Measuring the rage at Susan Collins and Brett Kavanaugh, honorary members of the Bush-family inner circle
There are thousands of pages of documents relating to Brett Kavanaugh’s role in torture and mass surveillance still hidden from the public, but the Senate plans to vote to confirm him this afternoon nonetheless, another step in the march toward minority rule.
His work for the Bush administration is not incidental to his career, and was fundamental to his confirmation. Both Susan Collins and Kavanaugh are honorary members of the Bush family, and they stuck together through the storm. Here’s my story, with Akela Lacy, about how Bush family ties powered Trump’s nominee through.
I did a video dispatch for TYT shortly after the vote, with Michael Shure, exploring that theme. You can watch it here on YouTube.
How much rage is there at Susan Collins? Ady Barkan launched a novel fundraising campaign against her several weeks ago. First reported by The Intercept, it raised small dollar donations that would only be triggered if Collins voted yes. By Friday afternoon, when she hit the Senate floor, it was approaching $2 million. The site crashed as she spoke, and it’s now approaching $3 million, all of which will be given to whomever is her Democratic opponent in 2020. By the time you read this, it might have hit $4 million. (I just noticed the total number of donors is 99,998. That’s a ton of people.)
Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is still being held by Saudi Arabia, which is bizarrely claiming they don’t know where he is. I spoke with Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Chris Murphy about the situation yesterday, and they called it “absolutely unacceptable” and “outrageous.”
Van Hollen specifically called out the foreign policy intelligentsia (the columnists, fellows and think-tank folks who make up the foreign policy establishment) which bought into -- or, perhaps more accurately, were bought into -- the notion that Mohammed bin Salman ought to become Crown Prince so that he could reform the nation. They own this, he said, and have a responsibility to help free their fellow columnist. “I think a lot of people have been played by the current Saudi leadership, and they need to demand his release right away,” he told me. “You also see the same play with women’s rights. They do a press release, and the next day they’re threatening to lock people up.”
The Post on Friday ran a blank space where his column should have been. My story with Alex Emmons is here.
Van Hollen is right about the driving hypocrisy: Sarah Haziza has a close look at what’s been happening to the women who fought for the very policy that the regime is using to tout its reformism.
Laquan McDonald’s killer was found guilty of second degree murder. That’s something.
Brazil’s presidential election is Sunday, and the fascist candidate is in a strong position.