Here are the latest developments in the ongoing confirmation saga of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

• Frustrated with the delay tactics of Dr. Ford and her attorneys, Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is giving Ford until Friday morning to respond regarding whether she will testify on Monday. (Update: Her lawyers now say Ford is willing to testify next week, but not on Monday. I hope Sen. Grassley holds firm. Ford doesn’t get to set the rules of the Senate.)

• Grassley has been very generous — too generous in my opinion — in his efforts to accommodate Dr. Ford. He has offered to let her testify in a private session. He has even offered to fly staff out to California to interview her. Yet she continues to make unreasonable demands by insisting on an FBI investigation, which would go on for months.

• We learned Wednesday that Sen. Dianne Feinstein has yet to share Dr. Ford’s complete letter — “a significant piece of evidence” — with the Republican majority on the Judiciary Committee. How is that acceptable?

• A classmate and supporter of Dr. Ford, who initially supported her claims against Judge Kavanaugh, has now recanted. Cristina King Miranda told NPR, “That it happened or not, I have no idea. I can’t say.”

• Nevertheless, left-wing politicians are now threatening to impeach Justice Kavanaugh if he is confirmed.

The Totalitarian Left

Developments in the past 48 hours continue to suggest that the Kavanaugh controversy has nothing to do with sexual harassment. It has everything to do with the Left’s identity politics, its exploitation of women, and its willingness to do anything to maintain control of the Supreme Court.

Sexual assault and harassment are serious issues that women rightly care deeply about. Men — husbands, fathers, and brothers — care about it too. But the issue is being politicized by the Left to smear men like Judge Kavanaugh.

Just look at the Women’s March. Half of the women in America do not support its radical left-wing agenda. Even more oppose its rampant anti-Semitism and association with Louis Farrakhan.

Now, the issue is being weaponized. The Left is desperate for the Supreme Court to remain an instrument of its agenda. It wants the Court to be the cudgel that is wielded against the values of the American people.

That is why the Left is so worried about Kavanaugh’s confirmation and is pulling out all the stops to block him. It knows he will be a reliable fifth vote to uphold not progressive politics but constitutional principles and common sense values. And that terrifies them.

The character assassination against Judge Kavanaugh must not succeed. As one columnist rightly noted, it would take America “one step closer to totalitarianism … where everything — ethical norms and moral principles and truth itself — is subjugated to political ends.”

That is why I joined dozens of conservative leaders in urging senators to confirm Judge Kavanaugh by Oct. 1st, so he can take his seat when the Supreme Court’s new term begins.

My friends, we are in a battle for the heart and soul of America. And we can’t do it alone.

“Shut Up & Step Up”

The Kavanaugh hearings have definitely provided a stage for all kinds of liberal antics. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker used the hearings to audition for the 2020 presidential primaries.

Another left-wing senator making a name for herself is Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. She wants to keep the Kennedy seat vacant until after 2020 if Democrats retake the Senate. She also made headlines earlier this week for this comment:

“I just want to say to the men in this country, just shut up and step up. Do the right thing for a change.”

Wednesday a group of men took her up on that challenge. When a fire broke out at an apartment complex for seniors in Washington, DC, a bunch of Marines at a nearby barracks rushed into the burning building, as did local firefighters.

Spare me the sanctimony, Sen. Hirono!

There are plenty of men who step up and do the right thing every single day. Just ask the male Capitol Police officers who protect you or the policemen and firemen, the Border Patrol agents, and ICE officers who are risking their lives every day across this great country.

Good News

I am pleased to report that President Trump is continuing his efforts to reverse the Obama legacy. New reports indicate that his policies have dramatically boosted the percentage of Christian refugees accepted into the United States.

As you may recall, under the Obama administration we were bringing in record numbers of Muslim refugees from the Middle East, which made absolutely no sense at all.

It is significantly more cost effective to assist refugees in neighboring countries compared to resettling them here. And there is no shortage of Muslim nations in the region that can easily accommodate more Muslims.

Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, no matter which branch of Muslim fundamentalism wins the civil war within Islam. Christianity is facing genocide in the Middle East and extreme persecution throughout much of Africa today.

Moreover, it is easier to assimilate Christians into America because they broadly share the values of the American people. In stark contrast, anti-Semitism is pervasive throughout the Middle East, and we are not obligated to import more hatred into the country.