Next for Judge Kavanaugh: Are There Any Honorable Senate Democrats?

Originally published at Fox News  Newt Gingrich

After the unbelievably savage and despicable effort to destroy Judge Brett Kavanaugh through false and dishonest personal attacks, the burden should be on the Senate Democrats.

The New Yorker smear was an absurdity. A woman could only remember a self-described drunken event after six days of discussion with her attorney. Everyone connected with the event repudiates her attack on Judge Kavanaugh.

The Avenatti client’s claim of a series of gang rapes was beyond unbelievable. Classmates and high school friends of Kavanaugh simply repudiated her as a liar making up a fantasy assault on the nominee.

Another absurd attack came from a mother whose daughter promptly says nothing happened, and her mother is simply wrong. The daughter goes on to affirm Judge Kavanaugh’s decency as someone she briefly dated and remembers fondly.

Senator Grassley’s staff received messages containing vicious threats, such as they deserve to be raped (these messages, by the way, should be tracked down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted).

The Kavanaugh family received death threats (which again, should be tracked down and prosecuted).

Dr. Ford and her family have received death threats after being forced into the Democrats’ scheme (these should also be tracked down and prosecuted).

Judge Kavanaugh’s wife and two young daughters have had to endure vicious, humiliating, personal attacks on their husband and father.

Dr. Ford has been manipulated by the Democrats, who hid her letter for over a month, dragged her into the national limelight, and urged her avoid meeting with the GOP staff. One excuse she used was that she was afraid to fly (the interviewer pointed out during the hearing that Ford had made numerous flights for vacations).

She was put through all of this even though she could not remember in what house the alleged gathering and assault took place in or when it occurred. At the same time, no one she said was present has corroborated her story.

She was emotionally compelling, and it is clear that something happened to her – but she knows as a professional psychologist that 36 years after an event, people can vividly remember things that aren’t true.

If Judge Kavanaugh can be defeated by this kind of manufactured and manipulated process, what reasonable conservative would ever put his or her name up for Senate confirmation?

Some people have said Judge Kavanaugh should have been better vetted. How could he have been? He has undergone six separate, thorough FBI background checks for top positions throughout government.

Further, he says he never did any of the things for which he is being attacked. He could not have known in advance how to defend himself against allegations that he didn’t do. It’s impossible to plan or anticipate last-minute character assassinations that are based on falsehoods and impossible-to-verify charges.

So, the key to the next stage is not the Republicans.

The real question is: Are there any Democrats who are disgusted by this process of dishonest character assassination and manipulation? Are any upset that this is becoming their party’s operating pattern?

Are there any Democrats whose sense of decency forces them to vote “yes” for a decent man, whose entire public career has exemplified honesty, sincerity, and patriotism?

Are there any Democrats who understand that a 36-year-old, unsupported allegation can’t possibly be the standard for blocking a U.S. Supreme Court nominee?

If no Democrat has the courage to vote for decency, honesty, and a sense of fairness, then we are truly in deep trouble as a country.

The focus for the next few days ought to be on the Democrats.

Let us see what kind of a party they have become.