It’s been almost a year since the events of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings that captured the attention of the country. Millions of eyes watched as Christine Blasey-Ford stood before the Senate Judiciary Committee and told her story. Many thought that Ford’s testimony would prevent Kavanaugh from becoming a Supreme Court justice. It did not.
A year later, Kavanaugh now sits on the court and the conversation about him has been renergized due to reporting from two New York Times reporters, Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, who have written a new book detailing Kavanaugh’s education. They were also the reporters covering his confirmation process last year.
One of the stories covered in their book is the story of Deborah Ramirez and her interactions with Kavanaugh at Yale University during their freshman year. Ramirez’s name may sound familiar and it’s because she came forward as well last fall, becoming the second accuser after Blasey-Ford. Her story was detailed in the Sunday Review of the New York Times Sept.14 as a preview to the contents of the book.
Ramirez came forward with her story to the New Yorker and told of a dorm party where Kavanaugh pulled his pants down and thrust his penis at her. She swatted it away and accidentally touched it. It’s described as a memory that haunts her.
Pogrebin and Kelly have presented evidence that the incident was the talk of campus at the time and can be backed up by numerous people. The publication of this information was met with chants for Kavanaugh to be impeached.
The timeline of last fall’s confirmation hearing feels like a blur. Stories came out about allegations against the now associate justice, one accuser bravely testified in front of millions of Americans and it was all simply swept under the rug. It almost feels as if none of that occured and it was just a fever dream.
How can a victim testify that an assault occurred and then their aggressor goes on to sit on the most powerful judicial bench in the country.
He shouldn’t be sitting there at all. As one of nine individuals chosen to decide on cases that have national, sweeping impact, he should not be allowed to have a voice in those decisions. His appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States has tainted the court and left a stain.
President Trump and other Republicans have spoken out in his defense in response to the Sunday Review article. The president tweeted, “He is an innocent man who has been treated HORRIBLY, such lies about him. They want to scare him into turning Liberal!” He even suggested that he sue for libel against him.
In an article for the Times, Pogrebin and Kelly laid out why they are writing a book, stating: “Amid the continued controversy, we are mining our notebooks and our contact lists for people and documents to help us better understand the newest justice and what the fight over his confirmation says about our current cultural moment.”
This cultural moment is one where victims are coming forward to tell their story. Where men and women are taking those in power to task in addressing their past behaviors. The #MeToo movement when it began in the fall of 2017 addressed the acts committed by those in power. Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer and Mario Batali were just some names implicated by allegations made against them. The movement is still ongoing and it’s important to let victims have their voices heard.
The Kavanaugh allegations need to be revisited and given proper attention by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department. It is a service that is owed to the victims and they deserve to feel like they are being listened to.
Impeachment might not be the immediate action but if proper investigations find allegations credible, factual and of merit, it is what must be done.
