This is supposed to be a moment that was 36-years in the making. After not accusing her alleged attacker around the time of the attack, nor mentioning the incident to anyone for three decades, next Monday should be Christine Blasey Ford’s time to deliver a certain level of justice to the boy who derailed her life in high school.
At this point, that moment appears to be put on indefinite hold. Her lawyer has asked the impossible before she’ll testify – an FBI investigation from a Justice Department that has already made it clear it’s not their responsibility nor jurisdiction to investigate.
Here’s an important note before I proceed: I do not doubt Ford’s account. Whether or not it was Brett Kavanaugh who attacked her will likely never be known with a certainty, but she seems sincere in the details. Perhaps it was Kavanaugh. Perhaps she’s inserting Kavanaugh into a story for political reasons. Nobody knows for sure other than Ford, and even she is unclear about times and places surrounding the alleged incident. Regardless, I am proceeding with the belief that a young Christine Blasey was sexually assaulted in a way close to how she describes.
Now we come to the problem. Because Senator Dianne Feinstein waited so long, allegedly at Ford’s request and not because the timing was absolutely perfect for derailing Kavanaugh’s confirmation, we’re stuck with a very tight window. It’s unfortunate that Ford is now in a position to have six days to prepare for the brightest spotlight she could ever imagine. She’s going in knowing her testimony could have an effect on the abortion industry, gun owner rights, presidential privileges, and a judge’s lifetime worth of issues important to millions of Americans.
That’s if she testifies. If she doesn’t testify, the confirmation must proceed. Something as important as a Supreme Court justice’s seat cannot be held up over an uncorroborated accusation. Ford may be credible. Her story may be true. But if our government processes are proven to be so fragile that an accusation is enough to fundamentally shift the balance of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, then we’re in much bigger trouble than most people know.
This shouldn’t have to be said, but I’ll go ahead and say it. There have been ample opportunities to bring this to light. I’ve never suffered from the type of assault that she describes so I would not presume to understand the emotional stress it can put on people for decades, but the timing of this accusation and subsequent unwillingness to testify seems more like a stalling technique by the Democrats than a distraught victim who finally found the courage to come forward days before her attacker was made one of the most powerful men in the world.
I hope she testifies. It will give the Senate and America an opportunity to understand either the man who would be a Justice or the party trying desperately to stop him. But if she doesn’t testify, the confirmation must move forward.
Image via DailyMail.
If Ford is unwilling to testify soon, they should proceed with confirmation
