The GOP Is Trying to Thread a Needle With Kavanaugh Accusations
*By Amanda Weston and Max Godnick*
President Trump appears to be "losing his patience" with the Brett Kavanaugh scandal, according to one White House correspondent.
The commander-in-chief's latest Twitter comments certainly seem to indicate as much.
"I have no doubt that if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents," Trump [tweeted on Friday morning](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1043126336473055235). "I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!"
He's referring to accusations from Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court nominee, sexually assaulted her during a party while the two were in high school.
Moments after Trump's tweet on Friday, CRTV correspondent Jon Miller told Cheddar that Trump is reflecting the sentiment of many Americans who "absolutely want to take these charges seriously, \[but are\] wondering why they weren't filed 36 years ago when this event happened."
Miller himself said he thinks the chronology is "suspicious."
Still, Trump and his administration may have reason to worry.
"I think \[Trump\] was concerned that there's going to be bad news next week that could take down the Kavanaugh nomination," said Daniel Lippman, co-author of the Politico Playbook, in a separate interview with Cheddar on Friday.
Trump [took to Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1043160312315146240) later on Friday to address the controversy.
"Senator Feinstein and the Democrats held the letter for months, only to release it with a bang after the hearings were OVER - done very purposefully to Obstruct & Resist & Delay," he said. "Let her testify, or not, and TAKE THE VOTE!"
Trump's tweets followed the news that Ford is open to testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, [but only if certain terms are met](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-christine-blasey.html). Her lawyers said testifying Monday (the original date for testimony) was not possible, igniting a debate about when, if at all, a deadline ought to be set.
For Miller, the sooner Ford testifies, the better.
"I think that the Senate should hold the hearing Monday, and if she doesn't show up, they confirm him," Miller said.
Lippman disagreed.
"It would look very bad for Republicans to say, 'Well, if she won't come on Monday, we're not going to let her come \[later on\],'" he said.
NBC News and The Wall Street Journal [released poll results](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/poll-opposition-kavanaugh-s-confirmation-grows-n911581) this week claiming that more Americans now oppose Kavanaugh's confirmation than support it. It's the first time in the poll's history that a majority of Americans have opposed a Supreme Court nominee.
Lippman said the "constant drumbeat of bad news about Kavanaugh" is the main reason why most Americans have deemed the judge unfit for office.
"You want a Supreme Court justice to be the arbiter of fairness and good behavior and good morality," he said. "Most judges and lawyers, they don't act like \[Kavanaugh\] allegedly did when they were 17."
But the drumbeat aside, Miller believes the GOP still has the advantage.
"I think Republicans have the leg up simply because they have the numbers, given no one deflects," Miller said. "But I do think that in terms of public opinion ... that the numbers in support of Kavanaugh are going down. Unfortunately what the American people think about Kavanaugh doesn't exactly matter, here. The ball is in the Senate's court."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-changes-his-tone-on-kavanaugh-accuser).
Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leaders are now planning to amend the stop trading on congressional knowledge act, otherwise known as the 'Stock' Act. This 2012 law governs how members disclose the purchase or sale of stocks and amending it would close a loophole, eliminating the trading of individual stocks by members of congress. Pelosi has consistently opposed a ban on stock trading by lawmakers and congressional staff...so what's changed? Kedric Payne, Vice President of Campaign Legal Center, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for a controversial new version of the Alabama congressional map to remain in place. The lower court had previously ordered that the state must redraw that congressional map because it violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the political power of Black voters. Redistricting expert Yurij Rudensky joins Cheddar News to weigh in.
Florida lawmakers have introduced a controversial bill restricting some discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms with young students. Supporters say the move empowers parents to have more of a say in what their children learn. Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
Congress this week passed a bill that would end forced arbitration for workplace sexual assault and harassment, one of the most significant changes to employment law in years. Cheddar News speaks with Marjorie Mesidor, Sexual Harassment Attorney, who explains that arbitrators are often retired judges or attorneys who "tends to have a more conservative view both to law and rewards."
As the situation with Russia has grown more precarious, the White House urged Americans remaining in Ukraine to leave immediately. The Biden administration that it sees continuing signs of escalation but did not have specific information detailing a timetable for a potential invasion. Kristine Berzina, senior fellow and head of the geopolitics team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined Cheddar News to provide her analysis. "There's talk of an impending phone call between President Putin, President Biden," Berzina said. "That is certainly a good sign to indicate that there would be significant cost."
Terrell Starr, host of 'Black Diplomats' podcast and senior nonresident fellow at the Eurasia Center for Atlantic Council, joins Cheddar News from Kyiv, Ukraine to discuss the mounting tension there.
The White House laid out plans for a $5 billion investment into a national network of charging stations to ease EV driving anxiety. Bruce Brimacombe, CEO of EV infrastructure GOe3 joined Cheddar News to discuss how much needs to be done for drivers to get over the fear of running out of energy. "People need to be able to do what they're doing now," he said. "But that is the way that if you're going to buy an electric car, you got to feel like you're not changing your world." Brimacombe noted that building out the infrastructure between cities was GOe3's own focus.
U.S. automakers are saying that the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a crucial border crossing between the U.S. and Canada, is affecting their production lines. Michelle Krebs of Cox Automotive warns that the disruption "couldn't come at a worst time," amid chip and labor shortages in Detroit.
AND DETROIT-BASED AUTO MAKERS SAY THEY ARE SHUTTING DOWN PLANTS OR SCALING BACK PRODUCTION BECAUSE OF PARTS SHORTAGES.
Plans to add affordable housing to a development in Yellow Springs, Ohio, were squashed after comedian Dave Chappelle and other community members spoke out against the project. Chappelle threatened to pull the plug on his local comedy club and restaurant projects if the development had been approved.
