Corker wants Kavanagh delay
Once again, Bob Corker is a sane and reasonable Republican voice in the Senate - for the time he has left there.
Over the weekend, Corker, R-Tenn., told Politico that the planned Senate confirmation vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court should be postponed until the woman accusing him of sexual assault is allowed to speak with senators on the Judiciary Committee.
Corker isn't on that committee, but he said postponing a confirmation vote - now scheduled for Thursday - should wait until Christine Blasey Ford can meet with senators. Corker says hearing her out before a vote "would be best for all involved, including the nominee."
Corker's remarks echoed those of Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who said Sunday he is "not comfortable voting yes" on the Kavanaugh high court nomination until he hears from Ford. Flake is on the Judiciary Committee.
Add to that: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who tweeted that both "Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh should both testify under oath before the Judiciary Committee."
Kavanaugh, a D.C. Appeals Court judge, has been accused by the research psychologist of sexually assaulting her at a party in the 1980s when they were both teenagers. In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Ford wrote, "Brett Kavanaugh physically and sexually assaulted me during high school in the early 1980s."
Ford initially wanted to remain anonymous, but eventually came forward by name in an interview with The Washington Post. She said a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed, groped her and covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.
"I thought he might inadvertently kill me," The Post quoted her as saying. "He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing."
Kavanaugh has denied the accusations, saying he wasn't even at the party.
But - wait - Ford hasn't said when and where the party was, so how does the judge know he wasn't there?
Nonetheless, details and future testimony aside, the White House has said it stands by Kavanaugh's denials.
Democrats already had been raising questions about Kavanaugh's truthfulness during his confirmation hearings this month. And Kavanaugh has been evasive on many of those questions.
The coming week should be interesting.
Bredesen's Senate lead widens
New CNN polls show Democrats hold the advantage in Tennessee and Arizona contests for U.S. Senate.
Yes, that's us.
The CNN surveys show former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, leading Republican and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn by 5 percentage points in the race for the Senate seat from which Bob Corker is retiring. And in Arizona, Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema tops Republican Rep. Martha McSally by 7 points.
CNN says its poll indicates that the approval ratings - actually the disapproval ratings - of the president are closely tied to voters' preferences in Senate races. Among the 49 percent of Tennessee voters who disapprove of Trump's performance, 92 percent back Bredesen.
Bredesen, who was a very popular governor, still has a high approval rating: 52 percent compared to his 24 percent unfavorable responses. His opponent, Blackburn, on the other hand, has only a 41 percent favorable rating compared to a 39 percent unfavorable response.
Mueller's probe pays dividend
Remember that "witch hunt" that now has tallied five guilty pleas and convictions linked to Donald Trump's campaign? As we've noted before, there now seems to be a plethora of caught witches.
You may also recall some recent Trump tweets about the cost of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe. In June our president tweeted that "the Russian Hoax Investigation" has cost our government more than $17 million. And in September, Trump tweeted the cost was up to $28 million.
FYI: That may just be Trump math. The Department of Justice estimates the special council's investigation into Russian meddling has cost $25.9 million, according to The Washington Post.
Either way, the probe may now have paid for itself twice over.
Federal forfeiture documents that are part of the plea agreement reached between Mueller and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort show that Manafort agreed to give up five properties, some bank accounts, an insurance policy and other valuables that The Post finds may be worth about $42 million.
What's more, that $42 million will likely still be the government's windfall even if President Trump foolishly decides to pardon Manafort.
The plea agreement stipulates that Manafort "agrees to forfeit criminally and civilly the following properties. "
That "civilly" is important, and a pardon wouldn't affect it," according to legal experts who talked to The Post.
Hmmm. Don't you wonder what a criminal and civil forfeiture of The Trump Organization would be worth?