Last week, both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh went in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and essentially, the entire world to provide testimony and answer questions from a prosecutor and members of the committee regarding alleged sexual abuse from more than three decades ago.
The hearings lasted eight-and-a-half long hours and at the end of it all, I still believe Dr. Ford.
Her opening statement struck me in a way that I believe would, or should, strike any woman, especially a woman who has also been the victim of sexual assault.
“I am here today not because I want to be,” said Dr. Ford. “I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”
Dr. Ford then went on to describe the night she was sexually assaulted, providing very specific details of the horrific event. She was unable to recall more minute details, such as how she arrived at the site of the event or how she got home afterwards.This sort of memory loss is indicative of a victim of severe trauma.
She even recalled how she argued with her now-husband about having two front doors in their newly renovated home, something he wasn’t able to understand until finding out about her sexual assault experience.
I was moved by her strength and courage in recounting events that she surely wished could have been buried. During questioning, she didn’t miss a beat when asked about that night, about how sure she was it was Brett Kavanaugh who assaulted her, about the lasting effects on her life. Before the hearing, Dr. Ford was even advised to take a polygraph test, which she obliged and passed. As stated by California Sen. Kamala Harris, Dr. Ford had nothing to gain from telling her story, besides believing it was her civic duty to do so.
As for Judge Kavanaugh, his testimony seemed rehearsed and animated. He disrespectfully called out members of the committee, claiming their involvement with the allegations as part of their Democratic political agenda, an attempt to tarnish his good name and stop him from having a seat on the Supreme Court. He claimed to be completely open to any type of investigation, yet when asked by multiple senators to request a formal F.B.I. investigation, Kavanaugh avoided a straight answer. In fact, he avoided most answers throughout the hearing, instead stalling with rehearsed statements about his involvement in sports, his academic success, his female friends and his love for beer. He threw what can only be described as a temper-tantrum in front of the world, with absolutely no judicial temperament. I watched him speak with disgust and horror, wondering how he could look his young daughters in the eyes after being accused of such heinous crimes.
I found Dr. Ford’s testimony completely credible, whereas Kavanaugh’s a round of well-rehearsed lies. I also find it interesting that Rachel Mitchell, the prosecutor hired by the GOP, was quickly dropped by the same senators who picked her, as she began to question Kavanaugh about inconsistencies with his story and his calendars. Seeing that Kavanaugh was getting caught up in his lies, Republican senators took over to apologize to him for the “horrors” he must be going through and to reassure him of their vote.
On Sept. 28, President Trump requested a formal F.B.I. investigation regarding the allegations. I believe they will find outstanding evidence backing Dr. Ford. If Kavanaugh is voted into the Supreme Court, it will be a slap in the face to sexual assault victims globally. A rapist or sexual assaulter should not be sitting on the highest court in the country for the rest of his life, making decisions that will affect the American people, particularly women and minorities.
My heart breaks for women, for victims and for the future of this country.
As one person from Sydney, Australia, said to the New York Times regarding the hearing, “America truly is the laughingstock of the world.”
Through it all, I believe Dr. Ford and I believe survivors.
