September 27, 2018

Lindsey Graham Stages Meltdown After Christine Blasey Ford Finishes Testimony

“I feel ambushed.”

Moments after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford finished nearly four hours of testimony detailing her sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday blasted Democrats for “playing a political game” aimed to block the president from nominating someone to the Supreme Court.

The South Carolina Republican even appeared to speak of Ford in belittling terms, describing her as a “nice lady” who was making an “emotional accusation.” 

“All I can say is that we’re 40-something days away from the election and their goal—not Ms. Ford’s goal—is to delay this past the midterms so they can win the Senate and never allow Trump to fill the seat,” Graham told reporters. “I believe that now more than ever.”

“Here’s what I’m more convinced of: The friends on the other side set it up to be just the way it is,” he continued. “I feel ambushed.”

Graham also repeatedly questioned certain elements of Ford’s testimony, focusing on her stated fears of flying as a result of the alleged attack and the payment for her lawyers and for the polygraph test she took on her allegations against Kavanaugh. 

The highly partisan attacks came as many conservative members of the media openly acknowledged that Ford appeared highly credible and that her testimony was a disaster for Republicans supporting Kavanaugh’s nomination process.

We want to hear from you: How are you reacting to the hearing? We may publish a selection of your responses in a follow-up story.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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