All Eyes On Washington

Ford should be heard, but Kavanaugh must be presumed innocent

All eyes will be on Washington Thursday when U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault when they were both in high school appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

At least that’s the plan as of this writing. The path to this hearing hasn’t been smooth and there could still be a change by the time this is published.

The charges leveled by Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor, have further divided an already deeply partisan and politicized judicial confirmation process.

Democrats champion Ford and the #MeToo movement make questioning the professor’s accusation almost a crime in itself.

Republicans, many of whom believed such allegations against former President Bill Clinton without question, have rushed to Kavanaugh’s defense, questioning Ford’s credibility for waiting so long to make the alleged incident public. Some say she is simply a tool in the left’s attempt to derail the nomination.

We don’t know the truth here. Neither does anyone else but those involved. Those on the sidelines are opinionated, but opinions are not facts.

We are certain of a couple of things, though.

Kavanaugh’s nomination to the nation’s highest court demands this be investigated. A charge has been made and Ford is entitled to have her story head and considered.

But we still live in a country where there is a presumption of innocence. It will—or at least should—take some hard proof for Kavanaugh’s nomination to be scuttled. His life and career should not be ruined absent such proof.

We make no assumptions. We will wait for Thursday and see what happens.