Get to the bottom of allegation against Kavanaugh
Now that Christine Blasey Ford has put her name behind the allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both were teens, and now that Kavanaugh has denied doing so, there’s only one thing to do: Try to get to the bottom of this serious accusation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee slowed down the express train that had been speeding toward a confirmation vote Thursday. Senators need to put Ford and Kavanaugh, and any other relevant witnesses, under oath. Air evidence that might determine whether the allegation is relevant, or even disqualifying. And take the time to see whether any similar, credible accusations arise that would suggest a pattern of conduct. A hearing has been scheduled for Monday, but that seems rushed to do this right.
In a Washington Post interview, Ford accused a drunken Kavanaugh of forcing her into a bedroom at a high school party when she was perhaps 15 and he was about 17. Kavanaugh, she said, threw her on the bed, got on top of her, groped and tried to undress her, and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. If true, this goes way beyond youthful indiscretion.
Yes, the incident allegedly happened in the early 1980s, putting Kavanaugh at a grave disadvantage. But her accusation and his flat denial suggest that someone is not telling the truth right now. And if that someone turns out to be Kavanaugh, it speaks directly to his fitness to sit on the Supreme Court.
Getting to the truth will not be easy. Perhaps impossible. Defenders of Ford and Kavanaugh can rattle off details that weigh in favor of each.
Buttressing her account, in 2012 Ford told a therapist about a “rape attempt” during her youth, a fact corroborated by the therapist’s notes. Though the notes don’t mention Kavanaugh, Ford’s husband recalls her using Kavanaugh’s last name. To think she is untruthful, you must believe she made up a story six years ago for a therapist and then lay in wait for Kavanaugh’s nomination. And that she’s eager to have her life turned inside out.
In Kavanaugh’s favor, dozens of associates have testified to his sterling character. The accuser doesn’t recall exactly where the party was, or the date, or how she got home after she escaped from the bedroom.
These uncertainties are all the more reason for the Senate to proceed diligently. Kavanaugh’s friend, Mark Judge, whom Ford said was with him, should be required to provide sworn testimony, along with other witnesses. Perhaps evidence corroborating one side or the other will emerge.
The case carries unmistakable echoes of the ugly partisan show in 1991, when Anita Hill accused now-Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. That hearing ended unsatisfactorily, with each sticking to his or her story. History might well repeat itself. Even so, the Senate has an obligation to seek out the truth before it rewards Kavanaugh with a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court.