In the wake of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump Jr. has announced his support for Kavanaugh — in the form of an Instagram post mocking his accuser.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, now a professor, alleges that the then 17-year-old Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during an a party.
“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” she told The Washington Post. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”
Ford first contacted The Post via a tipline in early July before Kavanaugh was officially nominated by President Trump to the Supreme Court. She also contacted her congresswoman, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo. In late July, she sent a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, outlining the details of her alleged assault.
According to CNN, Kavanaugh has denied the allegations against him.
“I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” he said.
The two will now appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Monday to answer questions on the alleged assault.
Donald Trump, Jr. had stayed relatively silent on Kavanaugh’s allegation, but on Monday he followed in the footsteps of his father in announcing his support for Kavanaugh.
“Oh boy… the Dems are their usual nonsense games really have [Kavanaugh] on the ropes now. Finestein had the letter in July and saved it for the eve of his vote… honorable as always. I believe this [post] is a copy for full transparency,” he wrote on an Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnwjBsVnSN1/?hl=en&taken-by=donaldjtrumpjr
In the post, an image can be seen of a note written in childlike handwriting, reading: “Hi Cindy, will you be my girlfriend.” There were also two boxes on the note marked “yes” and “no.” The note ends with “Love, Bret.”
Clearly, Trump Jr. was trying to make fun of the seriousness of Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh by painting it as merely a childhood crush. It’s outrageous that Trump Jr. is underplaying just how serious an attempted rape is, and the damaging lifelong psychological effects it can incur.
Regardless of how the impending investigation into the accusation against Kavanaugh plays out, it is never acceptable to mock the seriousness of sexual violence. Ford, and all victims, deserve better than that.
