THREAD, re: this frequently raised point: "OK, maybe Judge Kavanaugh didn't commit perjury. But wasn't his testimony misleading/incomplete/not totally forthcoming? Shouldn't we demand more for #SCOTUS?" #KavanaughHearings #KavanaughConfirmationHearings
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4. I compare confirmation hearings to depositions. Lawyers who prepare deposition witnesses advise them to tell the truth - you're under oath - but don't say more than is necessary and don't volunteer anything, especially if it's bad for your side.
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5. The common deposition prep advice: if opposing counsel asks "can you tell me what time it is," you say "yes."
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6. So at his confirmation hearings, Judge Kavanaugh was under no obligation to volunteer info, give expansive answers, help Democratic senators gather ammo to attack him, or set himself on fire. Judge Robert Bork did that, and look what happened to him.
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7. If Kavanaugh gave unduly narrow or incomplete answers, it was the job of
@SenJudiciary Democrats to act like lawyers taking depos - press the witness, probe more deeply, rephrase again & again, show the witness more docs - until you get what you want.Show this thread -
8. It was not Kavanaugh's job to make their case for them. He had no duty to say, e.g., "Oh, you want to go after me for my involvement with Pryor & Pickering? Well, let me tell you just how incredibly involved I was, so you can nail me to the wall for it!"
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9. In a better world, sure, maybe Kavanaugh would try to help the senators find out exactly what they were looking for. But in that better world, the senators wouldn't be trying to play a game of "gotcha" in order to derail his nomination.
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10. To sum up, Judge Kavanaugh's only duty was to testify truthfully - no more, no less. As I've argued in my prior threads, he did just that.
#SCOTUS#KavanaughHearings#KavanaughConfirmation#KavanaughConfirmationHearing#KavanaughConfirmationHearingsShow this thread -
In case you missed them, here are my prior evaluations of the Kavanaugh "perjury" claims: 1. Pryor: https://twitter.com/DavidLat/status/1037818136349814784 … 2. Memogate: https://twitter.com/DavidLat/status/1037928034224033792 … 3. NSA surveillance: https://twitter.com/DavidLat/status/1038195699513520129 … 4. Pickering:https://twitter.com/DavidLat/status/1038617313933750273 …
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End of conversation
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More like Calvinball at times.
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