Today Hillary published a thread on Twitter pointing out that Judge Brett Kavanaugh used the phrase “abortion-inducing drugs” during his confirmation hearing. Hillary says that should set off alarm bells, and it should, just not for the reasons she has in mind. Here’s what Hillary said today:

I want to be sure we're all clear about something that Brett Kavanaugh said in his confirmation hearings last week. He referred to birth-control pills as "abortion-inducing drugs." That set off a lot of alarm bells for me, and it should for you, too.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 12, 2018

When Kavanaugh called birth control "abortion-inducing drugs," he made it clear that safe and legal abortion isn't the only fundamental reproductive right at grave risk if he is confirmed. Access to birth control is, too.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 12, 2018

This attack on Kavanaugh, suggesting he was equating birth control with abortion, has already been made by others including Sen. Kamala Harris:

Kavanaugh chooses his words very carefully, and this is a dog whistle for going after birth control. He was nominated for the purpose of taking away a woman’s constitutionally protected right to make her own health care decisions. Make no mistake – this is about punishing women. pic.twitter.com/zkBjXzIvQI

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 7, 2018

But as Ed pointed out Monday, Politifact called this claim “False.” Here’s their conclusion:

In Harris’ tweet, Kavanaugh appears to define contraception as abortion-inducing. But the video failed to include a crucial qualifier: “They said.” In fact, he was citing the definition of the religious group Priests for Life. He has not expressed his personal view.

Hillary’s tweet doesn’t include a video but it leaves out the same contextual information, i.e. Hillary doesn’t tell her followers that Kavanaugh was summarizing someone else’s argument, not offering his own opinion. Yesterday, the Washington Post’s fact-checker said Democrats needed to drop this argument because it was intentionally misleading:

A plain reading of Kavanaugh’s answer during the hearings shows that it is broadly consistent with his written opinion. One can question why he used the phrase “abortion-inducing drugs” rather than “abortion-inducing products” or “abortifacients.” But it’s pretty clear from the context that he was quoting the views of the plaintiffs rather than offering a personal view.

Harris’s original tweet, with the “they say” language removed, was slightly mitigated by the second tweet a day later, providing the full context. But there was no acknowledgment by Harris that the original tweet was misleading. She earns Four Pinocchios — and her fellow Democrats should drop this talking point.

I guess Hillary doesn’t read the Washington Post but she does apparently watch the Handmaid’s Tale. Hillary uses the lie about what Kavanaugh said as a stepping stone to this dystopian future: “Imagine an America in which women are barred from getting IUDs or birth control pills, and doctors are criminalized for prescribing them. It’s an America in which women would be punished for insisting on being full and equal partners in society.”

Imagine an America in which women are barred from getting IUDs or birth control pills, and doctors are criminalized for prescribing them. It's an America in which women would be punished for insisting on being full and equal partners in society.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 12, 2018

Progressives want an excuse to block Kavanaugh’s confirmation and Hillary is serving up…science fiction. Why is this happening? Because Democrats have nothing else to offer. After days of pounding Kavanaugh to no avail, fear-mongering based on a lie is what the party’s leading lights have decided to run with.