There have been a lot of nauseating Republican takes on the sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, but let’s not let this one slip under the radar. Rep. Kevin Cramer, the Republican nominee for North Dakota Senate, said Friday that Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation against Brett Kavanaugh should be discounted because it was just “an attempt or something that never went anywhere.”
Seeing this line in context does not improve it:
“This case is even more absurd because these people were teenagers when this supposed, alleged incident took place. Teenagers. Not a boss, supervisor-subordinate situation as the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill situation was claimed to be,” he said during an appearance on KNOX. “These are teenagers who evidently were drunk according to her own, her own statements. They were drunk when it evidently happened… even by her own accusation. Again, it was supposedly an attempt or something that never went anywhere. So you just have to wonder.”
What is Cramer’s standard for an attempted rape having gone somewhere? Is penetration enough or does he require ejaculation? Is rape the only crime that matters? Assault committed in the attempt to rape is just … eh, whatever? Kavanaugh pinned a scared 15-year-old to a bed and tried to rip her clothes off. Ford said that, when Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming, “I thought he might inadvertently kill me.” But hey, at least it was just an attempt or something that never went anywhere.
Cramer, by the way, was one of the Republican Party’s prize recruits to challenge a vulnerable Democratic incumbent this cycle. This is the kind of guy establishment Republicans—as well as Donald Trump—hope to get into the Senate.
We have to fight tooth and nail to keep this party from continuing to control the Senate. Can you give $3 to elect Democrats in Nevada and Texas?