This article first appeared on my Newsmax Column on September 26, 2019.
Over a year after Christine Blasey Ford first incited drama surrounding Brett Kavanaugh, Democrats and the media remain unwilling to allow the Supreme Court justice to live down these allegations.
The persistent media attention on false accusations of sexual misconduct is harmful not only to the sanctity of the Supreme Court and Justice Kavanaugh’s ability to perform his duties, but also to the entire culture of sexual assault reporting.
Last week, The New York Times released an article accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct during his time at Yale. It was soon revealed that The New York Times released a correction.
Ford’s story was never corroborated by any witnesses, her own memory gave no concrete details, and the FBI investigation failed to provide any evidence of wrongdoing. Ford’s father reportedly supported Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
As an attorney, I want to put in perspective how ridiculous it would look if I attempted to support a case in court with no corroborating witnesses and one witness who did not recall the incident and questioned its truth. Such a case would simply be laughed out of court.
In addition to tainting the transparency of sexual assault reporting, the publicity of false allegations speaks to the irresponsibility of the media.
The New York Times issues a list of corrections for its articles every day. These corrections may often be insignificant, but for stories that carry the weight of disgracing a public official, the tenets of investigative journalism cannot be thrown aside simply to publish a hot story. It should be noted that the FBI performed a thorough investigation into Kavanaugh’s past, and outlets like The New York Times should question how one journalist managed to uncover a bombshell the FBI could not. The media should be a check on the government, but one individual’s story cannot and should not be enough to support national news.
The veracity with which the media pursues these types of claims calls into question the independence of media outlets.
Suspicions abound that politicians, like Congressman Jerry Nadler, use the media as a tool to advance their campaigns against political opponents. It’s not a far cry to imagine Congressman Nadler and others manipulating minions in the media to bolster senseless impeachment efforts against Kavanaugh and the President.
It’s concerning that society seems so insistent on crucifying people for decades old mistakes. I don’t mean this in the context of serious sexual assault — victims should have justice for acts no matter how far in the past. But everyone inevitably makes mistakes in their youth, and people should not be instantly fired or made to resign based on childish acts they likely regret. Bill Maher recently emphasized this point, commenting that people’s mistakes from high school should not burden them for life.
Maher, though vocal in his dislike for Kavanaugh, maintained that such accusations make Democrats look bad to the American people.
Six of the Democratic presidential candidates called for impeachment before the truth behind the story came out and none of the six have changed their position, which is why many speculate that Democrats will pursue impeachment of Kavanaugh.