The Washington Post ran the campaign to keep Brett Kavanaugh off of the Supreme Court. Before they laundered and massaged Christine Blasey Ford’s unsubstantiated claim against then-Judge Kavanaugh, the paper had spent months trying to find other avenues to tear him down.
From the moment he accepted his nomination on July 9, 2018, the Washington Post was harshly critical. His invocation of his mother and other key women in his life was “remarkably political” according to senior political writer Aaron Blake’s initial write-up. On July 11, the Post broke the news that Brett Kavanaugh had bought group tickets for the Washington Nationals baseball games on his own credit card before being reimbursed by his friends. This launched efforts to crowd-source photos of Kavanaugh enjoying sporting events.
Some critics went after him for, and this is not a joke, refraining from putting toppings on his pizza. These attacks were considered so laughable that Twitter users began using the hashtag #KavanaughScandals. “He neglected to add the plus 4 zip codes on all his Christmas cards,” “Didn’t rewind a VHS before taking it back to Blockbuster,” and “Sources say that Kavanaugh once failed to turn off his brights for an oncoming vehicle.” The Onion ran an article headlined “Kavanaugh Nomination Falters after Washington Post Publishes Shocking Editorial Claiming He Forgot Daughter’s Piano Recital.”
The Washington Post has continued to lean into its role of fighting Republican judicial nominees with the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Emma Brown, the same reporter who was used to filter the Blasey Ford allegations and massage their many problems, was put on the anti-Coney Barrett beat. Her 2,500-word critique of Coney Barrett’s religious community landed with a thud, treated as the bigotry it was instead of real journalism…
Continue Reading