Senate Democrats are quashing talk of impeaching Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after another allegation of sexual misconduct has fallen through the floor.
Over the weekend, The New York Times ran a story that described how Kavanaugh had allegedly exposed himself to a woman at a Yale party. However, the supposed witness had no recollection of any such event and The Times ended up printing a correction that it labelled an “editor’s note.”
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) puts his hand on Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s shoulder during his ceremonial swearing in in the East Room of the White House Oct. 08, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The paper-thinness of the accusation has prompted Senate Democrats to stifle calls that Kavanaugh be impeached on the basis of the story. (RELATED: Washington Post Passed On Thinly Sourced Kavanaugh Story Before NYT Published It)
“Get real,” Senate Minority Whip and Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin told Politico on Monday.
“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.”
In the immediate wake of the story, several Democratic presidential contenders insisted it was time to impeach Kavanaugh, with California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris tweeting Sunday, “I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people.” “He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice. He must be impeached.” (RELATED: A Key Witness Has Lost Confidence In Blasey Ford’s Kavanaugh Accusation)
California Sen. Kamala Harris appears in the third Democratic primary debate on ABC. Screen Shot/ABC News
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley is promising to introduce an impeachment resolution on Tuesday, warning “Kavanaugh’s confirmation process set a dangerous precedent. We must demand justice for survivors and hold Kavanaugh accountable for his actions.”
The resolution invites the House Judiciary Committee to assess the question of impeachment, and grants the body the power of subpoena in its quest to do so, according to Politico.
But Durbin isn’t only senator discouraging impeachment.
“Mitch McConnell would block any impeachment. So that’s a moot point,” said Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who argues that lawmakers need to spend more time on the confirmation process instead of reaching for impeachment. “Don’t ever let those mistakes happen again.”
And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer? The New York Democrat told reporters nothing Monday: “That’s all I’m saying. Which is nothing. I’m saying nothing on Kavanaugh.”