Donald Trump ‘Furious That White House Aides Didn’t Have Advance Knowledge Of How Credible Ford Would Seem’
Donald Trump is reportedly “riled” because he wasn’t expecting Christine Blasey Ford to be so credible during her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman.
“Person close to Trump says Trump is raging at how bad this has been for Republicans so far. Trump told people Ford ‘seems credible,'” tweeted Sherman.
“Trump telling people he’s furious that WH aides didn’t have advance knowledge of how credible Ford would seem.”
At the time of writing, Christine Blasey Ford is still testifying before the committee about her allegations that Trump’s Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh had assaulted her while they were in high school, per The Guardian. The Stanford research psychologist opened with a succinct but powerful opening statement about the reason that she was testifying in front of the committee.
“My motivation in coming forward was to provide the facts about how Mr. Kavanaugh’s actions have damaged my life so that you can take that into serious consideration as you make your decision about how to proceed. It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth.”
Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, struck a partisan tone as soon as the hearing began, going on a lengthy tirade about the process through which Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations had come to light. Senator Dianne Feinstein swiftly tore into his characterization of Ford, saying he was speaking from a place of privilege.
“What I find most inexcusable is this rush to judgment, the unwillingness to take these kinds of allegations at face value and look at them for what they are,” Feinstein said.
Right now, @ChuckGrassley is actually comparing the trauma of what has happened to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to the protests that have inconvenienced Brett Kavanaugh out of an easy confirmation for a huge promotion. This hearing is a disgrace. #BelieveSurvivors #KavanaughHearings pic.twitter.com/BJ9uRpT5AK
— NARAL (@NARAL) September 27, 2018
Ford went on to describe her trauma, saying she suffered from “anxiety, phobia, and PTSD symptoms” as a result of the assault and struggled to form friendships with people.
“I struggled academically,” Ford said. “I struggled in college forming new friendships, especially new friendships with boys.”
Ford also categorically refused the insinuation that she could have misidentified Brett Kavanaugh or Mark Judge, saying she has a vivid memory of seeing “them having fun at my expense.”
“They were laughing with each other,” Ford said. “Two friends having a really good time with one another. Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Judge were extremely inebriated. And other people were not.”
The look Christine Blasey Ford's lawyers gave each other when Grassley's lawyers said this hearing was scheduled "in close consultation" with them: pic.twitter.com/lM77qqky1T
— Peter Stevenson (@PeterStevenson) September 27, 2018
Ford was applauded for her decision to testify by Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Dick Durbin, and Senator Blumenthal, whose moving tribute to the professor’s “courage” seemed to move her to tears at one point.
“You have inspired women,” Blumenthal said. “You have inspired and enlightened men.”
“I think you have earned America’s gratitude,” he added.
Though her voice quivered as she recounted the alleged assault that “drastically altered [her] life,” Dr. Christine Blasey Ford stayed strong as she publicly told her story out loud for the first time. pic.twitter.com/5vAUsi8sEp
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) September 27, 2018
