The letter I just sent to Senator Flake
Dear Senator Flake,
I’m writing to offer three thoughts with regard to the Judiciary Committee hearings:
- First and foremost, I applaud your courage and heart (the source of courage, of course). In the face of what must be enormous pressure from your colleagues, you have listened to your heart, the women in the elevator, and the testimony before you, and have insisted on a full and fair investigation that is worthy of the gravity of the matter before you.
- Lying to Congress is a moral and civic offense, as well as a crime. Look, I don’t know what did or didn’t happen in that room at that party, and perhaps I never will. But there have been so many concerns raised about the veracity of the nominee’s statements before your committee that it would be a dereliction of duty, and a violation of your oath of office, to come to a decision before substantially resolving those concerns.
- This is a matter of character, not ideology. For example, I disagreed on almost every issue with Antonin Justice Scalia, but deeply respected him, since his passion for justice and for our republic was clear. Sadly, this does not appear to be the case with Judge Kavanaugh, as conservative columnist Anna Navarro made painfully clear yesterday (http://ow.ly/ROmM30m5aLm).
We as a nation have one chance to get this multi-decadal decision right. You, as an outgoing senator, have one chance to define your legacy. As the Bible says (Deuteronomy 31:6, 31:7, 31:23) “be strong and resolute.“
Thank you for your long service to our country, and to your stand for integrity in this momentous decision.
Sincerely,
Gil Friend
