Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a warning to Senate Democrats Thursday if Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination fails: Watch your back.

Graham told reporters during a break in the hearing for Christine Blasey Ford that Democrats “better watch out” in the future when then nominate individuals to important posts, claiming that they have established a “new standard” for nominees.

Graham alleged that Democrats intentionally withheld Ford’s accusations until late in the confirmation process in order to delay the final vote and try to keep the Supreme Court seat open until they win back the Senate majority.

“They’re publicly saying that,” he said. “I don’t want to reward that kind of behavior.”… Reports the Washington Examiner

• The Hill: Kavanaugh Calls Confirmation Process a ‘National Disgrace’
• The Daily Caller: Blasey Ford Says She Never Authorized Release of Her Letter to Dianne Feinstein
• Washington Examiner: Ford’s Lawyers Paid for Her Polygraph
• The Washington Times: Grassley: Not a ‘Whiff’ of Sexual Misconduct in Kavanaugh’s 6 FBI probes
• The Washington Free Beacon: ICE Arrests Up, Have Plateaued, Under Trump

President Donald Trump early Tuesday touted a Gallup poll showing more Americans now have a favorable view of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

“Republican Party Favorability is the highest it has been in 7 years — 3 points higher than Democrats!  Gallup,” he tweeted Tuesday morning.

Gallup’s poll, however, showed 45 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP compared to 44 percent who have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, a difference of only one percentage point. The results mark a swing from previous polls in which Democrats had higher favorability ratings.

The Republican Party’s favorability has risen 9 points since a similar poll last September. It is the GOP’s highest approval rating in the poll since January of 201… Reports The Hill

• The Washington Times: Trump Says Kavanaugh Accusers Are Part of Democrats’ ‘Con Game’
• Politico: Sanders Won’t Say if Trump Plans to Fire Rosenstein
• Washington Examiner: Mark Meadows Threatens Impeachment Vote if Rod Rosenstein Refuses to Testify
• The Hill: GOP Launches Counteroffensive on Kavanaugh
• The Washington Free Beacon: Hatch: ‘Democrats Are Engaged in a Coordinated Effort to Stop’ Kavanaugh’s Confirmation

Democratic operatives are growing anxious that Republicans working to undermine the FBI’s Russia probe are teeing up a series of document dumps meant to gin up GOP voters ahead of the midterm elections.

After weeks of hand-wringing, President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the declassification of a slew of documents related to the FBI’s long-running investigation into the Trump campaign’s potential connections to Russia. The move came on the heels of top House Republicans revealing that they may also release documents related to their probes into Trump-Russia ties, as well as anti-Trump bias at the FBI and Justice Department… Reports Politico

The Daily Caller: Poll: Majority of State Voters Don’t Want Elizabeth Warren to Run for President

The Hill: Trump to Meet One-on-One With at Least 6 Foreign Leaders at UN Next Week

Washington Examiner: Report: Dianne Feinstein Faces ‘Legitimate Questions’ on Timing of Kavanaugh Accusation

The Washington Times: RNC Records Biggest Monthly Haul in August

Washington Free Beacon: Harrington: GOP Should Energize Voters With Another Legislative Win Before Midterms