October 3, 2018

Dear Senator Collins:

The past week has given us many more reasons why Judge Kavanaugh cannot be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

First of all: his perjury. Your colleague, former Senator Russ Feingold, wrote that since the release of his emails, we now know that Kavanaugh perjured himself at his previous confirmation hearings in 2004 and 2006. "Brett Kavanaugh has never appeared under oath before the U.S. Senate without lying," Feingold wrote. "Lying under oath cannot and must not be rewarded with a seat on the nation’s highest court, and lies cannot remain unchallenged. [Kavanaugh] is a calculated liar who uses dishonesty to advance his own career."

Kavanaugh perjured himself several times during last Thursday's hearings. Professor Blasey's story of the time Kavanaugh assaulted her as a drunk teenager fit all the evidence, including the mutual friends they had and how far they lived from each other. Kavanaugh's story was ludicrous. He claimed that he was never black-out drunk, but his own yearbooks and calendars indicate that he was. Kavanaugh's claims that the references in his yearbooks don't refer to binge drinking insult the intelligence of anyone who looks at them. Likewise, his claim that he was over the drinking age at the time are blatantly false. His yearbooks and calendars are the "smoking gun."

Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge's memoirs also strongly suggest that the two engaged in heavy drinking at the time. The other witnesses who knew Kavanaugh then -- Deborah Ramirez, Lynne Brookes, Chad Ludington, Elizabeth Swisher, and James Roche -- all agree that Kavanaugh was an angry and belligerent drunk. Even if Kavanaugh really didn't attack Blasey -- or truly does not remember doing so -- he made false statements under oath by claiming he wasn't drunk. The overwhelming evidence shows not only that he's lying, but that he knows he's lying.

Second: his bias. At his hearing, Kavanaugh closely mirrored Donald Trump's behavior and talking points. Like Trump, he seems obsessed with the 2016 election and seems to believe Hillary Clinton is a criminal mastermind behind everything bad that happens in the world. "This," Kavanaugh said, "has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election. Fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record. Revenge on behalf of the Clintons. And millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups." He barely acknowledged his own history of heavy drinking when he was underage and never took responsibility for it.

Senator, I assume you have met Eliot Cohen -- he's a former advisor to President Bush. He wrote a few days later that there is no way anyone could believe Kavanaugh is now or could ever be impartial. "No one watching those proceedings could imagine that a Democrat standing before this judge’s bench in the future would get a fair hearing," Cohen wrote in The Atlantic. "The combination of calm strength and good humor that characterized the modern conservative icon, Ronald Reagan, was nowhere to be found." Kavanaugh has neither the impartiality nor the temperament to sit on the Supreme Court.

Finally: his allegiance. Kavanaugh's writings make it clear that, if he becomes a Supreme Court Justice, he will not fairly interpret the law. Instead of upholding the Constitution, he plans to act as Trump's puppet. The deciding factor in every decision he makes will be whether the ruling helps or hurts Trump. In August, Trump's attorney Michael Cohen testified that Trump had ordered him to break election laws. Earlier this week, the New York Times repeated that Trump cheated on his taxes for years. Kavanaugh, however, has written that a sitting President should be immune from criminal investigation, criminal prosecution, and civil suits. Kavanaugh also thinks the President doesn't have to obey court orders, answer subpoenas, be deposed, or enforce laws he doesn't like! When he joined the Federal bench, Kavanaugh swore an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." Not only has Kavanaugh not done so as a Judge, he has no intention of doing so as a Justice.

Senator, a majority (54%) of the people of Maine want you to vote against Kavanaugh. You must uphold the Constitution, the law, and the will of your constituents. You must reject him.

Yours sincerely,
C. Colvin

CC: Senator Jeff Flake; Senator Joe Manchin; Senator Lisa Murkowski; Senator Ben Sasse