Schumer and Feinstein: This Isn't the Report We Demanded and We Don't Like It

screengrab from https://youtu.be/9UXuCzePzAo

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and ranking member (can we even say that after the Ramirez allegation?) of the Judiciary Committee Dianne Feinstein held a joint press conference on the newly released supplementary-to-six-previous-background-checks background investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. They aren’t happy. Mostly because it doesn’t seem to be helping them.

Here are the high points via Twitter:

Feinstein & Schumer gave statements but took no questions from reporters pic.twitter.com/t5jlC3XXyu

— K Tully-McManus (@ktullymcmanus) October 4, 2018

Schumer and Feinstein from the Capitol:
1. They disagree with Grassley that there was no misconduct
2. The documents must be be made public so that all Americans can see the facts
3. The WH directive to the McGhan & the FBI about the investigation limitations must be made public pic.twitter.com/lLxhYynsek

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) October 4, 2018

They complain that Kavanaugh and Ford weren’t questioned. Obvious reasons for this, Kavanaugh, at least, had been extensively interviewed by Senate investigators (I don’t know if Ford cooperated or not) and both had given written statements and public testimony. The FBI investigation was a background investigation which had, as its purpose, to produce witness statements for Senators to evaluate.

They complain that everyone who had a rumor to monger about Kavanaugh wasn’t interviewed. Again, not much of a surprise. We know they talked to Ramirez and from her, they would have derived a list of names of witnesses. Some random person with an ax to grind, one way or another, would not be a witness.

And they want the information to be made public. This, of course, is just a bluff. Only a couple of days ago Feinstein was against making the report public. By demanding that it is made public while knowing it will not be, they are able to maintain the illusion that something is being hidden…and there obviously is:

KENNEDY: “There’s no corroboration, and I really wish you see this, let me say that again, I really wish you could read this report, there are things in there that really make me angry.”

He wouldn’t say what he meant.

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) October 4, 2018

On the whole, a sorry and unconvincing performance by a couple of sorry and unconvincing individuals.

This is the full presser: