It appears that President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, will be confirmed after all, despite the believable testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. And also, despite the fact that Kavanaugh did not even remotely demonstrate the temperament required of a judge presiding over the highest court in the land during his own testimony.
The decision hinged on the vote of outspoken Trump critic Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who said in a statement on Friday morning that he will indeed vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh:
“Yesterday, we heard compelling testimony from Dr. Ford, as well as a persuasive response from Judge Kavanaugh. I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty.”
He went on to argue that “justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused,” and that he believed that “the constitution’s provisions of fairness and due process apply here as well.”
Be that as it may, the senator that the president once nicknamed “Flake Jeff Flake” now has to answer to constituents instead of his own party. Following the announcement of his decision on Friday morning, he was confronted in a U.S. Capitol elevator by two women (who say that they themselves were victims of sexual assault) in a heart-wrenching and emotional encounter.
Flake looked sheepish with nowhere to turn as the protesters shouted questions at him. “I recognized in Dr. Ford’s story that she’s telling the truth,” one of the women said. “What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit on the Supreme Court.”
“I was sexually assaulted and nobody believed me,” yelled the other woman. “I didn’t tell anyone, and you’re telling all women that they don’t matter, that they should just stay quiet, because if they tell you what happened to them, you’re going to ignore them.”
“That’s what you’re telling all of these women, that’s what you’re telling me right now,” she continued, breaking down into tears. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, you’re telling me that my assault doesn’t matter, that what happened to me doesn’t matter.”
For his part, Flake would only tell the women “thank you” and refused to give an actual response or answer any of their questions. Should he move forward with his vote as planned, you’d have to imagine it was a moment that may haunt him for the rest of his days.
(Via CNN)