Brett Kavanaugh must now clear his name

Such an allegation cannot be brushed aside as the poor decision making of a teenager at a party. It is something far worse — a felonious assault that the victim says has haunted her for years as she suffered in silence unwilling to publicly accuse her att

We urge our senators to refuse to vote for Kavanaugh until they are able to hear and weigh all the evidence.

Two weeks ago this editorial board wrote: “Democrats can take the high road. They are vetting (Brett) Kavanaugh with the kind of rigor appropriate for a lifetime appointment. But so far, nothing has appeared that would make Kavanaugh unfit for the job.”

Something has now appeared that would make Kavanaugh unfit to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University teaching clinical psychology, told The Washington Post that roughly 36 years ago, when they both were high school students at private preparatory schools, Kavanaugh, in an inebriated state, sexually assaulted her.

Washington Post reporter Emma Brown wrote: “She alleges that Kavanaugh — who played football and basketball at Georgetown Prep — held her down with the weight of his body and fumbled with her clothes, seemingly hindered by his intoxication. (Mark) Judge stood across the room, she said, and both boys were laughing ‘maniacally.’

“She said she yelled, hoping that someone downstairs would hear her over the music, and Kavanaugh clapped his hand over her mouth to silence her.”

Such an allegation cannot be brushed aside as the poor decision making of a teenager at a party. It is something far worse — a felonious assault that the victim says has haunted her for years as she suffered in silence unwilling to publicly accuse her attackers. In 2012 she told her therapist the two men had become “highly respected and highranking members of society in Washington.”

Kavanaugh would have been a juvenile when the incident is alleged to have occurred, but so was his victim.

Ford resisted coming forward publicly with the allegations until it was clear her identity had been compromised and other reporters had begun calling her and even calling her colleagues to ask questions about her.

We urge our senators to refuse to vote for Kavanaugh until they are able to hear all the evidence and weigh whether a man who is innocent until proven guilty is also fit for an appointment to a position so elite and sacred only 109 men and four women have served in the history of the United States.

Kavanaugh has said he “categorically and unequivocally denies” the accusation. Mark Judge also denies that this occurred.

This issue should have been adjudicated decades ago with a police investigation determining if there was enough evidence to support criminal charges.

But as the #MeToo movement has gained momentum across America in the past two years, one thing has become painfully evident: victims have remained silent far too often. There are many reasons for that silence, but the fear of not being believed must weigh heavily upon the minds of those who are making allegations.

We hope Ford decides to testify before Congress and that Kavanaugh will have his say too.

It may feel right now as though this is a case of “he said, she said” that will never be resolved, but now that we know the victim and her story, the truth can be determined with enough time and due diligence.