Live Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

[Matata]

Wanted to start a separate thread for those who want to share their impressions as it happens. Feinstein is doing a splendid job of putting things in perspective.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I’m confused by Ford’s statement where she said she never named Kavanaugh as her attacker until 2018, yet stated a moment earlier in her opening statement that her husband recalls her naming Kavanaugh.

Discussion/debate not needed; just an observation from her reading from her prepared statement:

 

[Matata]

The body language of the sexual assault expert interrogator seems odd to me.

 

[tkyasx78]

I was going to watch, but I just cannot. It is too painful.
I don't know how she is able to do this but she has my upmost respect. I don't think I could do it.

 

[lovedogs]

I was going to watch, but I just cannot. It is too painful.
I don't know how she is able to do this but she has my upmost respect. I don't think I could do it.

I'm reading live updates bc I can't watch either. She's brave AF.

 

[cmd2014]

I’m confused by Ford’s statement where she said she never named Kavanaugh as her attacker until 2018, yet stated a moment earlier in her opening statement that her husband recalls her naming Kavanaugh.

Discussion/debate not needed; just an observation from her reading from her prepared statement:

You’re missing her caveat in your highlighted line: “outside of therapy”

She is saying earlier in the statement that she disclosed this in therapy where her husband was present. She did not recall naming Kavanaugh in that therapy session. Her husband does. She then later says that she never spoke of it until 2018 outside of therapy (meaning that she had spoken of it in therapy prior to 2018, but not otherwise). This is not inconsistent. It’s right there in the statements you underlined.

 

[cmd2014]

I'm reading live updates bc I can't watch either. She's brave AF.

I’m watching. It’s obvious that this is hard for her. But she’s being clear and strong.

 

[Bonfire]

I was going to watch, but I just cannot. It is too painful.
I don't know how she is able to do this but she has my upmost respect. I don't think I could do it.

Watch. Witness this history and what’s been a long time in coming.

 

[whitewave]

I think she was assaulted. I’m not clear it was him.

 

[tkyasx78]

Watch. Witness this history and what’s been a long time in coming.

I thought I would be ok. I was wrong. This hearing, the content discussed and the fact that she will not be believed and will be told she was " mistaken " like senator are trying to claim, is a trigger for some people.
No, I won't talk about it.

 

[cmd2014]

I think she was assaulted. I’m not clear it was him.

What makes you say that? She’s been pretty clear that she knew him and that she is certain that it was him.

I thought the nitpicking about whether or not she heard ppl talking downstairs was bizarre and irrelevant. I wish she was a bit less able to be flustered.

 

[cmd2014]

I thought I would be ok. I was wrong. This hearing, the content discussed and the fact that she will not be believed and will be told she was " mistaken " like senator are trying to claim, is a trigger for some people.
No, I won't talk about it.

Take care of you. This is triggering a lot of people.

 

[Bonfire]

I thought I would be ok. I was wrong. This hearing, the content discussed and the fact that she will not be believed and will be told she was " mistaken " like senator are trying to claim, is a trigger for some people.
No, I won't talk about it.

From what I am seeing, she is being treated quite respectfully of her situation, at least so far. The choice is yours of course.

ETA: Far differently from the Anita Hill hearings

 

[Paigeag800]

I believe her.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I think she was assaulted. I’m not clear it was him.

I would agree. I get there are psychological reasons that she may not recall every detail, but there are a lot of things she doesn’t recall, even from 2 months ago, that make me doubt her ability to be 100% confident of who her attacker was.

 

[whitewave]

What makes you say that? She’s been pretty clear that she knew him and that she is certain that it was him.

I thought the nitpicking about whether or not she heard ppl talking downstairs was bizarre and irrelevant. I wish she was a bit less able to be flustered.

It could be him. I’m not saying it’s not.

Last spring, I tagged my son in a prom picture and it wasn’t him. It was the craziest thing. I would have sworn up and down that was my kid and it wasn’t. People can be mistaken.

 

[House Cat]

It could be him. I’m not saying it’s not.

Last spring, I tagged my son in a prom picture and it wasn’t him. It was the craziest thing. I would have sworn up and down that was my kid and it wasn’t. People can be mistaken.

There is a big difference between tagging a photo and being held down and almost raped and suffocated by a person. I have a feeling Kavanaugh’s face was burned into her mind forever.

 

[cmd2014]

It could be him. I’m not saying it’s not.

Last spring, I tagged my son in a prom picture and it wasn’t him. It was the craziest thing. I would have sworn up and down that was my kid and it wasn’t. People can be mistaken.

True, but when she says she knew him and he did that to her, it’s hard to see mistaking that. It’s not the same thing as mistaking someone in a picture or having difficulty recalling who you gave documents to, when, when you’ve been talking to lots of people over the past few months. I know it’s different when a stranger assaults you and you’re asked to identify them after the fact, but when it’s someone you know, I think it’s hard to be mistaken.

 

[whitewave]

There is a big difference between tagging a photo and being held down and almost raped and suffocated by a person. I have a feeling Kavanaugh’s face was burned into her mind forever.

Did she ever say she saw his face?

She was attacked from behind and heard them laugh.

 

[whitewave]

Did she ever say she saw his face?

She was attacked from behind and heard them laugh.

If she says she saw his face, I would believe it was him.

Oh the photo was a group shot of 5 couples, fairly close up. So it wasn’t like I didn’t have a clear view of this boy’s face. I saw his face and I tagged my son. I did wonder why he changed clothes.

 

[whitewave]

I have also read she said she was underneath “one of them”, so she isn’t clear which one. All I mean by this is that I do not think she saw their faces.

I do believe she believes it was him.

All I’m saying is what I want her to say is, “I saw his face. I was under him and he was laughing” or “I saw his face. Judge was on top of me and Kavanaugh was off to the side watching and laughing.”

 

[Matata]

She was attacked from behind and heard them laugh.

She said she was pushed into the room from someone behind her. There has been no actual clarification that she was face-up when kavanaugh was on top of her but it appears, due to lack of a question about it, that it was clear she was face up during the attack or at least the entire room and her attorneys have assumed she was face up.

 

[Matata]

And she stated categorically that is she is "100%" certain it was kav.

 

[cmd2014]

Did she ever say she saw his face?

She was attacked from behind and heard them laugh.

No, she was at a party with them. She said at some point they (she clearly identified Judge and Kavanagh) pushed her into the room, and that Kavanagh was on top of her on the bed, putting his hand over her mouth (so she would have been face up), grinding against her. Hard not to see his face. I believe she also said that she knew Judge and Kavanagh otherwise (from their mutual social circles).

From her sworn statement:

“I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I attended the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland, from 1980 to 1984. Holton-Arms is an all-girls school that opened in 1901. During my time at the school, girls at Holton-Arms frequently met and became friendly with boys from all-boys schools in the area, including Landon School, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga High School, country clubs, and other places where kids and their families socialized. This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me.

In my freshman and sophomore school years, when I was 14 and 15 years old, my group of friends intersected with Brett and his friends for a short period of time. I had been friendly with a classmate of Brett's for a short time during my freshman year, and it was through that connection that I attended a number of parties that Brett also attended. We did not know each other well, but I knew him and he knew me. In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent almost every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland swimming and practicing diving.”

“Early in the evening, I went up a narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the bathroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom. I couldn't see who pushed me. Brett and Mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind them. There was music already playing in the bedroom. It was turned up louder by either Brett or Mark once we were in the room. I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding his hips into me. I yelled, hoping someone downstairs might hear me, and tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.“

Hard to mistake who did it when you knew them and saw them clearly during the assault.

 

[whitewave]

And she stated categorically that is she is "100%" certain it was kav.

Yes, but what I am saying is that I want a little bit more. I want her to say exactly where he was and what he did and while I am not watching it, I am reading along for now and she hasn’t said what I personally want to hear.

 

[cmd2014]

I have also read she said she was underneath “one of them”, so she isn’t clear which one. All I mean by this is that I do not think she saw their faces.

I do believe she believes it was him.

All I’m saying is what I want her to say is, “I saw his face. I was under him and he was laughing” or “I saw his face. Judge was on top of me and Kavanaugh was off to the side watching and laughing.”

So I think she *did* say this. In her preliminary statement.

 

[cmd2014]

She read this out loud to the committee when the hearing started.

 

[whitewave]

No, she was at a party with them. She said at some point they (she clearly identified Judge and Kavanagh) pushed her into the room, and that Kavanagh was on top of her on the bed, putting his hand over her mouth (so she would have been face up), grinding against her. Hard not to see his face. I believe she also said that she knew Judge and Kavanagh otherwise (from their mutual social circles).

From her sworn statement:

“I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I attended the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland, from 1980 to 1984. Holton-Arms is an all-girls school that opened in 1901. During my time at the school, girls at Holton-Arms frequently met and became friendly with boys from all-boys schools in the area, including Landon School, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga High School, country clubs, and other places where kids and their families socialized. This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me.

In my freshman and sophomore school years, when I was 14 and 15 years old, my group of friends intersected with Brett and his friends for a short period of time. I had been friendly with a classmate of Brett's for a short time during my freshman year, and it was through that connection that I attended a number of parties that Brett also attended. We did not know each other well, but I knew him and he knew me. In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent almost every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland swimming and practicing diving.”

“Early in the evening, I went up a narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the bathroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom. I couldn't see who pushed me. Brett and Mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind them. There was music already playing in the bedroom. It was turned up louder by either Brett or Mark once we were in the room. I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding his hips into me. I yelled, hoping someone downstairs might hear me, and tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.“

Hard to mistake who did it when you knew them and saw them clearly during the assault.

Ok, thank you. I hadn’t read where she said it was him on top of her.

I’m convinced now.

 

[Matata]

Thank you for being able to address this issue cogently @cmd2014.

 

[ame]

I thought I would be ok. I was wrong. This hearing, the content discussed and the fact that she will not be believed and will be told she was " mistaken " like senator are trying to claim, is a trigger for some people.
No, I won't talk about it.

Watching this is proving to me why some people snap and go on rampages.

I've been assaulted, and I DID report it. And I am someone who was out for blood. And my family was super supportive. We couldn't get the witnesses to cooperate (or not perjure themselves...) and the case didn't go anywhere.