Christine Blasey Ford's Powerful Testimony To The Senate Is So Moving
On Thursday, Sept. 27, California professor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to give her testimony accusing Supreme Court hopeful Brett Kavanaugh of past sexual assault, which he has denied. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for comment at the time, but did not hear back. And while the hearing was emotional from the start, this video of Christine Blasey Ford's testimony is still so powerful.
Leading up to the testimony, Ford prepared a highly detailed opening statement which she delivered to a (mostly male) Senate Judiciary Committee. Reading her statement, she was clearly emotional, at points appearing on the verge of tears. "I am terrified," she said in her statement.
In her testimony, Ford introduced herself to the committee as an academic, mother, and wife. Then, she continued to describe why she chose to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it was truly a powerful introduction. She said,
I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school. I have described the events publicly before. I summarized them in my letter to Ranking Member Feinstein, and again in my letter to Chairman Grassley. I understand and appreciate the importance of your hearing from me directly about what happened to me and the impact it has had on my life and on my family.
Later in the prepared statement, Ford detailed meeting Kavanaugh back in high school, and continued to go into detail about the alleged party which she claims was the site where Kavanaugh allegedly "pushed [her] on the bed" and allegedly "tried to take of [her] clothes" before she was able to escape. Kavanaugh has previously denied her allegations, saying "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation." Elite Daily reached out to the White House for comment about Ford's allegations, but did not hear back.
Despite how difficult she said it was to recount the alleged incident, Ford remained strong and unwavering in her testimony.
Perhaps what makes this testimony so anticipated is that for a while no one knew if Ford would choose to actually appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Sunday, Sept. 16, Ford came forward to accuse Kavanaugh of attempted sexual assault from high school, and as of Wednesday, Sept. 26, two other women have come forward to accuse Kavanaugh of similar incidents, which he has also denied. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for comment about the other accusations at the time, but did not hear back.
In response to the second wave of accusations, Kavanaugh released a statement through the White House denying Ramirez's claims, and said the incident never happened. He said,
This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen. The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth, and defending my good name – and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building – against these last-minute allegations.
No matter what comes from Ford's hearing, it's an achievement that she is sitting before the Senate at all. It remains to be seen what will happen with Kavanaugh's nomination.
