For a week, a scandal has grown over an anonymous accusation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. I previously wrote about the unfairness of this last minute accusation from an unnamed law professor who declined to be named. Moreover, the underlying letter has been in the possession of Democrats since July. Now, the mystery is over: Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford has come forward to say that she is indeed the accuser of Kavanaugh. It appears that the earlier leaks and media reports that this was a Stanford law professor were untrue. She is shown here from her high school yearbook picture. Notably, her lawyer has said that she passed a polygraph examination that found her account was truthful.
The alleged attack occurred when Ford went upstairs to use the bathroom at a party with four or so people that was held in Maryland. That is when she said that Kavanaugh grabbed her and forced her into a bedroom. Ford is quoted in The Washington Post that she had feared Kavanaugh “might inadvertently kill” her while he was holding her down on the bed and groping her in 1982. She says that another boy watched as Kavanaugh tried to rape her.
She said that she tried to cry out but Kavanaugh had turned the music up at the party and closed the door. She said that her opportunity arose when a friend of Kavanaugh came into the room and jumped on both of them. That friend is Mark Judge, a writer who categorically denies that the incident occurred as does Kavanaugh himself. Judge referred to the account as s “absolutely nuts.”
Ford says that she did discuss the alleged attempted rape in couples therapy with her husband about five years ago. Russell Ford has supported that account.
Ford says that she was traumatized for years by the experience. However, there is no indication that she ever made a formal compliant to the police or previously raised the issue during Kavanaugh’s prior confirmation hearings. There remains the question of why Ford did not go public earlier when Kavanaugh was nominated for the D.C. Circuit or why she wanted Congress to know about the allegation but said that she did not want to go come forward herself. Ford is an established academic who would clearly be supported in coming forward to report an attempted rape.
Now that the identity of the accuser is known, it will be possible to look at supporting or conflicting accounts. Did she share the allegation of an attempted rape with friends at the time? Is there any record of seeking medical assistance or injuries? She says that she called a government official about reporting the incident at the time but there does not appear to be a record. She also said that she received medical attention, but again produced no record.
The polygraph is the most interesting dynamic element. While not admissible in court, the accuracy of polygraphs are often put between 70 and 90 percent when conducted properly. I have been counsel in polygraph cases and there can be serious problems raised in the performance of the tests.
Ford also teaches at Stanford University in the Department of Psychiatry and previously taught as a research psychologist for Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry and a professor at the Stanford School Of Medicine Collaborative Clinical Psychology Program.
Ford has an impressive array of academic degrees. She was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received a Master’s Degree in psychology at Pepperdine University (where she also briefly taught). She also has a a PhD in Educational Psychology: Research Design from the University of Southern California as well as Master’s in Education from Stanford University.
The Committee vote on Kavanaugh is scheduled for Thursday.
Here is the letter:
A prominent Islamist Imam Zaid Shakir invoked sharia law to vet sexual abuse cases, including that of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is co-founder of Zaytuna college. In his Facebook page he cites Sharia Law based on the Koran.
“As for Dr. Ford’s accusations, they cannot be used as evidence against Judge Kavanaugh. That is so for a number of reasons. I will confine myself to those which are rooted in Muslim teachings. We read in the Qur’an, ‘Those who bring charges of sexual improprieties against chaste women, then fail to come forth with four corroborating witnesses, lash them eighty times and never again accept their testimony. Such are truly corrupt’ [verse] 24:4…We do, however, demand that she [Dr. Ford] produces corroborating witnesses. Were she to do so we would say she has a legitimate claim which we could support and rally behind. Since she has not we silently avoid voicing any opinion on the issue and if we do speak we do so with a skeptical voice. Other than that we can pray for her and urge her to be patient.”
What a deluded fool.
I won’t disagree but that is Sharia Law and many of the Islamic faith would prefer Sharia Law to our Constitution.
Confirm Judge Kavanaugh! Stop playing with man life and let this man complete this process of being our Judge Kavanaugh. I am a democrat!
Rose, my belief is that there are a lot more Democrats that agree with you and this incident will cause the Democratic Party harm. I wonder what a lot of mothers with male chidren are thinking and how worried this has made them should their male children go to college. I also wonder about those that think on a deeper level and become concerned that their daughter’s opportunities might be obstructed due to the tremendous fear that has been inflicted upon men. Will a man approach a female at work? Will a man want to hire a female if they are in close quarters?The Democrats here and elsewhere have upset the relationship that men and women are supposed to have. The good men will be scared and this is not good for men or women. The bad one’s will go on as usual.
Bill Clinton rapes & sexually assaults numerous women, Keith Ellison sexually assaults & beats women leaving extreme bruising , Joe Biden frequently gropes women & yet you Liberals don’t see anything wrong with it because they are DemocRATS!!!
Kavanaugh Accuser’s Lawyer is Vice Chair of Soros Funded Org Opposing Kavanaugh https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/271357/kavanaugh-accusers-lawyer-vice-chair-org-opposing-daniel-greenfield#.W6LM0c1E0AN.twitter
I thought poly graph’s were not allowed to be used in a court of law anywhere.
At least in some courts they can be used if both sides consent or if the adverse party accidentally opens the door to its admission.
why doesn’t he just take one and get it over with if he has nothing to hide
I had a client flunk a polygraph when asked if he committed a crime that had never occurred. It was a fake question. On the other hand, I have known people were lying (they told me) when they passed a polygraph. There is a reason they are not admissible into evidence.
Sam – the problem with rape is that it is an easy claim to make and hard for the man to disprove. Look at the trouble the Duke Lacrosse team had. And we haven’t even gotten to the “repressed memory” which is almost 100% children, not 17 year old girls. And even in children, it is iffy. I refer you to the McMartin Pre-School case.
Dr. Ford is a clinical psychologist so I am going to assume that she found a competent therapist for couples therapy. I am also going to assume that the therapist wrote down correctly what Dr. Ford told her, since the notes are contemporaneous. Therefore, based on a competent therapist correctly noting the key elements of a trauma is the life of her patient, I am going with Dr Ford was in her late teens, not mid teens, and four boys attacked her. Oh, and no names are mentioned.
first of all anybody can get traumatized enough to where they suppress it…not just young kids..second of all she said kavanaugh attacked her, not 4 boys….
chris – the original therapist notes report four males(no names) attacking her and she is in her late teens. That is her “repressed memory.” Whether that “repressed memory” is a false memory, one would have to listen to the tapes of the sessions to see how she was being questioned. Since the first report to the therapist she has added the names of Kavanaugh, Judge and two others and regressed to age 15. The FBI has spoken to all of them as part of the background check. One female has come forward to say it was all around school but she has since backed down on that. Alex Jones has the yearbooks from Dr. Ford’s school and it appears it was party central. I am surprised they got any studying done at all. The school has since wiped the yearbooks from the web, but Jones still has them as does at least one other site.
I think Christine Balasey Ford is a Pathetic women. Surley if such a “Episode Occured”⁉️⁉️⁉️And she
Feared for her life⁉️⁉️⁉️Surely she would have advised her parents family & friends. And responsible parents would have notify the Authorites. Really ⁉️⁉️Really⁉️⁉️
that is ignorant..most women especially back then didn’t tell anybody, not family, not friends..they felt too ashamed..how many of the me too movement incidents took place many years ago..women aren’t staying quiet anymore so a warning to all you men out there…KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS…
Anonymous – this is a warning to all woman. Don’t go into a bedroom with two drunken men. God, didn’t your mother have the talk with you?
That’s not true. I had a real attempted rape in 1972 and told my sister, my friends, and my future boyfriends. When I walked by his apartment, I said a rapist lives there. And I was shy. This isn’t anything to do with metoo movement. He wasn’t a boss of hers or had any power over her. And he wasn’t naked like my attacker was.
that is ignorant..most women especially back then didn’t tell anybody, not family, not friends..they felt too ashamed..
There were 79,000 forcible rapes reported to law enforcement in 1982. That doesn’t include all the other sorts of sex offenses there are.
Hillary Clinton attacked these women as “bimbos” and losers.
Need some more information:
Address of the house party, parents names, host of the party name, type of alcohol being consumed, any drug usage & who bought it. Wonder if the parents remember anything? That would include Dr. Fords parents, when she was 15 years old. What did Dr. Ford tell mommy & daddy 30+ years ago?
Since it was a small party, what are names of the other 4 or 5 other party people? Dr. Ford? And how much alcohol did you drink? Going to the bathroom matters.
Thank you, Peter.
She shows up alone at a house with which she was unfamiliar attending a gathering given by people she didn’t know. And she cannot remember how she got home. Arriving without a gal pal in tow is a tell that the story is fictional.
Well Spastic I’m sure the senators will ask Professor Ford why she arrived alone. One presumes Ford knew ‘someone’ at that party. Perhaps she was tipped to the party by friends who showed up later than expected. Before the age of cellphones, party-going for teenagers was often hit or miss.
if the whole thing was not manufactured, i would guess she was looking for trouble and found it.
It’s stale news in the extreme even if true. Demurr
I know some good judges that have done some stupid things and not just as teenagers. Like all of us, they hope not to be found out, and they have feet of clay. The job requires a certain level of maturity but a teenager can be forgiven some stupidity. Even one who ends up being a judge.
Mr Kurtz – the problem here is if you believe the woman, then you will be required to impeach the judge from his current post.
not at all. based on what?
you know Paul misunderstandings happen.
and there could have been some sort of thing that she exaggerated.
I don’t see any impeachment coming out of a drunken stupidity from high school. it’s not rape it’s at best misdemeanor sexual assault and the statute of limitations would have run about five times over.
Maybe i pinched a few fannies when I was a minor. Maybe, today that is arguably sexual assault. But it was flirting back then. “goosing” and about as offensive as a wet willy. a little offensive, I would allow, now at this time, but back then really not a huge offense. I never got smacked, nobody squealed to the cops or even teachers, mostly they giggled about it.
i confess! i confess! track my ip, refer it to the NSA
lucky im never gonna even run for dogcatcher. nobody could pay me enough to go through this kind of crud. i will remain in blessed obscurity as a profoundly insignificant nonentity, and thank God for such a blessing
Mr Kurtz – I never pinched any fannies, but I have been aggressive on occasion. 😉 Nothing that couldn’t be easily fought off if they wanted. 🙂
I heard something today that was very interesting. Supposedly when Ms. Ford was very young her parents lost a home to foreclosure. Judge Kavanaugh’s mother was also a judge. Guess who the judge was at the foreclosure hearing. Is there anyone on this blog who could tell me if what I heard was accurate or just BS. If What I heard was inaccurate please tell me. I’m a big boy and I can take some legitimate criticism.
Bob, the rumor is half-true. Blasey’s family home slid into foreclosure at one point. But her parents successfully got the house refinanced and Kavanaugh’s mother dismissed the foreclosure petition as a legal formality. NO REENGE MOTIVE HERE
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brett-kavanaugh-foreclosure-accuser-parents/
Kavanaugh Accuser Goes Public With The Support Of A Polygraph To Support Alleged High School Sexual Assault
Why wait until 36 years have passed before going public with these allegations?
Christine Blasey Ford appears to be an opportunist seeking to impugn the character of Brett Kavanaugh with out providing any evidence aside from she said – he said.
Christine Blasey Ford allegations should not preclude a vote on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh as supreme court justice.
Although Brett Kavanaugh appears to have been implicated in lying to the senate about not possessing stolen memos.
Italicized/bold text below was excerpted from a report titled I Wrote Some of the Stolen Memos That Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About which can be found at the website slate.com:
Newly released emails show that while he was working to move through President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees in the early 2000s, Kavanaugh received confidential memos, letters, and talking points of Democratic staffers stolen by GOP Senate aide Manuel Miranda. That includes research and talking points Miranda stole from the Senate server after I had written them for the Senate Judiciary Committee as the chief counsel for nominations for the minority.
Receiving those memos and letters alone is not an impeachable offense.
No, Kavanaugh should be removed because he was repeatedly asked under oath as part of his 2004 and 2006 confirmation hearings for his position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit about whether he had received such information from Miranda, and each time he falsely denied it.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/judge-brett-kavanaugh-should-be-impeached-for-lying-during-his-confirmation-hearings.html
If the Salon report is true Brett Kavanaugh deserves to be impeached from his current seat on the bench of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and he should also withdraw himself from nomination as a supreme court justice.
that sounds bad but I could care less about the alleged assault
Mr Kurtz – this is from the APA on recovered memory.
Can a memory be forgotten and then remembered? Can a ‘memory’ be suggested and then remembered as true?
These questions lie at the heart of the memory of childhood abuse issue. Experts in the field of memory and trauma can provide some answers, but clearly more study and research are needed. What we do know is that both memory researchers and clinicians who work with trauma victims agree that both phenomena occur. However, experienced clinical psychologists state that the phenomenon of a recovered memory is rare (e.g., one experienced practitioner reported having a recovered memory arise only once in 20 years of practice).
im not saying she is a liar. the story is plausible. .what is not plausible is that he is a malign sexual predator and nobody but her ever got trouble from it in 35 years.
at best a tale of teenage shenanigans, properly forgotten and disregarded as stale, unreported, unverified scuttlebutt.
the Democrats have fallen to new lows with this one.
remember how Bill Clinton was credibly accused of rape when acting Arkansas governor, and to this day unprosecuted?
https://www.newsweek.com/juanita-broaddrick-bill-clinton-rape-900485
amazing double standards. this is the party of Harvey Weinstein! really crazy times we live in
Mr Kurtz – JT was on Bret Bair (sp?) explaining that the Democrats had spent the entire Clinton impeachment saying the women should not be believed or even listened to and the Republicans were saying the should. Now the roles are reversed. The Democrats have a lot of ‘splaining to do.
The majority of young people have bad experiences with extreme alcohol inebriation. Based on Mark Judges’ memoir “Wasted” chronicling high school at Georgetown Prep as a blaze of stupor drunkenness and sexual debauchery, and that Brett and Mark were pals during these years, there is a whiff of truth to Ford’s account. But, she needs corroboration that this party with her, Judge and Kavanaugh took place in the early 1980s.
pbinca – her attorney says she does not need to back up her story. Investigators (who do not know when it occurred or where) are supposed to back it up. Of course, that would mean pushing the hearing further off.
Mike Nifong had more to work with than this allegation provides. 35 years from now those Duke lacrosse players would be facing life in prison using the standards on display with Kavanaugh’s accuser.
Kavanaugh Accuser’s Lawyer is Vice Chair of Soros Funded Org Opposing Kavanaugh https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/271357/kavanaugh-accusers-lawyer-vice-chair-org-opposing-daniel-greenfield#.W6LM0c1E0AN.twitter
Hey as long as Henry Kissinger isn’t going to speak on Kavanaugh’s behalf , we’re cool.
Rape is ok, but we have to draw the line at government sanctioned genocide.
Right?
here we go again
kissinger’s never sanctioned genocide. he talked about American national interests.
today instead any humanitarian crisis potentially supersedes common sense
people seem to think in retrospect the oppression of jews was a causus belli for world war II in both directions. when, really, it wasnt a cause of war in either.
relentless propaganda from the mass media amplifying the constant over the top moralizing, which is already latent in the AMerican character, leads us right to where we are with Kavanaugh, a ridiculous moment of false crisis holding up a serious nomination …. just a farce, a preposterous laughable farce