Sen. Lindsey Graham Is Melting Down in Real Time Over the Kavanaugh Hearings
Christine Blasey Ford’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday has not gone well for Republicans looking to confirm Brett Kavanaugh. Just take it from Fox News. “This was extremely emotional, extremely raw, and extremely credible,” said host Chris Wallace. “This is a disaster for the Republicans.” Sitting next to Wallace was Bret Baier, who remarked on how it was “a totally different thing” to hear Ford deliver her testimony rather than simply reading it.
On Fox News, Bret Baier says hearing from Blasey Ford "is a totally different thing" than reading her allegations.
Chris Wallace: "This was extremely emotional, extremely raw, and extremely credible… This is a disaster for the Republicans." pic.twitter.com/aSbznSJdHC
— David Mack (@davidmackau) September 27, 2018
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee haven’t been willing to cede so much ground to Ford.
“Hiring a lawyer and taking a polygraph makes me more suspicious,” Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said following a break in the testimony, going on to, as many of his colleagues have done over the course of the past two weeks, speak to Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility.
More Graham: “She seems like a —something happened to this woman. The question for me is, I’ve got a man who’s lived a credibly productive life adamantly denying it. And a lot of the details, I don’t know how you fill them in.”
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) September 27, 2018
After Ford’s allegation was made public earlier this month, Graham didn’t seem very interested in hearing her testimony, noting that he’ll “listen to the lady, but we’re going to bring this to a close.” Though, as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) pointed out as he questioned Ford, Graham wrote in 2015 about learning “how much unexpected courage from a deep and hidden place it takes for a rape victim or sexually abused child to testify against their assailants,” Graham didn’t seem quite as sensitive to the plight of alleged assault survivors now that one of them may disrupt Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
A woman just told @LindseyGrahamSC she was raped. He said, as he headed into an elevator, "I'm sorry. Tell the cops."
— Emma Dumain (@Emma_Dumain) September 27, 2018
Speaking of tone-deaf insensitivity, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who last week said Ford must be “mixed up” about how she remembered her assault, was apparently so struck by Ford’s presence in the chamber that he couldn’t help but comment on it during a recess in the proceedings.
Hatch just called Ford an “attractive witness.” Asked to elaborate what he meant, he said “she’s pleasing.”
— Kate Irby (@kateirby) September 27, 2018
A spokesperson for Hatch claimed that he has been using “attractive” to describe people’s personalities for years.
For the most disturbing reaction, however, we have to go back to Graham, who finds new ways to debase himself with each passing hour. “Let me tell my Democratic friends,” Graham told reporters. “If this is the new norm, you better watch out for your nominees.”
The threat to intentionally disrupt future nomination processes came during one of several heated exchanges between the senator and reporters following Ford’s testimony. In another, Graham disputed several points made during the testimony while attempting to argue that Ford is just as much of a victim of the Democrats’ plan to derail Kavanaugh’s confirmation as the nominee.
Lindsey Graham is having a meltdown on national TV pic.twitter.com/xApZ4Gpa1L
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 27, 2018
“I feel ambushed,” Graham said. Maybe he should call the cops.