Ricki Seidman — who was involved in Anita Hill's 1991 sexual harassment testimony against Clarence Thomas prior to his Supreme Court confirmation and is now advising Christine Blasey Ford regarding her sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — allegedly said in July that a "strategy" would "emerge" in the ensuing days and weeks to defeat Kavanaugh.
Seidman made the statement in a conference call with the American Constitution Society, BizPac Review said.
“I do think that over the coming days and weeks there will be a strategy that will emerge, and I think it’s possible that that strategy might ultimately defeat the nominee,” Seidman allegedly said in an audio recording. “And whether or not it ultimately defeats the nominee, it will, I think, help people understand why it’s so important that they vote and the deeper principles that are involved in it.”
The audio was posted to YouTube by the GOP War Room — the "official account for the Republican National Committee's War Room" that focuses on "Democrats’ scandals and hypocrisy, media commentary, and [President Donald] Trump's accomplishments."
Neither Seidman nor the American Constitution Society immediately replied Monday to TheBlaze's requests for comment on the audio.
Exactly what "strategy" might be used to derail Kavanaugh's nomination isn't noted in the audio, but Seidman allegedly added that "as the strategy becomes clearer" it should "partly be, beyond Kavanaugh ... what we want the court to be, what the court is supposed to be under the Constitution, and what putting Kavanaugh on the court means for the institution."
Here's the audio. The relevant portion begins around the 3:20 mark:
The date of the conference call isn't clear, but there is a reference at the 4:45 mark in the audio to "anyone who read Akhil Amar's op-ed in the New York Times today." That piece, in which the Yale Law School professor backs Kavanaugh for a spot on the high court, was published July 9 — the same day Trump announced his nomination.
Ford's letter to Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) regarding her allegations against Kavanaugh was dated July 30.
Politico reported Friday on Seidman advising Ford, noting that the Democratic operative said, “I believe her, and I think she’s very courageous for coming this far."
Seidman's bio for TSD Communications, where she's a senior principal, says she "took a leave of absence in 2008 to work for President [Barack] Obama’s general election campaign, serving as Vice President Joe Biden’s communications director. In the spring and summer of 2009, she assisted the White House in the successful confirmation effort for President Obama’s first nominee to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor."
Her bio added that she has "held several senior White House positions during the Clinton Administration, including White House Deputy Communications Director, Counselor to the Chief of Staff, and Director of Scheduling and Advance for the President; and she subsequently served as Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice. She headed the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign’s 'War Room,' and directed a similar effort for the successful passage of the Clinton economic plan in 1993."
Politico added that Republicans viewed the revelation that Seidman is advising Ford as an indication that Democrats are attempting to ramp up her accusation to kill the Kavanaugh confirmation.
“This feels more like a Democratic super PAC than a legal effort to get at the truth,” a senior Republican official told the outlet regarding Seidman’s role with Ford.
“If you’re concerned about an appearance of partisanship, hiring a Democratic operative with a history of smearing conservative judges doesn't exactly mitigate that,” Cassie Smedile, press secretary for the Republican National Committee, added to Politico.
