Both Dianne Feinstein and Christine Ford offered up a number of contradictory statements during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday.
Dianne Feinstein took the mic to try to present her narrative, and defend herself against the (true) allegations that she withheld Ford’s letter alleging sexual assault from the Senate until weeks ago. Feinstein tried to suggest otherwise, claiming that she held the letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in confidence at the request of Ford.
“She wanted this held confidential, and I held it confidential up to a point the witness was willing to come forward…How women are treated in the U.S. with this kind of concern is really wanting a lot of reform.” However, if Democrats really cared about Ford, they would’ve requested that FBI investigation they now won’t shut up about upon receiving Ford’s letter in July. It would’ve been possible to keep her anonymity too.
However, the letter was leaked to the media. It’s unclear if a member of Feinstein’s staff did so (as would be the most likely), or Ford herself (which seems contradictory, given how she spoke about wanting to remain anonymous).
So how did it get leaked? Near the end of yesterday’s hearing, Feinstein surprisingly threw Dr. Ford under the bus, blaming it on her elusive “beach friends.”
Senator Feinstein suggesting Dr. Ford's "beach friends" leaked the letter to the press. She's scrambling big time because it seems Democrats ignored the request for privacy.
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) September 27, 2018
If Feinstein is right, then Ford lied under oath. And if Ford is being truthful that it wasn’t she who leaked her letter to Feinstein, then Feinstein is either lying or was unaware of a leak on her watch. (Given the Chinese spies she’d unknowingly surrounded herself with, the last is actually a viable option.)
To explain the discrepancy, Feinstein has a new explanation that’s almost unbelievable. Despite the undeniable fact that Ford’s letter to Feinstein was leaked to the press, Feinstein is now denying any such leak whatsoever. Why? Because the Washington Post had reported on September 16th that they were given the full text of the letter from Ford to Feinstein. In other words, the blame switched from “beach friends” to Ford herself within just a couple of hours.
In denying charges that her staff leaked confidential info, Feinstein just threw Dr. Ford herself under the bus and implied she perjured herself in testimony earlier today. Ford claimed that neither she nor anyone else on her behalf leaked that letter. https://t.co/BGpZCSbLLD
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 27, 2018
She testified under oath that she didn't leak her confidential letter to Feinstein to the Washington Post. Are you saying she perjured herself? https://t.co/lFm09oj6jN
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 27, 2018
So who lied under oath – Ford, or Feinstein?
If Feinstein is telling the truth, Ford perjured herself, but that seems unlikely in my opinion. I believe it’s more likely that Feinstein is lying – because she’s the only one that’s played politics with Ford’s allegations. Ford made it clear that she did not want to be thrust into the public spotlight due to her allegations, and I found it hard not to believe her on that.
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Feinstein is the one who sat on Ford’s allegations and did nothing with them until just a few weeks ago. Why? Because she doesn’t care about whether or not Ford was a victim, she cares about indefinitely delaying the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Ford wouldn’t have outed her own identity, knowing the criticism and harassment that would open herself up to. But someone looking to politicize Ford’s allegations like Feinstein? I wouldn’t put that past her.
