Question about Feinstein and Kavanaugh

[_Some Schmo]

What are you responding to here?

The entire line of reasoning.

Ah. Yeah, it is infuriating.

[_cinepro]

Jesus ____ Christ.

Feinstein didn't leak the letter. She didn't disclose it's existence until it's existence was leaked at which point she forwarded it to the FBI who provided a copy to the Senate Judiciary with Ford's name redacted. At that point, almost anyone could have been the final source for the leak of the actual letter.

So what do you think Feinstein would have done if no one else had leaked the information or Ford hadn't been found by the press? Would she have allowed Kavanaugh to be confirmed and never mentioned the letter?

I can understand why a Republican might do that, but why would Feinstein? That's what I don't understand.

[_EAllusion]

I can understand why a Republican might do that, but why would Feinstein? That's what I don't understand.

She's your Senator, but to me, that seems like a very Feinsteinian thing to do. That's not a compliment.

[_subgenius]

I can understand why a Republican might do that, but why would Feinstein? That's what I don't understand.

She's your Senator, but to me, that seems like a very Feinsteinian thing to do. That's not a compliment.

see also the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog (or turtle).

[_subgenius]

Jesus damned Christ.

Feinstein didn't leak the letter. She didn't disclose it's existence until it's existence was leaked at which point she forwarded it to the FBI who provided a copy to the Senate Judiciary with Ford's name redacted. At that point, almost anyone could have been the final source for the leak of the actual letter.

Meh, most people believe that Sawyer from Feinstein's office leaked the letter, can't really prove it (maybe FBI should investigate )...nevertheless, it doesn't much matter who leaked it because we all saw Feinstein throw Ford under the bus about it....nice how Feinstein revealed how disposable Ford was to her agenda.

"I don't believe my staff would leak it," she replied, but admitted that, "I have not asked that question directly, but I do not believe they would."

She later clarified that "the answer is no."

Cornyn asked if she had asked her staff.

"I just did," she replied. "[Chief of Staff] Jennifer [Duck] reminds me I've asked her before about it, and that's true."

...

Feinstein says most likely leak of Ford's letter was from "her friends."

Cornyn points out her friends didn't have the letter.

Feinstein says friends may have spread story (not letter) by word of mouth.

There you go, Feinstein manifests the failed Democratic modus operandi in a short exchange.

[_honorentheos]

So what do you think Feinstein would have done if no one else had leaked the information or Ford hadn't been found by the press? Would she have allowed Kavanaugh to be confirmed and never mentioned the letter?

I can understand why a Republican might do that, but why would Feinstein? That's what I don't understand.

To answer your question directly, I believe she would have kept quiet about it as long as Ford wanted her to do so. I honestly think she views Ford as a victim, and Ford's concern that going public would only bring more pain to her and her family seems to have been understood by Feinstein. Whatever faults one wishes to place at Feinstein's feet, it appears she was sincerely putting the needs of Ford over politics.

If the letter could be isolated to only Ford and Feinstein, and history replayed, I think we'd never learn of it's existence. But that's fantasy.

I do think there is a kernel of truth at the center of the conservative claim the letter was played for political effect and Ford was being used to some extent. But not by Feinstein and not in a big conspiracy. It seems to me that someone who had knowledge of the letter's existence but not it's detailed content was the source of the leaks, and they appear to be someone not as concerned about Ford while being very concerned about interrupting Kavanaugh's confirmation. And the majority of people on the Hill care far more about intrigue and political gamesmanship than they do about how something may affect someone else if they can score from doing something. Rumors that could potentially blow up a Supreme Court nominee, score points for one's team and all the other crap that is the daily grind in Washington doesn't need corroboration and planning. It's all the ants scrambling for their moment that on the outside looks like something much more.

It seems someone, or a few similarly minded someones, with knowledge of the letter but not close enough to it to know the details saw the failure of the Democrats to slow down Kavanaugh's confirmation and played the hand they had by pushing the rumors. The original rumors about the letter up to the Intercept's report have all the elements of hearsay. All anyone was certain of was that it involved Kavanaugh and it had something to do with him and a woman when they were in High School. But that minimal degree of confidence of the content was based on the convergence of the rumors. Once the rumors successfully resulted in outside reporting (The Intercept article being the hinge point in the story), the person or people not even significant enough for us to recognize their name succeeded in building up the needed momentum to level it up. And frankly Democrats were all too willing to then use this new development to maximum effect.

[_Water Dog]

Ford's testimony on the matter was unambiguous. She provided the letter to her attorneys, to rep Eshoo, and Feinstein. So either Ford is lying, or her attorney's leaked it behind her back, or it was Eshoo or Feinstein. I've got an idea, have the FBI investigate it.

[_honorentheos]

Ford's testimony on the matter was unambiguous. She provided the letter to her attorneys, to rep Eshoo, and Feinstein. So either Ford is lying, or her attorney's leaked it behind her back, or it was Eshoo or Feinstein. I've got an idea, have the FBI investigate it.

Feinstein gave the letter to the FBI once news of it's existence was reported by the Intercept. Everyone knows that. The rumors about the letter led to the Intercept article followed by Feinstein providing a statement that she did have a letter, the author did not want to take it public so Feinstein was respecting that, and she provided a copy to Federal Investigators who redacted Fords name before putting it in his background file which was available to the White House and Senate Judiciary Committee.

None of that is opaque yet everyone acts like it's spy v. spy. You all are damned crazy. The question is who initiated the rumor regarding the letter's existence that led to the Intercept article. It's clearly someone, or more likely a scatter number of someones, who only knew of it but not the details or those would have been the biggest part of the rumor. I do think it came out of Eshoo's office given the way things worked out but we don't know. I also think the rumors about it escalated and gained momentum due to Democrats dissatisfied with the Kavanaugh confirmation seeing it as a vehicle for interfering. But I serious don't see that as originating with Feinstein, but more likely the lower tier staff shoveling rumors between themselves that moved to Democrat Senators pressuring Feinstein, the news getting the story and taking the existence of a letter public, from which it had enough momentum no one could hold it back if they wanted to.

[_cinepro]

Thanks honorentheos. Your theory makes a lot of sense and seems to include all the known data.

It is interesting to think of an alternate reality where news hadn't leaked before the confirmation, and Feinstein allowed Kavanaugh to be confirmed without revealing the contents of the letter. Since I'm sure the story would eventually be made public, that could have been a scandal of epic proportions.

[_moksha]

What if instead of the letter going to Feinstein, it had ended up on Orrin Hatch's desk, and he put it in a drawer and didn't mention it until it had leaked to the press six weeks later? Would it still seem like no big deal?

Most likely the letter would have remained there indefinitely. The only chance of discovery would be if Senator Hatch had one of his staff searching for where he left his glasses. This would not have been pitted evidence, just evidence that was of a non-judicial approving nature.