Innocent Until Proven Guilty…Or Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

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Alyssa Urff, Sahuaro News Editor

Brett Kavanaugh. Christine Ford. Yes, you know what I’m writing about.

However, this is not about who or if I believe anyone is guilty, this is about America’s society assuming that the accuser is automatically correct.

Republican Brett Kavanaugh was nominated for Supreme Court Justice earlier this July. President Donald Trump had made his list  of Supreme Court Justices in November last year. Christine Ford sent the Washington Post, a very liberal media outlet, an anonymous tip about Kavanaugh sexually assaulting Ford. The tip was ignored for months. She then left Ana Eshoo, a California Democrat, a message detailing the events and another message to the Washington Post. 

When accusations became public, the midterms had ended and Kavanaugh was leading the nomination. The Washington Post wrote an article accusing Kavanaugh and accounting all of Ford’s heart-wrenching details. Kavanaugh issued for a committee as soon as the allegations went public. It took 10 days to get a hearing issued. Since the allegations were made, both Kavanaugh and Ford’s name have been dramatically slandered, especially Kavanaugh’s.

At the end of the day, I truly don’t know what happened because I wasn’t there. This whole situation happened over 36 years ago and there is no concrete evidence. The only thing that the public has are both Kavanaugh’s and Ford’s words. While I am weary on exactly how I feel, I find parts of Ford’s argument perplexing. Here are my issues with her allegations:

  1. She does not remember when/where it happened besides the fact that it happened during high school.
  2. All of the people at the alleged event have denied that they were there, including Ford’s friend, Leland Keyser.
  3. The allegations were made public only after the midterms. The messages and tips sent in were being “sat on” for a long time before publication.
  4. She doesn’t remember the amount of people there. First it happened at a “party” then it happened at a “gathering”.
  5. She doesn’t remember how she got home but she knows that she did not get driven home. If she walked home, it would at least be 6 miles away.
  6. She passed a polygraph test done by a former FBI agent. An ex-boyfriend sent a letter to Congress saying that he had seen her help a friend prepare for a polygraph test before.
  7. In the original Washington Post article that detailed the assault, it said that therapist notes (that had details about the alleged assault and included Kavanaugh’s name) were physically shown to the reporter. Ford corrected herself during the hearing and said she doesn’t remember (mind you this was only 2 months ago) if she had shown her the notes or summarized them, she believes she just summarized them.
  8. Her opening statement was arranged by a lawyer, Kavanaugh’s was made by himself.
  9. Ford is a registered Democrat.
  10. Ford has attended many anti-Trump rallies, attended the March For Science to protest Trump, and the Women’s March.
  11. She did not go to the authorities or Congress. She went to a very liberal media outlet and Democrat.
  12. It happened 36 years ago and there is no evidence for a criminal trial.
  13. She said she had a fear of flying but has flown frequently and often.

I believe that something may have happened to Ford sometime in her life but the perpetrator is not Kavanaugh. I feel that this is definitely a very politically-charged allegation considering her political history/background and timing of the allegations. There is not a lot for Ford to lose when she made the allegations. Kavanuagh has his entire life on the line. Additionally, he has been a judge for many years and high up politically. These charges could have been made earlier.

It seems that this situation has turned into Kavanuagh trying to defend himself as much as he can. Democrats and liberals have jumped to this as another reason to hate or make Kavanaugh look unfit and unready for the job. Who would want a potential rapist in the Supreme Court? Not a single American would say yes.

There are repercussions to every allegation and in this country you are innocent until proven guilty. Rushing to make the accused guilty is never smart or necessary.