The stakes are historic. Supreme Court associate justices are the the most powerful judges in our judicial system, appointed for life.
And with President Trump picking his second constitutionalist nominee, the “balance” of the court is on the verge of tipping in favor of those who believe our Constitution is based on immutable objective truths as opposed to being a malleable “guide” to be reinterpreted for each and every age.
{mosads}But does this mean that, for those who wish to see a Supreme Court that legislates from the bench, all methods are justified, since the ends justify the means? It clearly seems so.
Take just the scenario we have been presented: A man who has served with distinction his whole professional life, who admits to not having had intercourse until well into his college years, who already has been been cleared by the FBI in six background investigations, is now to be denied his nomination because he was a secret serial gang rapist in high school?
When written down like this, and read and reread, it truly seems outlandish. Yet, this is what the mainstream media and the Democratic Party and its leadership would have us all believe.
And I use the last word specifically, since sitting members of Congress and the Senate have actually gone on record saying that their personal “belief” is all that is required for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be tarred a rapist.
Their “belief,” not the truth or the actual facts of the matter, is the decisive, Orwellian factor. This is more than partisan politics. This is an assault on the principles by which our Judeo-Christian civilization has determined guilt or innocence for hundreds of years.
It is hard to do justice to the enormity and significance of what Judge Kavanaugh and his family are being put through at this moment. But I feel better qualified than most to comment, given my own experience as a presidential appointee of Donald Trump’s.
Prior to becoming a deputy assistant to the 45th president, I had spent more than 20 years in the national security arena, working for the Defense Department in Europe, then as an associate dean at the National Defense University in Washington and then as a professor teaching irregular warfare to Marines in Quantico.
Never once had I been publicly accused of being an anti-Semite, let alone a “fascist.” The latter accusation is more than risible, given my overtly pro-Israeli writings and speeches over the years, including at a 9/11 memorial counterterrorism conference held every year in Israel. The Israelis have issues with allowing fascists or Nazis into their country. Especially to make public speeches.
Yet, all that changed once I accepted a political commission as strategist to President Trump and was one of the officials who publicly argued on behalf of his travel moratorium. Then the attacks began from every corner of the mainstream media: First I was an Islamophobe, then a bigot, then an anti-Semite and finally, a Nazi.
This, even though both of my parents suffered as children under the Nazis in Central Europe, and my father was tortured and given a life sentence by the communists after World War II.
Facts were irrelevant. The issue was “narrative.” Gorka works for Trump, therefore he must be a … (fill in the latest attack word). The absurdity reached a crescendo when my White House colleague Stephen Miller was likewise accused of being a fascist, despite growing up in California in a Jewish family.
I remain indebted to those who pushed back on the lies, especially Rabbi Hershel Billet. Those who stand up for the truth when others are in the crosshairs are truly righteous.
So what did I learn from the calumny? What would I say to Judge Kavanaugh now? The twofold lesson is simple:
- Never feel like you are alone. Thousands or, at times, millions are counting on you to never give in to the lies and the slander.
- Understand your audiences. Cleave to the truth for the average American and when speaking in public. But never try to reason with the mob. The likes of those who harassed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his family are not rational actors. Their hatred will brook no compromise. They will never be “convince-able.”
More broadly, what does all this mean for America?
I believe the left has gone too far, and it will pay a price politically. The mere fact that it has allowed sexual abuse allegations to be so blatantly exploited for political ends has already done sizable damage to the Democrats’ political brand.
What are they communicating to actual victims of assault? Do nothing unless it is politically expedient and a political party can use you for its ends?
And what of the message to men, the sons and husbands everywhere, be they Democrats or Republicans? Should they all walk through life fearing the possibility of a career- and reputation-destroying accusation because of political identity or a decision to accept a high-visibility position?
Whatever happens at Thursday’s hearing, whatever truly happened 36 years ago in Maryland, this is the lasting damage that the “ends justify the means” strategy of Democrats has already done to America and future generations.
Sebastian Gorka, Ph.D., former deputy assistant and strategist to President Donald Trump, is FOX News’ national security strategist and author of the new book, “Why We Fight: Defeating America’s Enemies with no Apologies.” You can follow him on Twitter @SebGorka.