LISTEN: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) describes when she first heard Palo Alto University psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct before Sen. Dianne Feinstein received a letter documenting the allegations. CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing the video on your mobile device.
A correction to an earlier version of this article has been appended to the end of the article.
The first time Christine Blasey Ford told her story to a member of Congress, she spoke softly and choked up at times, pained by the memories she was sharing.
But she didn’t seem nervous — and in a pin-drop quiet conference room, she vividly described being attacked by Brett Kavanaugh when they both were high school students three decades ago in suburban Washington, D.C.
“What she was sure of, she was positive about,” that congresswoman, Palo Alto Democrat Anna Eshoo, said in an interview Tuesday, describing the mid-July meeting when Blasey Ford shared the story that now threatens to bring down President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. “At the end of the meeting, I told her I believed her.”
The next time she faces members of Congress, the Palo Alto University professor will be stepping into a political maelstrom far from that safe, confidential conversation over coffee, tea and cookies. On Tuesday, Blasey Ford’s lawyers said she is receiving death threats and will speak before the Senate Judiciary Committee only if the FBI first conducts an investigation into her claims, which it has so far declined to do. Kavanaugh has vigorously denied her story and has said he is prepared to testify.
Eshoo’s involvement began when Blasey Ford, a constituent in her Peninsula district and a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, called her congresswoman’s office requesting a meeting. A staffer talked to her in advance, but Eshoo said she didn’t realize the magnitude or significance of Blasey Ford’s allegations until the two met in person for more than an hour and half on July 20.
“She was obviously intelligent,” said Eshoo, a 13-term Democrat, who asked questions along the way. “She seems like the person next door — well, the professor next door.”
Blasey Ford didn’t remember all the details — for example, not knowing the exact date or location of the three-decade-old party — but still came off as convincing, Eshoo said, adding that she thought Blasey Ford would be a strong witness.
On Eshoo’s suggestion, Blasey Ford decided to write a letter detailing her claims to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the lead Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Eshoo’s staff hand-delivered it to Feinstein’s Washington, D.C., office on July 30, and Feinstein delivered it to the FBI six weeks later.
Recent days have seen a torrent of activity surrounding Blasey Ford: As the existence of the letter leaked, she gave an interview to the Washington Post, and a hearing of the Senate Judiciary committee was scheduled — only to be thrown into doubt.
On Tuesday, Democrats, including Feinstein, made their own renewed push for an FBI investigation, as well as for the hearing to include more witnesses than just Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh.
“Compare that to the 22 witnesses at the 1991 Anita Hill hearing and it’s impossible to take this process seriously,” Feinstein said in a statement. “What about other witnesses like Kavanaugh’s friend Mark Judge? What about individuals who were previously told about this incident? What about experts who can speak to the effects of this kind of trauma on a victim? This is another attempt by Republicans to rush this nomination and not fully vet Judge Kavanaugh.”
That’s especially important, argued Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, a colleague of Eshoo’s who has focused on rooting out sexual harassment in Congress. While the FBI has said it’s not investigating the claim, the White House could request a new inquiry.
“The Senate should demand a full investigation, and anything short of that would show the process is rigged,” Speier said in an interview.
“We don’t need a sexual predator on the Supreme Court,” she added, “we already have one.” She referred to Clarence Thomas, who was accused of harassment by his former employee Anita Hill during his confirmation hearing in 1991 and also strongly denied her allegations.
Eshoo and Feinstein were first elected the following year, when a feminist backlash to Hill’s treatment on Capitol Hill swept more women to Congress than ever before. While she can’t help but think of the parallels between Hill’s and Blasey Ford’s treatment, Eshoo said she was encouraged by the changes since then in the Senate and society at large.
“When I mentally picture the Senate Judiciary Committee then and I picture the Senate Judiciary Committee now, it’s changed quite dramatically,” she said. Then, it was all white men; now there are four women and four people of color on the 21-person panel.
There’s also a far wider attention and understanding in America on issues of sexual misconduct, as the #MeToo movement has taken down powerful men in media and politics.
Citing research that has found more than 90 percent of rape accusers don’t make false accusations, Eshoo said if Blasey Ford testifies, she “should walk into that hearing room with the presumption of truth.”
Eshoo said she hasn’t met with the professor since that July afternoon, although her staff has been in contact with her since she came forward.
“She’s a courageous woman, and she has come forward for all the right reasons,” Eshoo said. “What I’d like to see more than anything else is that she be treated with the respect that she should have — and that there not be a rush to judgment but a transparent process that really seeks the truth.”
Correction: September 19, 2018. An earlier version of this article reported, based on Eshoo’s recollection, that she met with Blasey Ford soon after Independence Day. Her staff later clarified that they met on July 20.
