Ronan Farrow blows Brett Kavanaugh rape scandal wide open

| 5:54 pm EDT September 14, 2018
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One day after Senator Dianne Feinstein referred Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the FBI due to his alleged sexual misconduct, Ronan Farrow – who previously exposed the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Les Moonves – is on the case. Farrow and Jane Mayer have published an explosive new article about the Kavanaugh scandal in the New Yorker, and let’s just say that it’s now fair to refer to this as a rape scandal.

The Farrow-Mayer piece is a lengthy one, and every word of it is worth reading. But here’s the part that jumps off the page. “In the letter, the woman alleged that, during an encounter at a party, Kavanaugh held her down, and that he attempted to force himself on her. She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand. She was able to free herself.”

That’s the description of an attempted rape. This doesn’t legally prove that Brett Kavanaugh is guilty, but it’s time to start referring to him as an alleged rapist, and to this as a rape scandal. Further, there may be an evidence trail. The article also states that the woman “sought psychological treatment as a result” of the incident. This means there is an official record somewhere that contemporaneously documents that this woman was in distress after the incident – and it proves that this isn’t simply some story she decided to make up yesterday.

The woman is still hesitant to publicly come forward. But it doesn’t appear that her goal is to prove Brett Kavanaugh guilty in a courtroom. Rather, she’s trying to expose him to the point that his Supreme Court nomination will sink. Senate Republicans are now facing the specter of voting to put an alleged rapist in the Supreme Court without even bothering to investigate the accusations first. That alone will make a few of them think twice, considering how effectively that could be used against them when they’re up for reelection. You can read the full New Yorker expose here.