WH To Attack Kavanaugh Accuser's Credibility By Questioning Why She Didn't Tell Anyone At The Time

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By Kate Riga
September 17, 2018 7:39 am

President Donald Trump’s team plans to attack the credibility of professor Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward with her account of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual assault on Sunday, by emphasizing that the accusation has surfaced at the end of the confirmation process and that Ford didn’t tell anyone about the alleged attack at the time, according to a Sunday Bloomberg report.

Ford brought her accusation to Democratic lawmakers back in July when Kavanaugh was first nominated, but ultimately decided to come forward publicly when details started to leak last week after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) turned her letter over to the FBI.

In a Sunday interview with the Washington Post, Ford accuses Kavanaugh of groping her and trying to rip off her clothing, covering her mouth when she tried to scream during a party when they were both in high school. She reportedly managed to escape when Kavanaugh’s friend jumped on top of both of them.

The White House also reportedly wants to steer clear of a public hearing for the allegations, preferring a private inquiry to avoid a platform that could foster sympathy for Ford.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-house-to-attack-ford-by-questioning-why-she-did-not-tell-anyone-at-the-time

[progree]

1. Notes from 2012 therapy session - Washington Post

Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband. The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.” The notes say four boys were involved, a discrepancy Ford says was an error on the therapist’s part. Ford said there were four boys at the party but only two in the room.

Notes from an individual therapy session the following year, when she was being treated for what she says have been long-term effects of the incident, show Ford described a “rape attempt” in her late teens.

In an interview, her husband, Russell Ford, said that in the 2012 sessions, she recounted being trapped in a room with two drunken boys, one of whom pinned her to a bed, molested her and prevented her from screaming. He said he recalled that his wife used Kavanaugh’s last name and voiced concern that Kavanaugh — then a federal judge — might one day be nominated to the Supreme Court.

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?noredirect=on&utm_term=.266a1374363b

From the article in the OP:

The allegation is corroborated ( https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kavanaugh-committee-vote-still-on-for-thursday-despite-on-record-assault-claim ), both with detailed notes from Ford’s therapy session years ago and with a passed polygraph test administered by the FBI.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

18. Women didn't talk about it then because of what's happening now. Her account is being discounted

without investigation. It's the standard Trump/GOP mode: when someone challenges your version of reality, attack that person with everything you've got.

Hopefully women voters will remember whether their GOP representative was one of the character assassins when November rolls around.

[Tom Rinaldo]

2. I think all women understand

Republicans in the Senate may use that as an excuse, but 51% of the electorate know better.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. Women acrossed America will be watching this.......

Women who have experienced sexual assault will be reliving those experiences. They never forget .

Shame, revulsion, often are reasons rapes are not reported. Women in the past have been pressured to keep quiet or risk their reputations being ruined.

Sexual assault is about POWER. Generations of attitudes used against women to oppress them.But in the era of me Too, women are banding together and fighting back. The POWER of their vote, their voice, can no longer remain silent.

[Fred Sanders]

12. The Republicans may get their Justice, but how many more woman will flood the polling places

now to kick out these monsters? And be reminded of those monsters for every election cycle to eternity? Do they want to pay that price?

Be careful what you wish for.

[smooth64]

4. Predictable I wouldn't have expected anything else from these idiots

Not a good idea attacking a possible victim of a attempted sexual assault. Especially right before the midterm elections

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Yes, because all of those questioning her were once teenage girls

who had to fend off guys grabbing them.

[bullwinkle428]

6. Please proceed, assholes!

[babylonsister]

7. I can't imagine she didn't share this with

a friend or someone. Perhaps that person doesn't want to be involved at this time. That too could change.

[Bayard]

8. Typical

Rape/sexual assault--blame the victim.

She did speak about this long before Kavanaugh was nominated. She's credible no matter how long ago it happened. Goes to show he was an asshole early on.

[ScratchCat]

9. In 2012

When Obama was President, she was concerned that Kavanaugh would one day be nominated to the SCOTUS?

[marlakay]

11. He is young and on Federal bench

She knew eventually a republican would win again and could be like Bush or worse.

[CreekDog]

15. you seem to think Obama would be president forever, or at least a Democrat

But that makes no sense.

He was on the DC Court of Appeals, 3 of the 9 Supreme Court justices were there.

It's considered a stepping stone to the supreme court.

He was already immensely powerful in that judgeship.

[marlakay]

10. She was young and scared

Same age 15 I found out that it was my friends brothers who broke into my favorite teachers house and stole a whole bunch of stuff. I loved my teacher but they threatened to hurt me if I ever said anything.

I have never told anyone.

The fear you get at that age is intense and its not surprising to me it came up years later in a counseling session. I have had to work through other things from my past.

Why didn’t she come forward? Maybe she would get in trouble for being at party by her parents, maybe she thought no one would believe her, who knows why? But I bet fear had a big part in it, he probably threatened her.

[mulsh]

13. This morning, after 26 years of marriage my wife told me about a sexual assault incidedent that

happened when she was 11 years old. She said she's never told anyone about this because the boys involved "only" threatened to rape her as they walked home from school.

I suspect if my highly educated and communicative wife has kept this incident to her self all these years there are millions of other women with similar experiences. Probably millions of men out there who are out raged by rape, attempted rape, and threatening to rape.

of course none of them are Republicans or conservatives. I get that.

[iluvtennis]

14. Playing the Trump game...it's the same thing he did during the GE when over a dozen women

accused him of sexual assault. Let him do it so there is more ammo for women to to get out and vote in the midterms to get the rethugs out.

[bobbieinok]

16. MOST now know that it's common to take yrs for sex assault victims to speak out

And it's not just women

See the male victims of priest assaults.

One reason the RCC is fighting changing the S of Limitations in PA and other states.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. This is no different from the Clergy sex abuse

Terrify the victims to keep it "hush hush" so they will never come forward.

Men exerting their self-annointed power against the powerless.

[Gore1FL]

19. The answer should be

She waited for the same reason the Senate delayed in the Merrick Garland nomination. Then she should tell them to quit blaming victims and that while they are at it, they should fuck off.

[meadowlander]

20. Because if she had told people at the time,

it's her conduct that would have gone on trial. Why was she at a party with four boys she didn't know? What was she wearing? How did she end up in a room alone with two of them? Was she drinking?

I imagine like most women, she just wanted to get on with her life and never have to think about it again. Only 26% of sexual assault charges are ever reported. 5% lead to an arrest. 1% are prosecuted. 0.7% result in a conviction. And those are 2015 stats. I suspect that in the early 1980s they were even worse.

Meanwhile her entire life would have been turned upside down for the better part of the year while the community rallied around her attacker to protect his "promising future".

[forgotmylogin]

21. Am I the only person who thinks this:

If you're harassed at a party by some pervy rando who works at Starbucks it's one thing. He can probably make coffee just fine. There's no problem with him having that job if he gets along with his coworkers.

If you're assaulted by someone who grows up to be your boss, or the mayor, or the president, or a Supreme Court Justice, the stakes may suddenly become a little more elevated...even if it is 30 years later.

I feel the same way about racist bigots: Have your own opinions so long as they don't intrude on mine. If you're in a position to hire, fire, decide policy with regards to my life...your opinions and past actions matter a lot more and im'ma raise my hand and mention it.