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:
See what’s already happening? She’s being trashed by the Trumpsters. She was a 15 year old high school student, and the dupes on this blog are even mocking her hair style. Statistics prove most victims of sexual assault never report the incident. It’s bad enough to be assaulted, but to be trashed as a liar makes it much worse, especially if it was years ago and the victim has moved on. Yet, she couldn’t keep silent and not let Congress know the truth about Kavanaugh.
Speaking of liars, by error, somehow, talking labia lips, “Judge Pirro” came on my television. She begins with the assumption that not only was the accuser lying, but that Diane Fiinestein knows it, too. What shocks me is that how any sentient person can buy this feces. Labia lips trades on her “judge” title to add credibility to the baseless lies she puts out, including the outrageous claim of knowing what’s inside Diane Finestein’s mind. Did it occur to labia lips that maybe the accuser was in the process of obtaining counsel, getting her therapy records and getting polygraphed after disclosing the incident?
Is there some statute of limitations for publicly disclosing a serious allegation of sexual misconduct involving someone who aspires to our court of last resort? This woman reported the trauma of this experience to a therapist several years ago, long before Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, and passed a polygraph. Can Kavanaugh and his high school drinking buddy do likewise? She wanted to remain anonymous, but felt strongly enough about the truth to proceed with being outed. The ridiculous Faux News spin that this disclosure was orchestrated by Democrats because of Kavanaugh’s allegedly stellar performance before the Judiciary Committee proves THEIR desperation to put over his nomination before the coming blue wave, not the reverse.
Statutes of limitations exist for s reason and the last time I looked all are innocent until proven guilty.
TIN has reconceptualized this woman as one of his clients.
Sorry, I only take paying clients. And unlike you, it isn’t all about defending my “side,” right or wrong. I can perceive shades of gray.
There aren’t any shades of gray here and you’ve been engaged in dishonest gamesmanship throughout this thread.
Labia lips?
I could have called her a “see you next Tuesday”, but Jon wants us to behave better. Look at her mouth while she speaks, and you’ll see what I mean. My point was to express the extent to which I am disgusted by her trading on her judicial title to sell her outrageous assumptions that the accuser is a liar AND that Dianne Finestein knows it.
Were you as fervent in defense of the many women that came forward against Bill Clinton? One alleged a rape and had told others about it at the time. Clinton was a grown man who felt entitled to take what he wanted……even as the President. This act if it happened was not a rape by the victim’s own account and
she also admitted in the WP article she was part of a group that were drinking and doesn’t remember many things including how she got home that night. This is one accusation 35 years ago by a 15 year old girl and is the only thing we have ever heard against this very qualified man with no other even hint of scandal in his life. You had a underage group of teens drinking and even if this has been reported and found true it would eventually be expunged from their juvenile records. Society understands that certain youthful bad behavior should not dog you for life. The penalty for President Clinton would have been much more serious if the rape accusation had been given the serious investigation it should have received.
The Clintons are old news, but Faux News has to pivot to them every time there’s another Trump scandal.
My birthday wish is to see a committee vote in favor 11-10 and the Senate the same 51-49.
Michael…enjoy your birthday…….and here’s hoping your wish comes true!
Obama got it wrong.. President Nominates and there is no mention of qualifications, Senate only approves and again no mention of qualifications.
She says she took a polygraph and passed? Let’s see it for proof and then have Kavanaugh take one. I think the Dems are grabbing at straws for a last minute Anita Hill like accusation.
If she goes to therapy with her husband, sounds like they have marital problems of their own. Plus who paid her to come forward? She sounds like a feminist who’s jumping on the #metoo bandwagon to help her fellow feminists. Who knows? Too late in my opinion. Should have been brought up during the hearings. Is Gloria Allred involved?
Her version of attempted rape may be nothing more than two drunk guys hitting on her at a party. She may be embellishing to hurt Kavanaugh if he was really one of them. Too many unknowns. Maybe they made out and then she said no. Happens to millions of girls at a high school party. That’s not attempted rape. That’s called “not getting to second or third base”. If she took pictures of bruises and injuries of herself afterwards together with ripped clothing, that’s another story.
As reported, she contends:
1. That he locked the door. OK, but note that working locks on bedroom doors were and are atypical.
2. That they ‘turned up the music’. Again, sound systems in bedrooms in 1982 were atypical. Is she saying the sound system for the party was in the bedroom and they cut the music to the party by closing the door?
3. That she was ‘held down’ but ‘freed herself’ from a high school cornerback two grades ahead of her in school.
Aside from the fact that she sat on this for 36 years (during which time he’s passed through multiple FBI background checks), her account of the sequence of events is decidedly sketchy.
1. Most homes at least have a lock on the master bedroom door, but not the others. My home has 4 BRs, 2 with locks and 2 without.
2. I don’t know what she meant by turning up the music. These were rich people, in Chevy Chase MD with a swimming pool. Still, given the times, they probably didn’t have a sound system in the BR, but who knows, it may have been a clock radio or a boom box. My grandmother bought me a boombox for Christmas in 1979. Got it at Sears. These people probably had a Bose.
3. He pinned her down while the other guy locked the door and turned up the music. Then the other guy jumped on the bed to join in and they tumbled all off the bed, giving her an opportunity to run. They were drunk, so they weren’t in usual form.
4. I’ve been through a number of FBI background checks and they weren’t all that thorough. They don’t have their best and brightest agents doing this work. They basically just checked all the obvious records and made a few brief telephone calls.
TIN – I have a 4 bedroom house and all the bedrooms have locks on them, however they lock from the inside so all you have to do is twist the knob to unlock them from the inside if they are locked. From the outside you need a superkey to open them. They are designed to keep people out of room, not in. I do know that people with children switch out the knobs with locks for knobs without locks so their kids cannot lock them out of their rooms. 😉
PCS: I don’t think anyone said that the locks were keeping her IN the BR (maybe Spaz was confused on that…); I thought she said he locked the door from the inside so that nobody else could walk in on what was going on, whether in response to her calling for help or otherwise. Obviously she was able to exit the room, since she did get away at some point. My understanding is that it was a regular BR door that locks from the inside to keep others out and thereby provide privacy for whatever is going on in the BR.
TIN – she appears to have “escaped” before anything happened to her except that her delicate snowflake feeling were put at risk. At worst their fully clothed bodies were in contact. Oh, the horror!!!!
Paul, how do you know she didn’t come on to one of the guys because she was a bit too tipsy and when he responded he went further than she wanted. It didn’t have to be any male in specific for she could fill in the dots at a later time. Alternatively how do we know she wasn’t spurned by a male while high or intoxicated leading her to believe the opposite again with a lot of blanks as to the man and the details to be filled in with time.
A mind in order to make things palatable can create all sorts of memories with time. This is a story that requires absolute proof before it should even have been raised.
Allan – I keep saying it may be a created memory.
TIN, you seem to be struggling to fill in the blanks of the puzzle. If you have to struggle to make someone guilty they are considered innocent.
Allan – I am calling reasonable doubt on this one. Flag in down.
These types of actions especially so many decades later at the 11th hour and 59 minutes tarnishes reputations and should not be taken seriously. How many more reputations will be tarnished because of this attempt?
How can we trust her recollection? How do we know she wasn’t drunk or high on a drug? How do we know what she remembered and how Kavanaugh’s name became implanted in her head? There is no fact to back up her claim that has become rancid with time and was likely rancid from the beginning.
Allan – and don’t forget the magic door knobs. They are a key feature of this story.
Allan……you’re exactly right. The day after you’ve been drinking heavily, and partying, ( so I’ve heard…LOL) you rely on friends to tell you what you did and whether or not you embarrassed yourself. I don’t believe for a minute that she was traumatized by anyone….My belief is that she saw an opportunity to make her CV more interesting when Brett was first nominated for DC circuit, but waited to act on it now. Holding up a SC justice nomination vote would be the envy of all of those scam artistes…There’s money to be made.
Cindy Bragg – if she supposedly did not report this five years ago in couples therapy, I would totally agree with you.
Paul C.. oh..I think “reporting” it was part of the plan…She kept that safely stored until she needed it.. .And surely this is her second marriage. Wonder what the first one was like?
Cindy Bragg – I want to know why she was in couples therapy and what triggered a memory from 30 years ago? Enquiring minds want to know.
The whole thing is fabricated…I want to know who paid her…trump might as well find a new nominee. He may have to go through 5 or 6 before one gets through. …the dems cannot stop,the court from shifting 5-4. But they don’t mind putting the country through total hell. They’ve been doing it since the election. ..I was a democrat for 50+ years. Until Hillary cheated in primary. I’ll never be a democrat again.
Cindy, I think people want to be part of the me too movement along with being part of the political process. Add that together and the vitriol against anything Trump does and some develop pseudo psychotic responses. Is that the case here? I don’t think she was totally stable long before Trump enterred the political arena. Flase memories and embellishment can do a lot of danger when supported by the nutcases that are all around.
Wow! You haven’t even seen the affidavit but you’re manufacturing excuses and questioning her version of the facts already.
Natacha – what affidavit?
Thirty-five years later the accuser can’t remember the year, the date, the exact location, the name of the house’s owner but she’s certain it was Kavanaugh, someone she hadn’t met before? How does a person defend themself against such a vague accusation?
This is all very convenient, for political purposes. The Demos have shown themselves to be so desperate to avoid changing the make-up of the Court that they would do anything to stop this appointment. It smells to high heaven.
“Desperate times breed desperate measures.”
– William Shakespeare
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Enough incongruity, incoherence and hysteria.
Replicating Lincoln, President Trump should declare Martial Law, repeal the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments and re-implement the
literal “manifest tenor” of the Constitution of the United States of America.
The entire centrally planned, means-of-production controlled (i.e. unconstitutional “regulation”), redistributionist and socially engineered
welfare state of suffragettes,illegal aliens, “asylum seekers” and hyphenates is antithetical and unconstitutional.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Ben Franklin, 1789, we gave you “…a (restricted-vote) republic, if you can keep it.”
Ben Franklin, 2018, we gave you “…a (restricted-vote) republic, if you can take it back.”
“Replicating Lincoln, President Trump should declare Martial Law, repeal the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments and re-implement the Declaration of Martial Law”
– would do nothing to repeal any of the amendments and there would be no point to re-implement martial law –
The military’s oath of office is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, ‘as is.’ Obama was called upon to take that step and did not. Whynot:? He didn’t want to be the first one handcuffed and brought before a tribunal.
Try taking a course in Constitution it’s free of charge at hillsdale.edu but following your idea might cause the arrest and incarceration and eventual trial of those we already know tried a revolution and a coup. This sort of thing would be shoved aside as not germane to the mission of backing up the Constitution. Meanwhile you just put 80% of the combat arms in charge and total control of the country
“There remains the question of why Ford did not go public earlier when Kavanaugh was nominated for the D.C. Circuit ”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Because George Soros’ $$$$ had not yet arrived?
Maybe she didn’t particularly care what happened in D.C. She was living in Calif., so what some D.C. judge does isn’t really going to affect her life. But the Supreme Court is a whole different level, obviously.
So she cares to make sh!t up now.
There remains the question did she really write the letter on her own or not at all. That comes first.
The rest follows after origin is established. Easily to quote Lisa there might be something missing to prove collusion, conclusion or exclusion. Remember this is the Democrat Party whose own party rules demand no one take their word at face value “Anything said or done that supports the party is The Truth”
The rest follows authenticity of the letter.
Then we need to interrogate Fineslime herself and ask “if youi agreed to honor the request, why did you dishonor the request?” Fineslime herself is not well known for ethics values and morals. Lie Detectors? Not admissable in any court of law as we have whole groups who routinely beat the test. One of them is Feinsteins own religious background. Learned that in Police Academy.
But given the background and just for schiffs and giggles I would track how well she knows Chelsea Clinton.
This was not an anguished person suffering through the years this was someone who planned out the entire episode but … I also want to know how many from NYT had a hand in the finished product. Remember opeds have an 800 word limit. Supposedly.
This is the “Hail Mary” pass by the Democrats once the nominee sailed through the hearings.Sounds like old-fashioned desperation to me.
The nominee sailed through a Republican dominated hearing without disclosing documents requested from the Republican White House that nominated him. Regardless of whether or not Democrats would have done the same, this is pretty close to a classic ‘rigged’ routine.
Had possession of most of the documents for six plus weeks. So go back to whining.You have had two years practice and are not much good for anything else.
Utterly & completely ridiculous. What a waste of time and I hope the media does not waste any space on this nonsense.
Spoken like a true “Retro Guy.” Crawl back into your cave. Society has passed you by.
” Ford is an established academic who would clearly be supported in coming forward to report an attempted rape.”
Did Turley pay any attention at all to what happened to Anita Hill? Or allthe women that have come out against Trump (including the one claiming rape that ultimately didn’t due to death threats)? The woman that will be “well supported” is about to get trashed 24/7 by Fox News and Senate Judicuary Committee Republicans.
Note about Anita Hill, her testimony would have had greater credibility had Joe Biden allowed three corroborating witnesses to testify.
I agree. There has been progress, but it is still difficult for victims to come forward. They know they will be trashed and ridiculed.
Those supposed victims did come forward and inexplicably cut and ran.
It’s not the least bit difficult to ‘come forward’. That’s a social fiction trial lawyers, social workers, and mental health tradesman have peddled to justify bringing accusations decades after the supposed fact. People have motives, often silly or ignoble, for climbing on bandwagons.
And, again, there is no compelling reason to believe she is a ‘victim’. She is an accuser.
As they should be, if they: take money; wait many years; are motivated by a desire to ruin a man’s career, or any other motivation that lacks integrity.
You mean like Bill Clinton’s victims who were “trashed and ridiculed” and, I will add, threatened by Hillary Clinton? Hmmm. I see what you mean.
Silly, Bill Clinton’s victims came forward way before 40 ph’ing yrs.
At 20 bucks a poke how much did this gal make before she got a guilty conscious?
One of the things I hated the worst was great looking Married women doing everything they could to throw themselves at me & then getting mad at me for not jumping they’re bones.
I found it disgusting they dishonored themselves & I felt pity for their husbands, but I never could tell their husbands to this day.
Not all men/women do behave like this, but some do & after a decade or so & come out like this they are just mentally ill!
Proof, look at her jobs over the years.
In the end, let those without sin throw the first stone. I won’t throw the first & others shouldn’t either.
enigma…..oh yeah….Serial plagiarist Joe Biden. Now there’s a big bowl of credibility for ya.
I was still a Democrat during the Clarence Thomas hearings and was completely turned off by Anita Hill when I learned that, so traumatized was she, that she followed him from job to job! HUH???? What a phony! That turned my sympathy for her completely off! And her behavior was and is such a disservice to women who were and are truly harassed. These wannabes make me sick and do so much more harm than good.
But it’s a lucrative business…..and there’s no business like the sex (and fake sex) business.
Turley’s claim about how well received the “established academic” would be received has been laid to waste in these pages.
Anita Hill got famous, became a spokesperson for all things anti-man, made a ton of dough and a tenured position as a law professor. How was she oppressed? 30 yrs later and Thomas still gets a cross eyed look from people. His rep was harmed. Not hers.
Yes and the outcome was four in Washington DC split without explanation and the four in Alabama did the same while Gloria All Red and her daughter divided up money and went home laughing. One was a whore porno pig and the other was looking for a second easy paycheck opportunist. . None of those cases is active as there are no complainants beyond the first few headlines in the NYT and WaPo.
Meanwhile your repetitive balderdash is worthy of… nothing.
Has the DNC paid this woman? Seems odd that Diane Feinstein would sit on this since July. Smells to me.
A member of Congress cannot legally disclose constituent communications without that person’s permission. The constituent requested anonymity.
And Fineslime dishonored and ignored it and went public anyway.
A member of Congress cannot legally disclose constituent communications without that person’s permission.
Cite the U.S. Code.
Privacy Act of 1974.
That’s not text from the U.S. Code. Nor does it tell me how such a statute could pass muster given the speech and debate clause.
WHAT?? The Speech and Debate Clause? Put down the bottle of Thunderbird and go to bed already. You haven’t a bloody clue what you’re babbling about!
Fineslime also offered to write a straight up DACA bill and came back Bloody Chuck and a 1.3 trilion shopping list. As For DACA Fineslime rejected them same as Bloody Chuck Pig Luci/ Bigots one and al those three when it comes to protecting their pro=abortion with no limits campaign.
Yeah, sure, I trust someone with a Farah Fawcett ‘doo………NOT!
It looks like an old photo from the 70s. She would be in her early 50s now.
JT posted her high school yearbook photo as a service, to help jog Kavanaugh’s memory, lol.
Reads just like the Judge Moore accusations, comes out 40 years later & little if no way for the accused to defend their character.
Sorry sweeties, at this point you are the guilty parties as you should have went public 40 years.
Russia, Russia, Russia, Racist, Racist, Racist…. LOL:)
different day same ole lying crap.
“Reads just like the Judge Moore accusations, comes out 40 years later & little if no way for the accused to defend their character.”
As opposed to little or no way for her to have defended herself 40 years ago…
And Moore still has not had one police officer, one DA, one judge accept those complaints and turn them into indictments . Not One.
Right victims don’t always file a report don’t want family, friends etc. to know, shame, or going to court, but she told her husband and a therapist? Usually a therapist (specifically one experienced in sexual assaults) would explore the benefits of filing a report, empowering her to work through the alleged abuse a cataract process & for closure. So a big ?????
She was 15 when it happened. She didn’t get married and go to counseling until much later, when she was an adult.
She was 15 when it happened.
No, she was 15 in 1982. No particular reason to believe it happened.
Like most states, there are some situations in Maryland where people under the age of consent may legally have sex, as long as there is only a small age difference between them. In Maryland, persons aged between 14 and 16 may consent to sex as long as the other partner is not more than 4 years older.Jun 7, 2018
“She was 15 when it happened.”
Should that be ‘she was 15 when it ***alledgedly*** happened?
Are you an attorney? If so you should be a bit more careful with your words.
So far I haven’t heard or seen anything that could be considered proof. Anything is possible but we have to act within the realm of reasonableness. This case is not reasonable on any issue.
Having another boy in the room, if true, would show deviant sexual behavior. However, that person has denied it. My question is “How drunk were the partiers?” Can any of them serve as a credible witness? This point is highly relevant for today’s young people.
The “witness” has gone on and had alcohol problems later in life, which makes it at least a little more likely he was drinking then. He has plenty of reason to lie as he was a participant if the claim is true.
The witness is named Mark Judge. He is a writer and in 1997 published “Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk,” where he recounts his alcoholic teen years. In 2005 he published another book, “God and Man at Georgetown Prep,” where he recounts his alcohol infused partying and mentions his friend, “Bart O’Kavanaugh” as participating. The accuser in today’s Washington Post account also says that Kavanaugh and Judge were drunk at the time of the attack.
He said/she said.
Belief will break down on the usual lines – liberals will believe her, conservatives won’t.
Legally speaking, she has no case, but that won’t stop the anti-Kavanaugh folks – this is their wet dream come true.
So the only witness says it didn’t happen…
According to the Washington Post, the “witness” was Kavanaugh’s buddy who helped him push her into the room, lock the door and turn up the music. So this guy was obviously not a neutral witness, but someone who helped facilitate the alleged assault. He has ample reason to deny it.
She has ample reason make the claim. Legal age limit a drunk party goer 40 years later sees an opportunity for earning big bucks with a background in schools populated by those whose mantra is The Truth is anything that supports the Party! Has all the contacts and probably a buddy of Chelsea Clintons.
When she hadn’t come forward JT said the accusation was a low blow and shouldn’t enter into the proceedings. Now that she has, he signals that he doesn’t believe her. Neutrality?
There is no such thing as “neutrality.” You either know that or should know it. Turley and I and anyone else could exactly the same as you state, based on the word of one person, and contradicting the word of the only witness, that you are not “neutral” if you believe her.
Get off you stupid high horse. Get in the game. If all you can do is name call, stop posting til you learn what constitutes better debate.
“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.”
Because we know sexual salt victims always report their crimes to the police. Oh wait…
Because we know that rape accusers never make up stuff and/or imagine something happened that never happened. Oh wait…
During the alleged therapy, did the therapist come to know the alleged attempted rapist and witness name? Did the therapist commit a crime and/or violate rules in not confirming the alleged attempted rapist ID, not reporting to police the alleged crime, and alleged rapist name?
Re. POTUS right to nominate qualified person for SCOTUS and Congress’ right to confirm them: “Elections have consequences.” Barack Hussein Obama
Maybe in 2020 the DNC can nominate someone with other than “the worst public persona in US history” (source quoted in Fear by Bob Woodward) for POTUS.