VERITY WILCHER
On Oct. 6, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court by a 50-48 vote. His confirmation was answered by protestors shouting “shame, shame, shame” at the congressmen who voted to confirm him. Brett Kavanaugh is now the second sitting Supreme Justice to be accused of sexual misconduct. Of course, given the man who nominated him — a man who has been caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women — we can hardly be surprised by this turn of events.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation was delayed due to allegations of sexual assault brought forth by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Three other women — Deborah Ramirez, Julie Swetnick, and an anonymous woman who sent in a letter detailing an event in 1998 — came forward, accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. However, only Dr. Blasey Ford was heard before the Senate, accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her over thirty years ago. Both she and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate in late September. It was noted by many that Dr. Blasey Ford remained composed when she was questioned while Kavanaugh was hostile towards the senators questioning him. When asked if he had ever blacked out while drinking, he didn’t answer and instead asked the senator questioning him if she had ever blacked out while drinking.
It’s important to remember that this was not a trial for the crimes that Brett Kavanaugh may have committed — this was a glorified job interview, during which Kavanaugh declined to answer questions, was hostile towards those interviewing him, and lied under oath. When asked what the term “devil’s triangle” meant, he visibly paused before answering that it was a drinking game. Anyone with access to google could tell you that a “devil’s triangle” refers to a threesome between two men and a woman. Forgetting the fact that he was accused of sexual assault, Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath in front of the United States Senate.
Now, based on his outright refusal to comply with an FBI investigation, there is a very good chance that he did, in fact, sexually assault Dr. Blasey Ford. If he didn’t commit a crime, why would he be opposed to an investigation that could prove him innocent of the crimes he’s been accused of? Perhaps he’s not as innocent as he’d like everyone to believe. But, I digress.
In addition to Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony, on September 27, the American Bar Association called for an FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh before the Senate voted to confirm him. Something similar happened several years ago when the Senate was trying to confirm him as an appeals judge. The ABA downgraded their endorsement of Kavanaugh from “highly qualified” to “qualified,” signifying that while he fit the ABA’s standards to become a judge, they didn’t see him as being a particularly fantastic candidate. The fact that a man who will sit on the US Supreme Court doesn’t have a glowing history with the American Bar Association doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Despite all these red flags and the number of people protesting his confirmation, Brett Kavanaugh is now an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court. Trump has spoken out on Kavanaugh’s confirmation and defending his own actions for mocking Dr. Blasey Ford, saying that his mocking of Dr. Blasey Ford was unimportant: “Because we won. It doesn’t matter. We won.” His words are a blow to survivors of sexual assault everywhere. The president of the United States is saying that it doesn’t matter if Dr. Blasey Ford was telling the truth – as many people, including Republicans, believe she was – because Kavanaugh was a means to an end, a very bleak, conservative end.
Despite the fact that average Americans had no say in confirming Brett Kavanaugh, we do have a say in who is representing us in Congress. Election Day is on Tuesday, November 6th, though early voting started on October 17th and will continue until November 3rd. Early voting locations for Forsyth County can be found on http://www.forsyth.cc/Elections/
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