New Low Even for him as Trump Openly Mocks
Christine Ford
In what was denounced
as a cruel new low even for a man with a long
history of misogynistic comments who has been accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women, Donald Trump on Tuesday viciously mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
before a crowd of his cheering and laughing supporters in Mississippi, casting
doubt on her credible claim that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
attempted to rape her when they were in high school.
"How did you get
home? I don't remember. How'd you get there? I don't remember. Where is the
place? I don't remember. How many years ago was it? I don’t know. I don’t know.
I don't know. I don't know," Trump sneered, deriding Ford's testimony before
the Senate, which was widely viewed as compelling and forthright—in stark
constrast to Kavanaugh's enraged, evasive, and lie-filled performance.
Michael Bromwich, one
of Ford's attorneys, quickly denounced Trump's attack on
Twitter, calling it "vicious, vile, and soulless."
"Is it any wonder
that she was terrified to come forward, and that other sexual assault survivors
are as well?" Bromwich wrote. "She is a remarkable profile in
courage. He is a profile in cowardice."
Watch a clip of Trump's remarks, which were met with laughter and applause from his Mississippi fans, who chanted "We want Kavanaugh!" throughout Tuesday night's rally.
With sexual assault
survivors speaking out en masse and women rising up in unison following Ford's
courageous testimony last week, groups like the Women's March sent out words of
comfort and encouraged people nationwide to turn their revulsion at Trump,
Kavanaugh, and the Republican Party into political action in the days ahead.
Environmentalist and
350.org founder Bill McKibben captured the widespread revulsion to Trump's
latest effort to degrade and discredit a victim of sexual assault: "Even
for Donald Trump this represents a new low. He is a lout."
Trump's attack on Ford
comes as the FBI is reportedly set to wrap up its reopened
investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh as soon as
Wednesday after just several days of interviews.
The bureau has not yet
interviewed Ford, Kavanaugh, or other witnesses identified by Ford's legal team
as crucial to the probe.
"It is
inconceivable that the FBI could conduct a thorough investigation of Dr. Ford's
allegations without interviewing her, Judge Kavanaugh, or the witnesses we have
identified in our letters to you," Ford's attorneys wrote in a letter to FBI director
Christopher Wray on Tuesday, noting that the bureau has not responded to
repeated attempts to schedule an interview.
Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell declared on Tuesday that he plans to ram
through a final vote on Kavanaugh by the end of the week.