Search and Destroy

In this deeply researched account, one of Washington's top legal reporters reveals the massive funding, sophisticated organization, and fanatical zeal behind the campaign to stop Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the nation's highest court.

Trump had promised to nominate only Scalia-style "originalists" to the Court—a promise he backed up with a list of potential nominees. The left took him at his word, setting up a titanic political clash when Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement in June 2018.

The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh sent Democratic senators racing to the cameras to announce their opposition, while an armada of activist groups, fueled by "dark money," launched a coordinated public relations assault of unprecedented scope and fury. Kavanaugh was nevertheless on the brink of confirmation when the Democrats, in desperation, disclosed an allegation of teenaged sexual assault against the stunned nominee, turning Christine Blasey Ford into a #MeToo icon.

Ryan Lovelace reports how Kavanaugh's opponents, unable to produce a shred of corroboration, resorted to the court of public opinion, where the rules of evidence and standards of fairness favor the prosecution.