California professor, writer of confidential Brett Kavanaugh letter, speaks out about her allegation
Source: Washington Post
Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. Since Wednesday, she has watched as that bare-bones version of her story became public without her name or her consent, drawing a blanket denial from Kavanaugh and roiling a nomination that just days ago seemed all but certain to succeed. Now, Ford has decided that if her story is going to be told, she wants to be the one to tell it.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend both stumbling drunk, Ford alleges corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County.
While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.
I thought he might inadvertently kill me, said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/california-professor-writer-of-confidential-brett-kavanaugh-letter-speaks-out-about-her-allegation-of-sexual-assault/2018/09/16/46982194-b846-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html?utm_term=.8e9bd9f3d0f4
This is a brave person!!
DonViejo
(60,536 posts)swag
(26,480 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,480 posts)to help with the job. They do it every time, as if to lend credibility to their bullshit counter-attack....
Roy Rolling
(6,831 posts)Already right-wing media is looking to find marijuana in her bedroom.
still_one
(91,807 posts)do the trick
If this was released months ago it would be another Clarence Thomas white wash. No time now
lindysalsagal
(20,318 posts)frump will be proud. "He started EARLY!"
grantcart
(53,061 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,478 posts)No idea where this leads, if anywhere
Gothmog
(143,654 posts)This is a big deal. This lady needs to be allowed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee https://politicalwire.com/2018/09/16/kavanaugh-accuser-speaks-out-publicly/
While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.
Also interesting: She engaged Debra Katz, a Washington lawyer known for her work on sexual harassment cases. On the advice of Katz, who believed Ford would be attacked as a liar if she came forward, Ford took a polygraph test administered by a former FBI agent in early August. The results, which Katz provided to The Post, concluded that Ford was being truthful when she said a statement summarizing her allegations was accurate.
MattP
(3,304 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)as well.
ROB-ROX
(767 posts)The republicans have many suppressed evil thoughts and deeds. He utilized his evilness to avoid answering questions last week. The TRUTH with a capital "T" does not come from people like him. He was promoted for severing his masters well. What does he know about 9/11 which caused his promotion to a federal judge??? I hope the bastard is cooked for his crimes and removed from his current job for his LIES.......This corrupt one requires a long term in prison........
mahatmakanejeeves
(56,713 posts)Huh?
BootinUp
(46,852 posts)I mean they seem to have no problems with this.
brush
(53,331 posts)Won't be a good look for them to put a perjurer/attempted rapist on the court.
He'll be ripe for impeachment if they do.
Stallion
(6,473 posts)Igel
(35,173 posts)Lots of people decided to tell her story for her and speculate about what happened. Since they didn't respect her or her privacy because politics and power, she was well-nigh forced to do what she explicitly said she didn't want to do.
Let's call forcing women to do what we want on our terms "respect."
spooky3
(34,231 posts)With her to come forward. I hope JWB can offer legal assistance.
Calling Michael Avenattican you find room in your schedule to help Dr. Ford?
I find her story very believable.
Grasswire2
(13,564 posts)spooky3
(34,231 posts)spooky3
(34,231 posts)Come forward. We will support you.
Now that she has come out I believe others will follow. If he did it to her there is no reason to believe he didn't do it to others.
DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)as drinking and partying seemed to have a been a big part of the G'town Prep experience.
The WP story quotes her as saying there were 4 boys there and she was wearing a bathing suit, so it must have been a relatively small pool party. I wonder who the homeowner was and if any adults were there at the time.
Amaryllis
(9,523 posts)Farmer-Rick
(10,034 posts)Kavanaugh coaches.
Notice the RepubliCONS have already prepared letters from women he knew in high school attesting to Kavanaugh's always impeccable behavior around women. They also have prepared letters from parents of the little girls he coaches.
Kavanaugh comes off very creepy, even through the TV. His closet is full of skeletons but he thinks he's so smart that they will never come out. Oops, one just did.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)alphafemale
(18,497 posts)What she described was something that had been practiced many times.
"allegedly"
BigmanPigman
(51,368 posts)AND has kept her therapist's notes from the incident! Wow! I bet she will testify if asked. She is smart and and knows what she is doing. To come out publicly is a sign that she is ready for whatever they have to throw at her. With the #metoo movement females in this country have been standing up and are empowered. The Women's March organizers should organize a Women's Protest in DC and LA against Kavanaugh. Sexual assault and women's right to choose and our health are two important issues that women could pressure the reps in DC with but it's too late to organize one. There were Stop Kavanaugh protests a month ago, too bad they weren't planned for NOW.
Call the Senate (202)224-3121 DC Directory. Make sure your friends and family call too. Here is the contact info for the members of the Judiciary Comm...try to call Hatch and Grassley and encourage the Dem members to stay strong!
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members
grantcart
(53,061 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,368 posts)I wonder what her diagnosis of the moron's personality disorders is.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)I was wrong about that
Hermit-The-Prog
(32,891 posts)I thought the story was being pushed to take attention away from Kavanaugh's perjury before the Senate. It looked like a repug feint -- after the perjury is forgotten, point out (a) it's an old story and (b) the "locker room" defense, then carry on with the confirmation over any residual uproar.
Maybe people are getting fed up!
lamp_shade
(14,788 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,368 posts)Igel
(35,173 posts)Notes 20 years after the event are still 20-year-old memories written down.
red dog 1
(27,575 posts)RockRaven
(14,715 posts)GOP will still confirm him though.
kag
(4,075 posts)Lawrence O'Donnell kept making comparisons between this and the Anita Hill story, and there are some similarities. Thomas should NEVER have been confirmed, and Kavanaugh shouldn't be, either.
brush
(53,331 posts)This should cook that perjurer/attempted rapist's nomination.
If not, the repugs just lost even more women votes.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,103 posts)wishstar
(5,264 posts)This is sexual and physical assault and and attempted rape whereas Anita Hill claimed sexual harassment but not physical assault
NCjack
(10,279 posts)raped her in the middle of 5th Avenue, he wouldn't lose any Repug votes or Trump's endorsement. When the DEMs get in, we should remove SC Justices like Kavanaugh. Surely, the original framers of the Constitution did not intend for such people to be appointed and to remain on the bench for their life.
AdamGG
(1,271 posts)as did some of the founding fathers. I'm not saying that Kavanaugh is an appropriate pick, but the founder fathers weren't all so pure.
Stuart G
(38,328 posts)spooky3
(34,231 posts)It's terrible to have to deal with harassment at work, by someone who has power over you. You are in a no-win situation.
elleng
(129,800 posts)'After so many years, Ford said she does not remember some key details of the incident. She said she believes it occurred in the summer of 1982, when she was 15, around the end of her sophomore year at the all-girls Holton-Arms School in Bethesda. Kavanaugh would have been 17 at the end of his junior year at Georgetown Prep.
At the time, Ford said, she knew Kavanaugh and Judge as friendly acquaintances in the private-school social circles of suburban Maryland. Her Holton-Arms friends mostly hung out with boys from the Landon School, she said, but for a period of several months socialized regularly with students from Georgetown Prep.
Ford said she does not remember how the gathering came together the night of the incident. She said she often spent time in the summer at the Columbia Country Club pool in Chevy Chase, where in those pre-cellphone days, teenagers learned about gatherings via word of mouth.'
Gothmog
(143,654 posts)djacq
(1,633 posts)We already have a sexual assaulter in SCOTUS. Looking at Justice Thomas.
The Orange Clown is an admitted sexual assaulter who has nominated this sexual assaulter for SCOTUS.
The Republicans are going to ram shot Kavanaughs confirmation so that well have 2 sexual offenders in SCOTUS.
This isnt right.
Tobin S.
(10,418 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)Kavanaugh is accused of assault
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)TNNurse
(6,905 posts)including death. This is bravery, this is thinking of your country before yourself. This is a patriot.
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)I have absolutely no faith in any of the so-called "moderate" Republican Senators voting against this guy. I am almost positive he will be confirmed. I hope I'm wrong. If he's not confirmed, look for Drumpf's head to explode right there in the Oval Office.
Ms. Toad
(33,896 posts)This woman has told several people about it over the years, and there is a fair amount of documentation of sharing that information in the context of seeking psychological help for the damage it did to her.
In the eyes of people who require victims act appropriately, that should carry some weight.
Quixote1818
(28,896 posts)Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)Not about her documenting things I mean, I totally believe that. Im just afraid the Republicans are so far gone that they would vote to confirm the Marquis de Sade if he was nominated by a Republican President.
Ms. Toad
(33,896 posts)But it should minimize the smear campaign. IIRC, Hill continued to work with Thomas - and even followed him to a new job to continue working with him. While her behavior is consistent with my fairly significant experience with women who have been raped or sexually abused, to someone without that experience her actions seems incredulous (and make them a prime target for questioning her motives and credibility).
There appears to be none of that here - plus documentation of the account (not right away, but disconnected from this nomination by several years - and without naming him) are also different.
ooky
(8,867 posts)Republicans trying to achieve their agenda don't let crime get in their way.
BeyondGeography
(39,226 posts)AdamGG
(1,271 posts)It may not be right, but I don't think the allegation of one incident of groping another student in high school without removing her clothes or performing a sexual act will be enough to oust Kavanaugh. But, as with other me too cases, if she inspires other victimized women to come forward, that could end Kavanaugh. It would have to happen quickly.
Kavanaugh should be disqualified for perjury and for being a highly partisan nominee who worked as a political hatchet man both on the Ken Starr committee and in W's white house. This is why the filibuster is essential for Supreme Court appointments, to assure that one side doesn't jam through partisan political operatives, when the Supreme Court is supposed to be the ultimate judge of law that is free of that.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)AdamGG
(1,271 posts)but I don't think you could convict of that charge if both people were clothed and no clothing was removed. It's likely though, that if getting blackout drunk and assaulting girls was something Kavanaugh did with his buddies in high school, there's a good chance he did it more than once. Like I said, if this publicity inspires them to come forward in the next couple days, I think that's the best chance this has of knocking Kavanaugh out.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Part of the problem with the legal system is people minimizing this crap- lets not join them in that, okay?
mcar
(42,179 posts)Far more than "groping another student in high school without removing her clothes."
Demit
(11,238 posts)red dog 1
(27,575 posts)the Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh, now scheduled for this coming Thursday, Sept. 20
As far as the filibuster, McConnell didn't allow it for Neil Gorsuch's SCOTUS nomination, so there's little chance he will allow it for Kavanaugh's nomination.
AdamGG
(1,271 posts)I was just saying that it was a really good thing for the Senate to have and this case illustrates how sorely missed it is. Someone with a lifetime appointment that's so influential on how our democracy operates, should need to get 60 votes.
Wasn't the "agreement" made by Harry Reid 15 years ago, (when he was Majority Leader), that the "nuclear option" did NOT include a filibuster of a SCOTUS nominee?
elleng
(129,800 posts)red dog 1
(27,575 posts)Lisa Murkowski - Phone 202-224-6665....Fax 202-224-5301
Susan Collins - Phone 202-224-2523...Fax 202-224-2693
orleans
(33,949 posts)Eyeball_Kid
(7,398 posts)I'm also struck by a few of the details presented by Prof. Ford, notably of Kavanaugh's treatment of Ford as an object to be controlled, dehumanized, and manipulated. This was done at a time when Kavanaugh was 17, but well after he should have been schooled in the empathic treatment of all people. That Kavanaugh still refuses to acknowledge his offense and take responsibility is, on its face, reason for disqualification for ANY position as judge. Kavanaugh does NOT meet any standard for moral leadership. He also should be removed from his position on the appellate court.
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)they want. And while there at it impeach Gorsuch too. He is illegitimate. We wont need a reason. Pay back is a bitch especially when there are no more rules or norms. Tax the shit out of the rich, secure social security, Medicare for all. Make sure they will no reason to ever vote for a republican again
Ligyron
(7,574 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(56,713 posts)It's nonsense like this that makes it unnecessary for me to visit Free Republic anymore. I can find all the lunacy I need to fulfill my minimum daily requirement right here at DU.
Go ahead and alert.
mahatmakanejeeves
Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Reply #79)
Pepsidog This message was self-deleted by its author.
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)Your nothing but a piece of shit pansy. Go slobber over some republican cock cause it seems like you like to get it up the ass by your buddy Rs. Piece of shit.
dchill
(38,234 posts)deny THAT, Mr Kavanaugh.
Stuart G
(38,328 posts)If he had integrity...(he does not) he would withdraw his name tomorrow. (He won't)
dchill
(38,234 posts)Stuart G
(38,328 posts)very little. If he makes it into the Supreme Court, it could energize women to vote for our side.
I wonder if there is a chance that unknown Republican senators would vote against him?
dchill
(38,234 posts)and Republicans will lose the Senate.
WestMichRad
(1,261 posts)...the Repubs would be happy with that exchange (Kav appointed to SCOTUS in exchange for losing the Senate). They know the next two years are going to be more or less a stalemate in the federal government (I'm assuming the Dems will win back the majority in the House). Mathematically, they can't lose enough Senate seats to let the Dems impeach anyone if they stand united, and they most certainly would stand united with any impeachment challenge of a sitting Repub-appointed justice.
They're gonna be happy as pigs in shit that they have engineered the coup to grab a majority of SCOTUS justices.
May kharma somehow bite their smelly arses.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Stuart G
(38,328 posts)humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)a full investigation and therefore this nomination cannot proceed. Why the Rush to put an alleged rapist on the court ? When we take the house and the Senate Trump will need to nominate a moderate or they won't get through, period.
DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)since even if Dems would take control of the Senate, the Rs would still have a lame duck Nov/Dec session to push him through.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)Is they are trying to stir up their nutty base by forcing it pre-election then somehow claiming some enormous WIN.
DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)stay home since they got what they wanted.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)He's still there for 2 more years and god forbid maybe another opening on the court.
briv1016
(1,570 posts)Did he jump on them to break it up, or join in?
Edit: Apparently the guy's a conservative writer. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/09/brett-kavanaugh-mark-judge-high-school-drunk-allegation-alcohol/
DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)titled "Wasted". In the book he talks about how he could be essentially unaware after just one drink. That makes his denial that anything happened not necessarily credible.
red dog 1
(27,575 posts)But it's a good thing he did, because it enabled her to get out of the room before the two drunken sexual assaulters could stop her.
RiverStone
(7,228 posts)Around the many woman who have also accused him of sexual assault.
No place on the SCOTUS for him!
Kudos to Christine Ford for her bravery!!
George II
(67,782 posts)DesertRat
(27,995 posts)The confirmation MUST BE DELAYED so the FBI can investigate this extremely serious matter.
AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)One can only hope that this can give good excuse for red state dems and murkowski/collins to vote against the confirmation. Or do we need 3 reps voting against?
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(106,789 posts)Sad to say what comes next is a lot of shit flung by the Trumpanzees who will try to besmirch her credibility.
red dog 1
(27,575 posts)We have only four days to do what we can to at least postpone the committee vote.
Once Chuck Grassley gets the GOP-controlled Judiciary Committee to advance Kavanaugh's nomination out of committee, there will be little chance of ever stopping the Kavanaugh appointment to the SCOTUS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_the_Judiciary
ALL members of the Judiciary Committee must be contacted, by e-mail, phone AND fax!
(their contact information can be easily found by a Google search)
Also, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski need to be contacted as well, even though neither one sits on the Judiciary Committee.
Sen, Susan Collins (R-Maine).. Phone her at 202-224-2523 --- Fax her at 202-224-2693
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)...Phone her at 202-224-6665 -- Fax her at 202-224-6301
Also, remember that three Democratic senators voted for Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the SCOTUS, so they must be contacted as well.
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) ..Phone him at 202-224-3954.-- Fax him at 202-228-0002
- Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)...Phone her at 202-224-2043 -- Fax her at 202- 224-7776
- Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana)..Phone him at 202-224- 4814 -- Fax him at 202- 224-5011
If the telephone lines ate busy, send faxes
E-Mail addresses for all Senators is available by doing a simple Google search
Contact YOUR two senators as well, regardless of which party they belong to.
The Kavanaugh nomination MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE IT EVEN GETS OUT OF COMMITTEE!
(K&R, thanks for posting)
Response to malchickiwick (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
stuffmatters
(2,574 posts)Anyone who takes just minimal time to read of Forced Birther Kavanaugh's machinations in the recent Garza Case - from his grotesque and sadistic legal slow walking to his dehumanizing, paternalistic opinions/dissents in writin against this raped teenager under his judicial power---
How can any one making a decision on Kavanaugh's "fitness" not see his lifelong pattern?
Kavanaugh committed sexual violence against a teenage girl 30+ years ago in a locked bedroom and he did it again just this year in an open Circuit Courtroom. Whether drunk on alcohol or drunk on power, and always relying on the help of his "Bros", sexual violence against women (esp it seems teenage girls) is an undeniable pattern in the life of Brett Kavanaugh. .
NJCher
(35,342 posts)he does his best to live up to the creed of his school: "Men for men."
Brett Kavanaugh's world is a man's world.
chelsea0011
(10,115 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,240 posts)There are plenty of juveniles who are the same age or younger than Kavanaugh was then, being charged as adults for crimes. So this "he was in high school" dog won't hunt.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)for a lifetime appointment on SCOTUS, this nomination needs to be stopped NOW.
NJCher
(35,342 posts)that Kavanaugh worked for Ken Starr, investigating Bill Clinton, and they took that investigation all the way back to Clinton's high school days.
pioche4
(114 posts)One of my best buddies as an investigative photographer got assigned to go to Palo Alto and camp in front of her home to 'get an image of her'. He pushed it back to the producers that 'this woman is a potential victim of a sexual crime', her home is not where the story is...the producers agreed.
This is change!
He sent the message to his other photographer friends. I'm so proud of him.
Yes, this is a story, and its worth everyone's attention, but not at the hearth of her home.
progressoid
(49,758 posts)Let's focus (pun intended) on the perpetrators, not the victims.