BRETT KAVANAUGH/ELECTION/GOP/HEARING/SEX ABUSE/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Christine Blasey Ford told senators she was ‘100%’ certain Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh called the claim part of a ‘calculated and orchestrated political hit’ designed to keep him off the Supreme Court. And an extraordinary Senate Judiciary Committee hearing turned into a bitter, partisan brawl on national television by Thursday [9-27-18] afternoon. The fate of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee remained in the balance after the nearly nine-hour hearing. Republicans gathered privately Thursday night, ahead of Friday [9-28-18] morning’s scheduled committee vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Majority Republicans also scheduled the full Senate to cast a first procedural vote Saturday, meaning if they have the votes, Kavanaugh could be confirmed early next week…The GOP’s actions in Thursday’s hearing and afterward could have major implications in November’s midterm elections, with polls showing female voters abandoning the GOP. Recognizing the peril, four Republican governors — Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland, John Kasich of Ohio and Phil Scott of Vermont — called for a delay in the Senate’s votes on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. In the White House, the political calculus was much different. As the hearing concluded, Trump tweeted praise for Kavanaugh and urged Senate Republicans to confirm him to the Supreme Court.”
–Eric Bradner and MJ Lee, “Ford ‘100%’ certain of assault claim; Kavanaugh says ‘I am innocent,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, September 27, 2018 8:39 pm