Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation fight may be over -- but apparently, the liberals' smear campaign is not. Almost a year into the justice's term on the Supreme Court, the Left is still desperate to discredit him. But if they're trying to prove another sexual assault, they'll have to find a better victim than a woman who doesn't remember it.
There's no rest for the persecuted. That's the moral of the story for the Kavanaugh family, who, 11 months after his nightmarish ordeal, still isn't safe from the other side's witch hunt. This time, Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly insist they've stumbled on another allegation of sexual misconduct at a drunken dorm party -- one the FBI did not investigate. The origins of this would-be bombshell come from a book written on Kavanaugh by the duo, which the New York Times highlights in a weekend column -- along with what they hoped would be damning evidence of more impropriety.
There's just one problem, Mollie Hemingway fires back. It never happened. "The book notes, quietly, that the woman Max Stier named as having been supposedly victimized by Kavanaugh and friends denies any memory of the alleged event." A fact that the New York Times conveniently excluded from the original story. NRO's John McCormick, who calls it "one of the worst cases of journalistic malpractice in recent memory," says it's all part of the Left's plan to frame the rookie justice "the type of privileged jerk who might expose himself in front of an under-privileged college classmate."
Finally, after a social media firestorm, the Times finally corrected the story -- but not before the damage had been done. In two sentences added later, the paper concedes, "The book reports that the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say that she does not recall the incident. That information has been added to the article." Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who's had a ring-side seat for the Senate circus that destroyed the Kavanaughs' good name, can't believe those on the Left still fixated -- almost a year later. "I think this article just shows the obsession with the far Left, with trying to smear Justice Kavanaugh by going 30 years back with anonymous sources."
President Trump had stronger words. "Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue. The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can't let that happen!" he tweeted. "This is the game they play. Fake and Corrupt News is working overtime! #ProtectKavanaugh"
Carrie Severino, co-author of Justice on Trial, stopped by "Washington Watch" Monday afternoon to talk about the bogus allegations. "This is absolutely just 'repeat play' on the same playbook, except for the allegations get less and less plausible each time. The allegations in this case are like third-hand gossip that no one involved can corroborate, including, as you point out, the woman who is allegedly the victim...and that was this minor detail that somehow these authors forgot to include in their piece. I mean, it it's shocking. It's ridiculous." At some point in the near future, she half-jokes, "I'm now anticipating as I go through the grocery checkout line that I'm going to be able to get the New York Times right next to the Enquirer, because the standard is about the same."
In the end, this just another attempt to delegitimize Brett -- just like the other side has tried to delegitimize the entire Trump administration. As someone who's been the primary target of this onslaught, the president ought to know. The Left can't win so they want to sabotage anyone who does. Unfortunately for the media, the outcome of their Kavanaugh crusade is the same: the only ones they're discrediting are themselves.
