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Author Contact: Mary Joyce | 857- ■ ■ ■- ■ ■ ■ ■ | contact@ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■.com
A Plea to Defend Our Institutions
From a concerned citizen
On the occasion of the release of the FBI report on Judge Kavanaugh
October 4, 2018
There have been many concerns raised regarding Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, but not the effect on our
institutions. A vote to confirm will undermine all three branches of government, a terrifying legacy for any
Senator or citizen. Specifically:
1. Unending Legitimacy Crisis for the Supreme Court: If Kavanaugh is confirmed, social division and
challenges to his credibility will not end, they will increase. The dozens of witnesses not questioned by the FBI
will come forward and tell their stories in the media, a trend that has already begun. Books are likely to come
out too, likely more than one, researched by avid journalists over a period of months, not weeks. More
evidence of bad behavior are sure to emerge and perceptions of Kavanaugh's unfitness will increase. Judge
Kavanaugh may even be impeached. Yet, even if he is not, he will be seen as unfit for the bench. On the
Supreme Court, one rotten apple does spoil the bunch, leading the highest court in the land to lose legitimacy
in the eyes of the public.
America cannot survive a hobbled Supreme Court.
2. A Senate Where Consent is the only Option: By voting to confirm a Justice in such a rushed and flawed
process, the Senate will have abdicated its responsibility to advise, instead choosing only to consent. The
Senate must demand that the FBI continue its investigation with the standard of any other investigation,
following all leads and questioning all corroborating witnesses for the accuser and the accused. If the FBI
report stands in its current flawed form, the Senate has no choice but to vote "No" on Friday and for all
subsequent votes on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. Where consent is the only option, we are no longer
living in a democracy.
America cannot survive a hobbled Senate.
3. A Toothless FBI Unable to Protect the Country: As for the executive branch, if this FBI report is allowed
to stand, though it fails to meet the standards of even television police dramas (questioning all witnesses,
following all leads) the FBI will be permanently crippled, endangering our country in ways we can barely
imagine. Once it is shown that unscrupulous individuals can shape an investigation to meet their own ends,
the floodgates will open. Some investigations will indeed be undermined in this way. Others will not, but the
question of whether the investigation was free and fair will hang over all the FBI's work for years, if not
decades. All investigations will be open to challenge with the words "remember the Kavanaugh report."
America cannot survive a hobbled FBI.
Fortunately, the Senator has the power to stop this nightmare. The Senator has the power to vote no.
For the sake of our country,
For the sake of our institutions,
Please vote "No" on Kavanaugh.