Opinion

DAVIS: The Kavanaugh Smear Campaign Is Alive And Well

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Mike Davis Contributor
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Democratic presidential candidates and liberal dark-money groups are continuing to smear Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, even after his successful confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Indeed, a liberal dark-money group called “Demand Justice” attempted to bully George Mason University into firing Kavanaugh from teaching  an elective class at George Mason’s Scalia Law School. Demand Justice spun up cupcake undergraduates and whacky faculty, who claimed that Kavanaugh’s appointment made them feel “unsafe” on campus. But what they failed to tell us was that Kavanaugh was hired to teach law students, not undergrads — and that Kavanaugh was teaching the course 3,600 miles away, in England.

Senate Democrats and left-wing dark-money groups are largely responsible for this hateful environment. From the moment the president nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Democrats announced their knee-jerk opposition. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement almost immediately, promising to “oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have.”

Many other Democrats followed suit. One liberal group even accidentally released a statement saying that they opposed Trump’s “nomination of XX” to the Supreme Court.

Their motivation was simple — to obstruct and oppose, not to advise and consent. It is no surprise that in the 11th hour, drive-by allegations were cooked up against Kavanaugh in an effort to derail one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in American history.

In the face of this baseless smear campaign, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) worked hard to conduct a fair, dignified process. But Senate Democrats, with the help of left-wing dark-money groups and unhinged paid protesters, did everything in their power to prevent that.

They tried to flip the American presumption of “innocent until proven guilty” on its head, insisting that mere allegations — even baseless ones — should be enough to sink Kavanaugh’s nomination. That’s un-American.
Fortunately, the American people saw through it. The smear campaign failed, and the Senate confirmed a good man to serve as the 114th justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice delivered; justice prevailed.

Unwilling to accept the decision of the American people, far-left activists are doubling down on their smear campaign. Just last month, 26 liberal advocacy organizations sent a letter to the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees demanding that the committees launch a series of investigations into Kavanaugh.

They insist that the House of Representatives —which plays no role in the confirmation of judges — must reconsider whether Kavanaugh “is ultimately fit to be a justice on the Supreme Court.” In recent days, liberal dark-money groups have announced an advertising campaign designed to pressure House Democrats to move forward with these sham investigations. And Congressman Seth Moulton, a fourth-tier Democratic presidential candidate, has called for Kavanaugh’s impeachment.

This would be a laughable political stunt from a candidate polling at zero percent, but many of the other 23 presidential wannabes on the Democrat side have made similar calls for assaults on judicial independence, with their unconstitutional or otherwise radical court-packing, term-limits, and sham-investigation schemes.

Unfortunately, the Democratic smear campaign on Kavanaugh has never been about finding the truth. It is about continuing their quest to destroy a good man. It is an assault on judicial independence — an attempt by Democrats to cow a new justice before he votes on key cases.

All who know Kavanaugh understand that he is a great judge, teacher, coach, mentor, and most importantly, husband and dad.  He is one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in our nation’s history.

The smears leveled against Kavanaugh during his confirmation process represent a shameful new low in our nation’s discourse. Four Senate Democrats lost their re-election bids after the Kavanaugh confirmation. Instead of learning from their mistakes, the left is digging in.

Those who care about the integrity of our courts, the quality of our judges, and the reputation of good men and women must push back against the lies and smears, because they show no signs of stopping.

Mike Davis is the founder and president of The Article III Project  (A3P). He is the former chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Davis clerked for Justice Gorsuch, both on the Supreme Court and on the Tenth Circuit.


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.