Ryan Jaeckel
CONTRIBUTOR
Sexual assault has been a huge topic in 2018. There have been two Hollywood stars that have been charged and imprisoned due to their horrific actions. No one should have to experience sexual assault. Sexual assault however, should never be politicized like it was on Thursday.
Thursday will be known as the day the Supreme Court was fought for in American history books forever. Some will say it was part of the confirmation hearing or that it was a “job interview,” to use words used by many senators; but it was a hearing to listen to a serious allegation and a chance for a man, who is up for a position in the highest court, to clear his name.
Thursday’s circus started with testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were in high school together.
As soon as her accusation hit the press, Capitol Hill and the nation were once again divided. Within hours, there were people on social media posting the phrase “I Believe Her,” while the other half has been posting “I Stand with Brett.” You also had some on the left calling for him to be removed and that he is already guilty even before a hearing occurred.
Some would call this fair justice and how our justice system works. They would be wrong. In the Constitution, we are given the presumption of innocence. That means when we are accused of a crime, the accused are innocent until proven guilty.
Although it is not directly written, it has been ruled by the Supreme Court in the case of Coffin v. United States in 1895. That means that Judge Kavanaugh is innocent until Dr. Ford can provide sufficient evidence that he actually sexually assaulted her and that clearly did not happen, nor was that the motive of this “hearing.” No hard evidence was brought before the committee, only testimonies or statements from outside organizations.
If you watched or listened to the hearing, you would find there were some holes in the accuser’s statement. The major holes are from Dr. Ford’s timeline that she cannot remember where the alleged sexual assault happened, how she got there or how she left. All she had to say is that she knows Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early or mid-80’s.
There have been differences between her polygraph test and her testimony on who was and wasn’t there. She gave the excuse of a health reason as to why her closest friend, who allegedly was there, could not recall the event.
If senators will take that as a believable excuse, then they need to stop the bashing of Mark Judge, a friend of Brett Kavanaugh, who has refused to get involved due to personal issues with alcohol, public speaking and depression.
Kavanaugh had his opportunity later Thursday evening; and came out swinging. Spending more than 40 minutes for his opening statement he detailed to the world what the last 10 days have been like for him and his family.
To some he looked as if he lost his temper as he constantly denied sexually assaulting Dr. Ford, but to others he acted naturally, as someone who is needing to defend themselves and clean their name would. Would you not act the same? Kavanaugh also stated that he knew his life has forever changed and that nothing will ever be as it was.
The other major part of this, is calling for an investigation from the FBI into the allegation. The FBI has done six background checks on Judge Kavanaugh. If this happened, and the FBI did a thorough investigation, as we are told they did, then why has he been promoted to multiple government positions?
It is not the job of the FBI to investigate this allegation. It falls on the Senate Judicial Committee if this is, to use their own words, “a job interview.” Senate committee members are clearly stating they do not want to do their job.
A downside to a possible FBI investigation was brought to light when Democrats praised, instead of questioned, Dr. Ford. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., asked Dr. Ford, “And are you aware that when the FBI begins investigating, they might find corroborative evidence and they might find exculpatory evidence?” She said did not understand the question.
Exculpatory evidence is evidence that is favorable to the defendant in a criminal trial that exonerates or tends to exonerate the defendant of guilt. Yet this isn’t a criminal trial, it is a “job interview.” How can a very educated woman not understand this question?
Joe Biden, when he was chairman of the Senate Judicial Committee said in 1991 during the Anita Hill trail, “The next person that refers to an FBI report as being worth anything obviously doesn’t understand anything. FBI explicitly does not, in this or any other case, reach a conclusion. Period. Period.”
You can hear the rest of then Sen. Biden’s statement on an FBI investigation in 1991 here.
Regardless if Sen. Diane Feinsteine, D-C.A., had a letter from Dr. Ford before the hearing, and did not come forward with it during the actual hearing, it should clearly be seen that the #MeToo movement was hijacked and weaponized.
By releasing documents that were told to not be shared to the public or by simply stating it’s her way or no way, because of this, it will now be harder than ever for women to come forward about sexual assault.
There have been 65 women who came to Kavanaugh’s defense immediately after the accusation became public, according to the New York Times. This didn’t happen when public figures such as Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were accused of the same crime.
It is no longer about the victim, but how to destroy the lives of men, especially if it helps resist this president. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-H.I., said to all the men in this nation to, “shut up and step up and do the right thing for a change.”
The double standard of the left was clear when they questioned Kavanaugh about his youth and what he did in high school or in college. But when it came to Vice-President Pence, they would bash his life choices and how he is faithful to his wife and to his God. How are we supposed to know the right and wrongs of life when it changes with the direction of the wind?
When voting to move forward, Senate Democrats stormed out of the committee room and held a press conference. They took this moment to make it about them and how they feel about it. It no longer became about the allegation, but how to smear their Republican colleagues. House Democrats decided to do the same, even though they do not have anything to do with this confirmation–it is the duty of the Senate.
This allegation will hang in the air for quite some time, many believe that Judge Brett Kavanaugh will still be confirmed before the midterms, but this battle will still rage on– and that battle is to resist Trump and abortion.
