Until last week’s release of a letter by Bay Area professor Christine Blasey Ford alleging he had sexually assaulted her while they were high school students in Maryland, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had successfully presented himself as not just an impressive judge with sterling credentials but as a family man devoted to the women in his family. He strongly denies Ford’s claims, as do his two friends who were said to have been at the party where the alleged attack occurred, but they hang over him like a toxic fog.
Until last week’s release of a letter by Bay Area professor Christine Blasey Ford alleging he had sexually assaulted her while they were high school students in Maryland, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had successfully presented himself as not just an impressive judge with sterling credentials but as a family man devoted to the women in his family. He strongly denies Ford’s claims, as do his two friends who were said to have been at the party where the alleged attack occurred, but they hang over him like a toxic fog.
Now there appears to be a deadlock between Ford and Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, over whether she will testify to the committee. Ford wants a formal FBI investigation, which many Democrats say of course should be pursued, as happened in 1991 when then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was accused of sexual harassment. Grassley says that’s a precondition he won’t accept. Many Republicans see Ford’s late-emerging allegations as a bad-faith attempt to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation until next year, when Democrats may control the Senate.
They note Democrats’ disinterest in pursuing credible claims of domestic abuse by Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota. Both sides have reasons to feel as they do.
So how can America escape this latest partisan debacle with the least rancorous fallout? The best possible way out is for Kavanaugh to call for an expedited FBI hearing into Ford’s allegations. It took the FBI three days to report back on the allegations against Thomas. If Kavanaugh believes he’s innocent and wants his good name back, his path to achieving this goal is clear.
— The San Diego Union-Tribune
