Christine Blasey Ford’s Opening Statement

Christine Blasey Ford appeared nervous and on the verge of tears as she began her statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her opening statement lasted 18 minutes and open as she explained, “this is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me.”

She said:

“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 yelling. this is what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life.”

She went into detail about who she told about the alleged attack and when she told them, remarking:

“I did my best to ignore the memories of the assault because recounting them caused me to relive the experience and caused panic and anxiety.”

“I had confided in some close friends that I had an experience with sexual assault. occasionally, I stated that my assailant was a prominent lawyer or judge but I did not use his name.” 

“I thought it was my civic duty to relay the information I had about Mr. Kavanaugh’s conduct so that those considering his nomination would know about this assault. On July 6th, I had a sense of urgency to relay the information to the Senate and the President as soon as possible before a nominee was selected.”

“Sexual assault victims should be able to decide for themselves when and whether their private experience is made public. As the hearing date got closer, I struggled with a terrible choice. Do I share the facts with the Senate and put myself and my family in the public spotlight or do I preserve our privacy and allow the Senate to make its decision without knowing the full truth of his past behaviors?”

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