MSNBC host Joe Scarborough criticized Democrats on Monday for their handling of Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, saying the way they outed her identity is “so offensive.”
Democrats withheld her story for political reasons, Scarborough said, then leaked her identity at the last minute — against her express wishes — when they saw no other way to stop Kavanaugh.
“What is so offensive about the way the Democrats outed Dr. Ford this time, is they waited until their hearings were over — they waited until they basically put their finger up in the political winds and they knew that Kavanaugh was going to pass — and then somebody on the Senate Judiciary Committee, or perhaps out of a Democratic congresswoman’s office, said well, it looks like he’s going to pass,” Scarborough said. “We’re going to shove this lady out of the closet and basically identify her.”
WATCH:
https://youtu.be/q2uvs-FEY4g?t=8m24s
Ford made it clear she wished to remain anonymous when she contacted Sen. Dianne Feinstein about her allegation against Kavanaugh, Feinstein says. Feinstein did not disclose her identity, but let it be known she had referred a letter with allegations to the FBI. Eventually, someone with knowledge of the letter and Blasey’s identity leaked information about her to the press. Blasey then outed herself in The Washington Post, saying she wanted to tell the full story if her identity was going to come out regardless.
“This is the second time now in modern American history that a woman who feels like she’s been harassed sexually has gone to the Democratic judiciary committee, said I want to give you this information, I want to remain anonymous — and this is the second time that information has gotten out,” Scarborough said on his show, referencing Anita Hill’s 1991 allegation of sexual harassment against now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The Judiciary Committee has given Ford until Friday at 10 a.m. to decide whether she will testify about her allegation before the Senate on Monday.
