They’re awake now.
Women’s groups decried Thursday’s early-morning announcement that the FBI had concluded its investigation of sexual assault charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and criticized the agency for not interviewing his key accuser.
Angry women boarded buses from various corners of America to gather in Washington, D.C., for demonstrations urging senators to vote “no” on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“While we slept, the administration announced that the FBI finished its investigation into Kavanaugh and that they expect the Senate to confirm him,” tweeted a group called Women’s March that organized an anti-Kavaugh rally Thursday in the nation’s capital. “We’re awake now. Thousands of us are descending on DC at this very moment. This won’t happen on our watch.”
Carrying signs that said, “Kava-Nope” and “I Believe Anita,” and tweeting under the hashtag #CancelKavanaugh, demonstrators called Kavanaugh supporting senators “rape apologists,” and blasted the FBI for rubber-stamping President Trump’s nominee.
“The results of the FBI investigation into Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against Brett Kavanaugh are for lack of a better word: bulls–t,” said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet Action, a national women’s group:
“Investigations are always stacked against survivors, but this investigation was designed to gaslight America from the start. It was intentionally designed to find nothing. And Republicans got the exact results they manipulated the system to get. Republicans rushed this investigation through, limited its scope and hampered it at every turn in order to cover for Kavanaugh and themselves.”
Crowds also filled the Senate halls, engaging in acts of civil disobedience. One report said hundreds of people were arrested, including comedian Amy Schumer and actress Emily Ratajkowski.
“Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault,” Ratajkowski tweeted.. “Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power.”
Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal said the fix was in.
Obviously the White House drastically limited the scope of the FBI investigation,” Smeal said in a statement. We know that the sham investigation did not include interviews with Christine Blasey Ford, Julie Swetnick, Brett Kavanaugh, or any of the dozens of people have come out in the last two weeks to corroborate significant parts of the allegations.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said he expects Kavanaugh to be confirmed by Saturday.
