After Professor Ford came forward with a grueling story about what she calls a “rape attack” by Donald Trump‘s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) called for his confirmation to be put on hold until the FBI conducts an investigation.
Ford said of the attack, “I thought he might inadvertently kill me. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.â€
“It has always been Mrs. Ford’s decision whether to come forward publicly. For any woman, sharing an experience involving sexual assault—particularly when it involves a politically connected man with influence, authority and power—is extraordinarily difficult,” Feinstein said in a statement sent to PoliticusUSA.
“From the outset, I have believed these allegations were extremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaugh’s character. However, as we have seen over the past few days, they also come at a price for the victim. I hope the attacks and shaming of her will stop and this will be treated with the seriousness it deserves.”
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
“I support Mrs. Ford’s decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee.â€
Feinstein is not alone in calling for at least a pause here before Republicans install another sexual predator on the Supreme Court.
NOW President Toni Van Pelt issued a statement Sunday prior to Ford’s story becoming public, saying NOW “is firm in our demand that Brett Kavanaugh withdraw his name from consideration for a seat on the Supreme Court.”
Pelt pointed out why Ford probably hadn’t told earlier, “She probably remembered why she hadn’t told earlier. Anita Hill “told†the whole world on national TV and Clarence Thomas was still seated on the Supreme Court. Monica Lewinsky told her friend and Bill Clinton got re-elected. The college wrestlers told, the students at Penn State told, the young women Olympic gymnasts told, the altar boys and seminary students told, female clerks for judges told, actresses and secretaries and hotel maids and construction workers and inmates and many more told and yet few of the predators were held accountable and cover-ups were legion.”
NOW demanded that Kavanaugh withdraw and if he won’t, the full Senate to reject his nomination.
“NOW respectfully demands that Brett Kavanaugh withdraw and if he doesn’t, that the Committee and the full Senate rejects the nomination of this flawed nominee. Our nation simply must deal with bullying, dating, domestic violence, sexual harassment, misconduct, assault, and rape. And until we make sure our homes, schools, workplace, and communities are a safe haven, we will continue to have deaths and lifetime trauma on our hands. Enough is enough.”
As Adalia Woodbury wrote in these pages this morning, “We don’t need or want knights in shining armor to explain what life is like for women followed by their mutual admiration for each other’s enlightenment. We want a seat at the table. And we don’t want an alleged attempted rapist on the Supreme Court.”
Women deserve better than this. Women deserve to have justices who have not violated the very laws they are entrusted to uphold, and justices who do not have an inherent bias against women and women’s rights.
Judge Kavanaugh is biased against women. This was already clear given his stance on Roe v Wade among other things, but now is so obvious it can’t be refuted.
Listen to Sarah on the PoliticusUSA Pod on The Daily newsletter podcast here.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
