Trump aide reveals she was victim of sexual assault

Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to President Trump, said Sunday that she was a victim of sexual assault and that the Supreme Court confirmation proceedings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh should not become a broader “meeting” of the #MeToo movement.

Conway made the revelation during an interview with Jake Tapper on the CNN program “State of the Union” during which she largely derided the “partisan politics” of the hearing Thursday on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Christine Blasey Ford said during the hearing that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her decades ago when they were teenagers, an allegation he angrily denied.

Many, including Democratic senators, have seen Blasey’s testimony as a rallying cry for survivors of sexual abuse, saying that a vote for Kavanaugh would be an endorsement of not only the alleged behavior but of a culture that condones it and dismisses its victims.

Conway pushed back against that notion.

“I feel very empathetic, frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape,” Conway said.

She then paused and cleared her throat.

“I’m a victim of sexual assault,” she said. “I don’t expect Judge Kavanaugh or Jake Tapper or Jeff Flake or anybody to be held responsible for that. You have to be responsible for your own conduct.”

She was referring to Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who had been confronted by two women who said they were sexual abuse victims about his intention to vote for Kavanaugh’s nomination. Conway said those women should “go blame the perpetrator.”

Conway did not go into further detail about her own experience and could not be reached for comment Sunday.