Sen. Blumenthal Tells Republicans To Stop Casting Doubt On Victims Of Sexual Abuse

Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for a full FBI investigation into the allegations being made against Brett Kavanaugh and dismissed the suggestion by some Republicans that Kavanaugh accuser Christine Ford isn’t credible.

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In an interview with MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow, Blumenthal said, “I believe this survivor, Dr. Ford. There’s every reason to believe a woman who has come forward at great personal risk.”

The Connecticut Democrat also called for a “full and fair FBI investigation” that includes witness testimony so senators can have all the facts before questioning Kavanaugh‘s accuser.

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Blumenthal said:

I believe this survivor, Dr. Ford. There’s every reason to believe a woman who has come forward at great personal risk, facing the anguish and terror, as she put it, of a nightmare of vicious and hostile scrutiny. And there are a lot of reasons to disbelieve Judge Kavanaugh after his evasive and seemingly misleading responses to our questions at the judiciary committee hearing just a week or so ago. I think we need to have a full and fair FBI investigation, learn from the history that you have so dramatically and graphically reminded us of.

In the Trump era, smearing the accuser is a go-to strategy

There is no question that in the “Me Too” era, more women have felt empowered to come forward and share their stories. That’s a positive development in a world where men are too often successful in silencing women.

Still, too many men – particularly those with the deny-deny-deny strategy of Donald Trump – are quick to dismiss these survivors’ stories. Largely because of this president, sexual abuse allegations have now become just another political he-said-she-said. We have seen that play out over the past couple days as Christine Ford stepped forward to tell her story.

What Sen. Blumenthal said on Monday night is true not just in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, but also in similar instances when a woman comes forward at great cost.

It’s time for Republicans to stop following their usual playbook of doubting women first and asking questions later.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.