The Story:
Senator Ted Cruz (R – Tx) is engaged in a tough campaign for re-election. He has also, perhaps not coincidentally, recently emerged, and in an unexpected way, as a key player in the effort to confirm President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.
The Background:
The big obstacle to Kavanaugh’s confirmation is now the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982. One of the most intriguing facts about that testimony is that Kavanaugh invokes an eyewitness, a named person who was allegedly also in the room … writer, and Kavanaugh friend, Mark Judge. So … what does Judge have to say?
The Thing to Know:
Senator Cruz seems to have been the first to make the argument that it will be futile for the Judiciary Committee or the FBI to seek information from Judge because Judge would surely invoke his 5th amendment right against self-incrimination.
But with hindsight, we can say that Senator Cruz’ reasoning seems to have gone awry. The FBI did re-open its investigation on instruction from the President, and Judge did not take the fifth. He reportedly sat for an hours-long interview with the bureau.
