Rep. Kathy Castor: Kavanaugh "disqualified himself"

Kathy Castor Brett Kavanaugh — U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (left) holds a press conference to encourage people to vote. By Seán Kinane / WMNF News (2 Oct 2018).

Last week Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when the two were teenagers; Kavanaugh then angrily refuted those claims before the committee.

Democratic Congress member Kathy Castor of Tampa tells WMNF News that Kavanaugh’s demeanor, partisanship and lack of truthfulness during that hearing disqualify him from being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Before Dr. Ford testified that morning my colleagues in the House — we marched over to [Sen.] Mitch McConnell’s office to urge him to postpone the hearing for an investigation. I was at least gratified at the end of the day, Senator [Jeff] Flake and Democrats came to an agreement to have an [FBI] investigation.

“But, boy, it was very difficult to watch. To watch a sexual assault victim be marginalized again. And then watch the demeanor of someone That’s supposed to sit on the highest court on the land. And I think he disqualified himself that afternoon.”

In what way?

“He didn’t tell the truth. Kavanaugh also – his demeanor. He came out in a very partisan, outrageous screed. And I think people would agree that you don’t need someone that’s so very openly partisan and bitter on the United States Supreme Court. I think this does not bode well for his ability to be impartial in the future and level-headed when it comes to deciding the most important issues in the land.”

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WMNF News also asked Rep. Castor about the new trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico to replace NAFTA. Specifically about concerns over provisions dealing with labor, the environment and prescription drugs.

“Well, the text of the new trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the U.S. has just been released. So, I’ll be working through it like other members of Congress. What I’m looking for are fair labor standards. What does that mean for Mexico, where they have had such low wages and very little in workers’ rights? Does that provide the ability of our neighbors to the south to have safe working conditions?

“One of the problems with the old trade agreement [NAFTA] is that the labor standards and wages were so low in Mexico that it undermined our ability in the U.S. to be competitive in some cases. So, I’ll be looking for labor and workers’ rights.

“Also, environmental standards. Another reason sometimes certain products that are not generated in the U.S. are cheaper is because they don’t have the same environmental standards and rules. And it’s important to have a level playing field. I don’t want, on the North American continent as a foundation of our new trade agreement, to undermine a safe and healthy environment. So, I’ll be looking for that as well.

“And you mention pharmaceuticals. And this is something I’m very concerned about. Because it looks like President Trump gave a huge win to pharmaceutical companies. You know, he’s talked an awful lot about how it’s important to lower drug prices. But everything he’s done has been in opposite of that. And I think this is another case of that.

“So, I’ll be looking through it to make sure it’s fair trade, not just another Trump trade deal.”

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Castor was part of a press conference Tuesday with the group Mi Familia Vota to encourage people to vote.

Hundreds of thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are being mailed to Florida voters beginning Tuesday. More than 200,000 are expected to be sent out in Hillsborough County.

Nancy Batista is with Mi Familia Vota She held up the five-page sample ballot from Hillsborough County.

She says the group registered more than 28,000 people to vote and that 51% of them have a Puerto Rican background. They don’t have information about how many of those are new arrivals to Florida after Hurricane Maria.

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