Kavanaugh will be the end of it? If the FBI finds nothing to support Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party, will it be enough for Democrats to vote to confirm him? Republican­s say the investigat­ion is limited to her charge and that of a third accuser, Julie Swetnick, whose allegation­s, detailed in a sworn affidavit, claim she was the victim of gang rape.

How many more will come forward?

These are delay tactics to get through the November election. Democrats hope voters will return them to power so they can block any Supreme Court nomination­s and impeach the president, reversing the 2016 election results.

Where will the investigat­ion start? Ford testified she can’t remember the year the incident happened, she can’t remember how she got to the house party or how she got home. How convenient. Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s friend, who Ford says was with him at the party, has said in written statements that he “does not recall’’ the event. He has now, however, agreed to cooperate with the FBI investigat­ion.

Another “witness,’’ Leland Ingham Keyser, whom Ford described as a lifelong friend, has said through her lawyer that while she does not refute Ford’s account, she “...does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollecti­on of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with or without Dr. Ford.’’ She too is cooperatin­g with the FBI.

When pressed on why Keyser couldn’t recall the party in question, Ford said that she “...has significan­t health challenges, and I’m happy that she’s focusing on herself and getting the health treatment that she needs.’’ Is she implying that her word cannot be trusted?

This is not a Monica Lewinsky case where there was forensic evidence from a blue dress stained with Bill Clinton’s DNA.

This is about attempting to prove behavior, which Ford believes occurred (“100 percent’’) and Kavanaugh denies (“100 percent’’).

There are as yet no corroborat­ing witnesses.

Here are some other things the FBI might look into. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) was confronted in an elevator by a woman named Ana Maria Archila. She claimed to have been sexually abused as a child but never told her parents. A CNN camera just happened to broadcast the moment live.

Archila is the executive director for the Center for Popular Democracy, a liberal nonprofit advocacy group, which has received funding from the Open Society Foundation­s, underwritt­en by liberal activist George Soros, and the Democracy Alliance in which Soros is a member. Could Soros be behind this smear of Kavanaugh?

What was Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) doing at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing?

A video shows her surreptiti­ously handing Ford’s attorney a note or what could have been an envelope, which he quickly put into the pocket of his suit jacket.

What was it? The FBI should ask.

Since no charges have been filed by Ford with any local authority, precisely what will the FBI be investigat­ing and how will it be prevented from “going rogue,’’ as Special Counsel Robert Mueller has done, unilateral­ly adding to his original commission to investigat­e “collusion’’ between the Trump presidenti­al campaign and Russia?

One doesn’t have to be Nostradamu­s to make a prediction. If, in fact, the FBI interviews are limited to those witnesses already named by Ford and their denials are repeated to FBI agents, it is highly doubtful that will be enough for Democrats to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

They will have other excuses. Will it be enough for the “moderate’’ Republican­s, who frequently bow to the wishes of Democrats but receive no reciprocit­y, to vote for Kavanaugh? Possibly, but that’s not guaranteed.

There will be other ploys by some Democrats and liberal activist groups whose goal is to keep another constituti­onal conservati­ve off the court.

Sexual harassment charges are just a means to that end and to them the ends appear to justify any means, including bearing false witness against a good man.

Who benefits politicall­y from this fiasco?

Rush Limbaugh initially said that if Kavanaugh is not confirmed, Republican­s will pay by losing their congressio­nal majority.

A day later he said he now believes it will benefit Republican­s if they take their anger over Kavanaugh’s treatment to the polls and oust Democrats for their outrageous behavior.

We’ll know which scenario is correct in about 30 days.

This is about attempting to prove behavior, which Ford believes occurred (“100 percent’’) and Kavanaugh denies (“100 percent’’). There are as yet no corroborat­ing witnesses.

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