Kavanaugh accuser recounts assault before Senate
The university professor, who has said she was sexually assaulted by US Spreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Thursday recalled the incident from 36 years ago, seeming close to the breaking point at times.
She has said Kavanaugh and his friend sexually assaulted her at a party in Maryland state when they were both in high school.
“I am here today not because I want to be,” she said, starting her much awaited deposition at the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”
Anticipating the doubts that have been raised about the gaps in her account, she said: “I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t remember as much as I would like to. But the details about that night that bring me here today are ones I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult.”
Kavanaugh, 53, has denied these allegations, as well as accusations of sexual misconduct from two other women. He was scheduled to depose before the committee later in the day.
The Senate hearing takes place amid bitter political wrangling, with Republicans accusing Democrats of using the allegations against Kavanaugh to stall a confirmation that they were close to wrapping up last week.
President Donald Trump, who earlier backed his nominee and attacked the professor by casting doubt on her allegation, on Wednesday said he would be watching the hearing with an open mind. “It’s possible I’ll hear that, and I’ll say, ‘Hey, I’m changing my mind’,” he said.
The professor was questioned by Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona prosecutor who specializes in sex crimes, on behalf of Republicans. The unusual move is intended to insulate Republican senators on the committee — all 11 of whom are men — from looking insensitive to a victim of sexual assault.
Mitchell’s plan seemed to underline the gaps in the professor’s account, and uncover her motivation for coming forward.
Democrats, on the other hand, seemed keener to bolster the professor’s confidence and account as well as give her some protection from Mitchell’s cross-examination.
When asked how sure she was that she was assaulted by Kavanaugh, pat came the reply: “A hundred per cent.”