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Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shouts while questioning Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was called back to testify about claims by Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
He Wouldn't Say a Word to Christine Blasey Ford But Unhinged Lindsey Graham Breaks Silence, Has 'Full-Blown Temper Tantrum' to Defend Kavanaugh
Republicans wouldn't ask the accuser, who happens to be a woman, any questions. But once the accused, a man, was in the witness chair—turns out they had quite a lot to say
Sep 27, 2018
While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC having a full-blown tantrum on the floor. Calls Kavanaugh's victims' allegations "a sham" and says Kavanaugh owes no one an apology. Graham says Kavanaugh\u2014not the women that he assaulted\u2014have been through hell. #BelieveSurvivors #StopKavanaugh\u201d— NARAL (@NARAL) 1538081498
\u201cI'm staggered by Lindsay Graham's performance. He really has zero regard for women. #Kavanaugh\u201d— Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon (@Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon) 1538081496
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.
\u201cRachel Mitchell was used by GOP to question Dr. Ford so they wouldn\u2019t come off looking cruel and insensitive. Now Kavanaigh\u2019s turn and the GOP is praising him, telling him to keep fighting, and that they\u2019ll vote for him. If it\u2019s not a trial the why did you bring in a prosecutor?!\u201d— Rich Pulvino (@Rich Pulvino) 1538082195
\u201cSo the 11 white male of the @GOP wouldn't question Dr. Ford, so now that Lindsey Graham blew up, you now have the backbone to ask questions of Kavanaugh??? So much for being fair.\u201d— GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f (@GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f) 1538082013
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ben sassebrett kavanaughchristine blasey fordlindsey grahammike leesexual assaultus senateus supreme courtwomen
While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC having a full-blown tantrum on the floor. Calls Kavanaugh's victims' allegations "a sham" and says Kavanaugh owes no one an apology. Graham says Kavanaugh\u2014not the women that he assaulted\u2014have been through hell. #BelieveSurvivors #StopKavanaugh\u201d— NARAL (@NARAL) 1538081498
\u201cI'm staggered by Lindsay Graham's performance. He really has zero regard for women. #Kavanaugh\u201d— Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon (@Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon) 1538081496
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.
\u201cRachel Mitchell was used by GOP to question Dr. Ford so they wouldn\u2019t come off looking cruel and insensitive. Now Kavanaigh\u2019s turn and the GOP is praising him, telling him to keep fighting, and that they\u2019ll vote for him. If it\u2019s not a trial the why did you bring in a prosecutor?!\u201d— Rich Pulvino (@Rich Pulvino) 1538082195
\u201cSo the 11 white male of the @GOP wouldn't question Dr. Ford, so now that Lindsey Graham blew up, you now have the backbone to ask questions of Kavanaugh??? So much for being fair.\u201d— GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f (@GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f) 1538082013
While Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) joined all his GOP senate colleagues in their tactical decision to not directly address or question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during her testimony on Thursday--they instead hired an outside female prosecutor, Arizona Republican Rachel Mitchell, to do it for them--he evidently could not resist the temptation to drop that formulation during the afternoon questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by claiming his own time to defend the witness as a "victim" and then had "a full-blown tantrum" on the floor as he excoriating his Democratic colleagues.
"You've got nothing to apologize for," Graham said to Kavanaugh, as he then revealed where the order of his sympathies by declaring Ford, who has testified she remains "100 percent" positive that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted here, was "just as much a victim of this as I think Brett Kavanaugh."
Watch:
Graham's outburst did not go over well:
\u201c.@LindseyGrahamSC having a full-blown tantrum on the floor. Calls Kavanaugh's victims' allegations "a sham" and says Kavanaugh owes no one an apology. Graham says Kavanaugh\u2014not the women that he assaulted\u2014have been through hell. #BelieveSurvivors #StopKavanaugh\u201d— NARAL (@NARAL) 1538081498
\u201cI'm staggered by Lindsay Graham's performance. He really has zero regard for women. #Kavanaugh\u201d— Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon (@Ilyse Hogue is @ilyseh on mastodon) 1538081496
Ahead of the hearing, Republicans had argued they had hired the outside prosecutor, one who specialized in sexual assault cases, because such a topic was "complicated" and they didn't want to ask "insensitive" questions.
They had no problem asking a man about these issues, however.
After Graham ended the charade that the Republicans would not question the witnesses directly--at least the male witness--Sens. John Cornyn of Texas (R-Texas), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Ted Cruz (D-Texas) also followed suit.
\u201cRachel Mitchell was used by GOP to question Dr. Ford so they wouldn\u2019t come off looking cruel and insensitive. Now Kavanaigh\u2019s turn and the GOP is praising him, telling him to keep fighting, and that they\u2019ll vote for him. If it\u2019s not a trial the why did you bring in a prosecutor?!\u201d— Rich Pulvino (@Rich Pulvino) 1538082195
\u201cSo the 11 white male of the @GOP wouldn't question Dr. Ford, so now that Lindsey Graham blew up, you now have the backbone to ask questions of Kavanaugh??? So much for being fair.\u201d— GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f (@GreenSpringInstitute \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u262e\ufe0f) 1538082013
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