Christine Blasey Ford became known nationwide after revealing a tragic event in her past allegedly involving Brett Kavanaugh. At the time, i.e., in 2018, Kavanaugh was waiting for an official nomination to the Supreme Court by his associate Donald Trump, then the President of the United States.
Ford is a respected psychologist researcher and professor based in California, with dozens of papers published in peer-reviewed magazines. Until 2018, her involvement with politics had been limited to being affiliated with the Democratic Party and making small contributions to political campaigns. However, once rumors of Kavanaugh getting a spot in the Supreme Court emerged, Ford decided she had a civic duty to revisit a traumatic attack she suffered in high school. Little did she know that her story would catapult her into the national spotlight.
What allegations did Christine Blasey Ford make against Brett Kavanaugh?
In Ford’s harrowing testimony, she recounted being sexually abused by Kavanaugh when both of them were in high school. During a teenagers gathering in suburban Maryland, Kavanaugh and a friend, both deeply intoxicated, attempted to sexually assault Ford, with the former pressing his hand against her mouth to silence her when she tried to scream.
As Ford says, she eventually managed to free herself from Kavanaugh’s grip and run away. She locked herself in a bathroom, waited long enough to be sure Kavanaugh and his friend were not after her, and quickly went back home. The gruesome experience would scar the young girl for years to come, but it was only the news Kavanaugh could become a member of the Supreme Court that pushed Ford to tell her truth.
At first, Ford tried to preserve her privacy by sending a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker, hoping to initiate an investigation process without dragging her name in the mud. Ford’s letter would eventually be leaked anonymously, with Kavanaugh rushing to deny the accusations. From then on, journalists and Republican supporters started to analyze each detail of the letter, hoping to reveal the identity of its author. Once she realized there was no way to avoid public scrutiny, Ford decided to go on public record and defend her testimony. After all, if her story was to be told, she preferred to ensure the accuracy of the facts.
During a gripping mediatic trial, Ford’s private life was carefully examined by people trying to poke holes in her story. As part of this process, she was forced to reveal transcriptions from intimate therapy sessions in which she retold the same story years before she wrote the letter. She also subjected herself to a polygraph test administered by a former FBI agent, which concluded she was telling the truth when confirming her statement.
Her brave testimony fomented a thorough discussion about consent, sexual abuse, and how easily influential people escape the consequences of the law. Still, since the attack had happened more than three decades before Ford’s testimony, Kavanaugh was not charged with any crimes. After so long, authorities couldn’t gather evidence that could lead to the ultimate confirmation or dismissal of Ford’s words, which is why her coming forward about her sexual abuse didn’t lead to any legal repercussions. Even so, a copy of Ford’s letter was archived in Kavanaugh’s file in the White House.
Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court would still happen since Trump decided to ignore the controversy and extend the honor to his colleague. The decision drew strong reactions from both sides of the political spectrum, as thousands of people discussed the supposed lies of Kavanaugh and Ford. Dozens of allies came forward to attest to Kavanaugh’s integrity, while Ford remained adamant about her allegations.
While Ford’s decision to dig through her past in public didn’t prevent Kavanaugh from getting the highest position of his political career, her allegations still dealt a significant blow to Trump and his allies. The former president has been collecting controversies, and it’s not hard to look at his past to see how many skeletons he keeps in his closet.
As for Ford, she has turned her trying experience into the book One Way Back: A Memoir. The memoir will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats on March 19, 2024.
