Talk show comedian Bill Maher told Democrats Friday night to lay-off Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and forget about impeachment.
The “Real Time with Bill Maher” host said that Democrats who have revived their opposition to Kavanaugh over a largely discredited New York Times story are just “going after a guy for what he did in high school.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27, 2018. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/Getty Images)
Last weekend, The New York Times published an account that described how Kavanaugh had allegedly exposed himself to a woman while at Yale University. But the woman who had allegedly witnessed this act reportedly had no recollection of it and The Times was forced to print an “editor’s note” detailing the discrepancy.
Maher introduced what he called the “Kavanaugh effect” and noted that four Democratic senators were defeated in the 2018 midterm elections after they voted against confirming Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Machine, by contrast, was re-elected and he supported Kavanaugh. (RELATED: Democratic Senator Says No Appetite To Impeach Kavanaugh: ‘We’ve Got To Move Beyond This)
Referring to the initial accusation of sexual misconduct that was leveled at Kavanaugh, Maher said, “People did not like going after a guy for what he did in high school. It looked bad — and now Democrats are talking about impeaching him again?”
CNN commentator Tim Naftali, who was on the show with Maher, disagreed and insisted there was still a “dark cloud” over Kavanaugh and Democrats should continue their pursuit.
“From high school?” Maher asked, inquiring about “dark cloud.”
MSNBC contributor Heather McGhee agreed with Naftali and said there are still grave “character” issues surrounding the justice. (RELATED: A Key Witness Has Lost Confidence In Blasey Ford’s Kavanaugh Accusation)
MSNBC contributor Heather McGee appears on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Sept. 20, 2019. YouTube screenshot.
But Maher would have none of it.
“So you’re saying at 17, you have to have your fully-formed character?” Maher asked.
“Sometimes you have to do a fight even if you can’t win,” Naftali responded.
“But what were you like at 17?!” Maher demanded. “I’m just telling you what the politics is … People don’t think you should go back to age 17. It just strikes them as preposterous and by the way, it’s counterproductive for Democrats winning.”
Several Democratic presidential contenders continue to insist that it is time to impeach Kavanaugh. California Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted Sunday, “I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice. He must be impeached.“