By Sam Combest —
@SamiCombest
President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford in the summer of 1982. Kavanaugh would have been 15.
These accusations first garnered the public’s attention in early September after Ford tipped off Washington Post about the alleged assault and wrote an anonymous letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) detailing her attack in July. She originally wished to remain anonymous, unsure if she was ready to go public with the allegations.
Since her letter to Feinstein, Ford has decided to come forward with her testimony. It became a large political debate with politicians commenting from both sides of the political spectrum condemning one side or the other based on the few details that have emerged.
Many media outlets have questioned Kavanaugh, calling for an FBI probe into the matter. Meanwhile, others continue to question Ford and the timing of her allegations against Kavanaugh as to whether or not they were politically motivated.
During her testimony, Ford spoke of why it took her so long to come forward and why she was hesitant for her name to be released to the public.
“My greatest fears have been realized and the reality has been far worse than what I expected. My family has been the target of constant harassment and death threats,” Ford said.
Fast forward to now, both Ford and Kavanaugh have testified to their sides of the story. Witness testimonies, a yearbook page, a polygraph test, and an old calendar from 1982 belonging to Kavanaugh are the current pieces of evidence.
Senior Clea Grubb, a social work major said the event will decide how we deal with these kinds of things in the future.
“The media has been a mode of hate, death threats, and doubt towards Dr. Ford,” Grubb said.
“This is a turning point for how we as a society are going to treat survivors of sexual assault and the perpetrators.”
Senior Sarah Simon, a political science major, said she thinks she understands the motivations behind each side’s story.
“I think that it’s difficult to discern what is true and what is false from the hearing alone without being an expert attorney or psychologist but when considering who has more motive to lie: a judge who will make $250k/ year or a woman who is risking everything by coming forward and has nothing to gain, it becomes more clear,” Simon said.
The divisive issue has set social media alight with discourse both in favor and against Kavanaugh’s accuser. Many prominent activism groups have remained silent on the issue while details emerge to keep from isolating different groups.
The PEACC Center and Women’s Center were unavailable for comment last week.
The judicial nomination committee voted Friday to send the nomination to the full Senate. GOP leaders agreed to undergo an expedited one-week FBI investigation into Ford’s accusations before the full vote.
Photo Courtesy / Wikimedia
