The plot thickens: Brett Kavanaugh's accuser refuses to testify unless the FBI reopens the background check on the Trump Administration's ewy SCOTUS nominee.
It's a high-stakes move, and we've already seen and heard speculation that the White House will refuse, with Republicans in Congress then allowing the Kavanaugh nomination to move forward. "Done deal," in other words —at which point we cats could envision a deeply discredited justice parking himself on the Supreme Court and inspiring even more suspicion and distrust of a previously admired institution.
How would John Roberts feel about that?
We're thinking, not great. Roberts is not our favorite person in the world, but he seems to care at least a little bit about the integrity of the institution over which he presides. Or put it another way: We bet he cares a lot about how the Roberts Court goes down in history.
So what conversations, if any, is John Roberts having with Republicans behind the scenes? If this SCOTUS sh*tstorm keeps going (and we don't see it ending any time soon), would he go to Kavanaugh and tell him to withdraw? Would he even go so far as to call a half-dozen Republican Senators and tell them that this nominee is not welcome?
Roberts famously said he envisioned himself as an umpire on the Court, calling balls and strikes. The question remains whether behind the scenes, he's playing — or thinking about playing — some unprecedented hardball. We cats HISS.
(UPDATE, Sept. 19: We assume Chief Justice Roberts reads The Washington Post. So we're very interested in David von Drehle's column urging Kavanaugh to withdraw: "A decision to confirm Kavanaugh under these circumstances portends further damage to the already battered credibility of the Supreme Court." Is von Drehle's number on Roberts's phone? Inquiring minds want to know!)
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