Senator Feinstein Called on Her Deceptions

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s deceptions have been catching up to her, and lately the California Democrat’s been repeatedly called on them.

The latest example occurred late Saturday night, when she responded to an NBC News report on a supplemental FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations directed at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court nominee.

NBC inaccurately reported that “limits imposed by the White House counsel’s office on the FBI's Kavanaugh investigation” were still in place.

It reported that the ensuing investigation would be limited in time to one week, and in scope to the allegations already published.

Feinstein jumped on this like a parched man in the desert to water.

“The FBI's hands must not be tied in this investigation,” she tweeted. “We need the facts.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, thought this was rich coming from her.

“Says the person who withheld [the Christine Blasey] Ford letter only to see it leaked to the press against Dr Ford’s wishes,” he said.

But more than that, it was disingenuous, and NBC News should have known better; Feinstein definitely knew better.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., proposed a second FBI investigation (Kavanaugh’s seventh) after speaking to senators on both sides of the aisle, “limited in time and scope, to the current allegations that are there, and limited in time to no more than one week.”

Feinstein was in the room when Flake proposed a limited follow-up probe and she didn’t object. But Saturday she claimed that the FBI’s hands are tied by the White House, even though she tacitly supported those limitations on Friday.

Incidentally, The New York Times ran an opinion piece Sunday arguing that the FBI was perfectly capable of running a full investigation within the parameters it was given. It was written by former FBI Director James Comey, who President Donald Trump fired.

This wasn’t the first time Feinstein misled the public in recent days.

She and other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee attempted to turn the burden of proof around when they questioned Kavanaugh on Thursday.

Feinstein observed that several of Kavanaugh’s accusers had asked for an FBI probe into their allegations. He’d repeatedly and categorically denied each one of them.

“If you’re very confident of your position, and you appear to be, why aren’t you also asking the FBI to investigate these claims?” she asked.

“Senator, I’ll do whatever the committee wants. I wanted a hearing the day after the allegation came up,” he said. “Whatever the committee decides, I’m all in — immediately.”

She and fellow Democrats continued to badger him to call for an FBI investigation. But Feinstein, a lawyer and former prosecutor, knew better. He doesn’t have to prove anything. It’s his accusers’ job to prove their claims.

Given that, why should he be the one to call for an FBI probe? Again, he has nothing to prove.

Feinstein also addressed Cornyn’s claim that Ford’s letter outlining her allegations against Kavanaugh must have been leaked by her or someone in her office.

“From the moment I received Dr. Ford’s letter my actions have been consistent with her wishes,” she said Saturday. “We kept her letter confidential and did not leak the contents or its existence to anyone. Survivors have a right to decide how their stories are made public.”

In other words, she threw Ford — who alleges to be an assault survivor — under the bus. According to her, if anyone had leaked the letter, it had to have been Ford.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, another Judiciary Committee member, wasn’t buying it.

“Who in Feinstein's office betrayed [Ford’s] trust?” the South Carolina Republican asked Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.” “Why Dr. Ford didn't know we were willing to come to California. We'll do a wholesale investigation of what I think was a despicable process."

Feinstein is up for reelection in November. Although she’s served in the Senate since 1992 and has been a long-time party leader, state Democratic activists said they intended to snub her reelection bid.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, she announced that she won’t seek the endorsement of the California Democratic Party.

That’s what happens when you lose credibility with your constituents, fellow Democrats, and those across the aisle you have to work with each day. Like the boy who cried “wolf,” everyone stops listening.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.