Thread by @asymmetricinfo

It's Sunday morning. Let's do a forensic dive into the question of Mark Judge's employment at the Potomac Village Safeway in 1982, which for some reason, the FBI is apparently not authorized to investigate. Let's talk about why, and how much, it matters.

Why does it matter? Because Ford testified that she had seen Mark Judge six to eight weeks after the attack, when he was working in that Safeway. washingtonpost.com/news/national/…

That gives us a timeframe. According to Mark Judge's memoir, which we will assume for the nonce is accurate (not a great assumption, but all we've got for now), he worked there for "a few weeks" to earn money for football camp. Football camp started August 23rd, 1982.

(Link to calendar: cnn.com/2018/09/26/pol…)

Now, what is "a few weeks"? I'm tempted to say "five or under", but can't guarantee that Mark Judge has the same definition that I do. I'm going to say "Less than 8" because 8 seems more like "summer job" than "a few weeks"

This will become relevant in a minute. For the nonce, let's say he works at the Safeway right up until he goes to football camp. That gives us the latest day upon which she could have seen him as August 21st, pushing the latest date of the attack to around July 12th.

Already, this seems in conflict with what she told us about it being the "end of the summer". So more like the beginning or middle of the summer, because of course, every week we push back his employment from late August, we have to push back the attack as well.

And here is why the White House should be AVID to get those records: because they're not very corroborative, and they could be quite exculpatory.

As some have already pointed out, Mark Judge's employment at that Safeway was already in the public domain, via his book.

She could have read the book and added it to her memory of that summer years later, something we know happens with traumatic memory. Or she could genuinely remember seeing him, but before the attack rather than after--at a distance of 35 years, memory is not that good.

But if we look at the less favorable ends of the ranges we're tossing around, this could push her seeing Mark Judge out of the window when the attack could have occurred--the summer when she was dating "Squi" and therefore met Brett Kavanaugh.

It has been 25 years for me, since high school, but IIRC, late summer sports camps tended to want at least deposits in late spring/early summer, and full payment sometime before August 1st.

If Judge actually had to work to get the money (rather than pay his parents back...)

Then he might have been working towards the beginning of the summer, not the end. Making it difficult to reconcile the other details with an account of seeing him 6-8 weeks after the attack.

Was he? Dunno! That's why the FBI should check!

I doubt Safeway or the IRS has his employment records. But the Social Security Administration probably does, so the FBI should get them--and if they need a subpoena, and the Senate has the authority to issue it, they should do so.

Which goes back to a point I made last night about the folly of the GOP trying to limit this to the most minimal possible investigation.

If there is genuinely bad stuff, you really want that out there before he's confirmed, because I promise, Democrats will get it if you don't

And if there is exculpatory information, that can cast doubt on the reliability of Ford's memories, then you are most likely to find it by giving the FBI its head and saying "Go get 'em, Tiger!"

So unshackle the FBI. Offer Senate assistance with subpoenas. Investigate everything

Do it for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But do it for yourselves too.

I know this is hell on Kavanaugh. But his best chance of getting out of hell is for the FBI to do a thorough job.

Footnote: Okay, maybe they're lifting the limitations.

https://twitter.com/KenDilanianNBC/status/1046248077949063168

If so, good!