I thought initially that the WH might be involved, back when Ford said that Whelan was looking into her LinkedIn page BEFORE her name was public.
But...it doesn't really pass Occam's Razor. Sure this WH is capable of self ownage, but far-fetched to think leaking the first allegation would net them any gain. More likely, it was one of Ford's friends she told while at the beach in July. I think one of her friends was worried after the hearings ended with no mention of it, and leaked just enough details for reporters to start digging.
I think the friend makes the most sense. Yes, Occam's Razor and all (I didn't actually know about the friends while I spent the day mired and work and catching up on tidbits here and there, and then the Mom mentioned this to me over the phone--the friends, that is, that supposedly started talking).
That is where, I think, the easiest explanation lies.
But I also don't doubt that this wasn't already purview of the WH. The FBI did their background check--so gleefully submitted here and endlessly reminded for us by the proud, the dumb, the imbeciles of the GOP posters....because, you know, the FBI provided a shit ton of documents to the WH...apparently, doing a background check that, by FBI standards, never involved the candidates HS history and friends and legions of people that knew him throughout the year.
obviously, the FBI includes
none of that in a "routine" background check. I mean, there is plenty of other stuff to cram into 100-200k documents! Documents taht the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary committee have
absolutely no business seeing!
because reasons, obviously.
Look, I live in DCMA. About 2 miles from the border. I've been approached at my house, after work, while walking into my house, by the same type of government background check agents. For just...regular fed jobs. Asking about neighbors, just because of a promotion. This is someone working on the periphery, whom I've known for....2 years, tops? and have spoken to about 6 times ever. I get grilled for about 30 minutes, answering questions that go back to childhood, personal, and potential secret lives.
Seriously. "Do you know this person to have any kind of life other than what you know?"
I mean, this is what they do. They compile evidence. And facts, and testimony. It's called being thorough. And I don't even
know the person, really....and they happen to be about 1,967 rungs below someone like a SCOTUS appointee.
Just let that shit sink in, and try to let any conservative idiot convince you that the FBI didn't investigate this guy, that they didn't uncover his famously rapey history--that many of his classmates have admitted to and his yearbook provides a "hilariously convenient" timeline and documentation of--and that they didn't submit this to the WH.
Just let them try to tell you this, and please try not to laugh in their corpulent faces when they finish speaking.