Ayanna Pressley Moves Forward With Kavanaugh Impeachment Effort, Even as Senior Senate Dems Balk at the Idea

Even though the “bombshell” New York Times report about an old-turned-new sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh has fallen apart under scrutiny, Squad member Ayanna Pressley has already launched an impeachment effort against the Supreme Court Justice.

Fox News reports:

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., one of the four freshman congresswomen known collectively as the “Squad,” is planning Tuesday to introduce a resolution seeking an impeachment inquiry into Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite reluctance from top Democrats to pursue one and concerns about the basis for the latest accusations.

The resolution follows a New York Times report that included a new allegation of sexual misconduct from when Kavanaugh was in college — although an editors’ note later revealed that the alleged victim did not recall it taking place. In a statement, Pressley only focused on the women who came forward during Kavanaugh’s confirmation process.

Here’s what Boston.com journalist Nik DeCosta-Klipa reported from his Twitter account about Pressley’s move:

Statement from Pressley, who has made addressing sexual violence a core focus from the start of her career:

“I believe Christine Blasey Ford. I believe Deborah Ramirez. It is our responsibility to collectively affirm the dignity and humanity of survivors.”

— Nik DeCosta-Klipa (@NikDeCostaKlipa) September 16, 2019

Statement continued:

“Sexual predators do not deserve a seat on the nation’s highest court and Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process set a dangerous precedent. We must demand justice for survivors and hold Kavanaugh accountable for his actions.”

— Nik DeCosta-Klipa (@NikDeCostaKlipa) September 16, 2019

Unfortunately for Pressley, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler is signaling the committee’s hands are too full laying the groundwork for impeaching President Trump to be able to immediately take up the Kavanaugh issue:

The House Judiciary Committee is too tied up with “impeaching the president” to take immediate action on a potential investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said Monday.

“We have our hands full with impeaching the president right now and that’s going to take up our limited resources and time for a while,” Nadler said on WNYC when pressed by host Brian Lehrer.

Nadler said his first move to investigate Kavanaugh would come next month, when FBI Director Christopher Wray appears for a previously scheduled hearing that will now feature a significant focus on the Supreme Court justice’s past — and whether the FBI’s background check was thorough enough. Nadler said his panel’s primary focus would be determining whether Kavanaugh lied to the Senate.

Meanwhile, senior Senate Democrats are telling impeachment-hungry House and Senate members to “get real”:

So the demands by 2020 presidential contenders to remove the Supreme Court justice, on the heels of new reporting about allegations of sexual misconduct, are getting panned.

“Get real,” as Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) put it Monday afternoon.

“We’ve got to get beyond this ‘impeachment is the answer to every problem.’ It’s not realistic,” Durbin said. “If that’s how we are identified in Congress, as the impeachment Congress, we run the risk that people will feel we’re ignoring the issues that mean a lot to them as families.”

[…]

“Mitch McConnell would block any impeachment. So that’s a moot point,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a former Judiciary chairman. He said the lesson to be learned is not to rush lifetime confirmations: “Don’t ever let those mistakes happen again.” Until Democrats take back the Senate, however, there’s little they can do to halt McConnell on nominations.

Who’s gonna break this news to struggling presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris?

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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –

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