'Her Worst Fears Are Coming True': Christine Blasey Ford Receiving Death Threats And Abuse from Kavanaugh Supporters
When Christine Blasey Ford sent a confidential letter to Rep. Anna Eshoo alleging that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had attempted to rape her when they were teenagers back in 1982, the 51-year-old psychology professor requested anonymity. And since changing her mind and deciding to reveal her identity, it has become painfully clear why she initially chose to remain anonymous: Ford has become the target of extreme harassment and death threats from wingnut supporters of Kavanaugh’s confirmation. And the situation is so bad that Ford (who works at Palo Alto University) has left her home in Northern California and hired private security, fearing for the safety of herself and her two teenage children.
An anonymous source told the New York Times that “90% of people think she’s a hero and are extremely supportive of her, and 10 percent want her to die immediately. Her worst fears are coming true.”
In a September 18 letter to Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley (chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee), Ford’s attorneys, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, described everything Ford is being subjected to. In addition to Ford being the target of death threats and what Katz and Banks described as “vicious harassment,” the attorneys noted, her e-mail has been hacked—and she has been impersonated online.
“In the 36 hours since her name became public,” Katz and Banks told Grassley in the letter, “Dr. Ford has received a stunning amount of support from her community and from fellow citizens across our country. At the same time, however, her worst fears have materialized.”
Georgetown University law professor Heidi Feldman, knowing what Ford is being subjected to, has launched a GoFundMe page to cover her security needs—and as of early Wednesday morning, September 19, the page had raised over $53,000 on her behalf.
On the page, Feldman states, “Due to death threats, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford (who uses “Dr. Blasey” professionally) and her family have had to leave their residence and arrange for private security. Let’s create a fund to cover her security expenses, to do just a bit to make it easier for women in her position to come forward despite great risks. If we raise more than Dr. Blasey needs, extra funds will go to women’s organizations and/or into an account to cover similar costs incurred in comparable situations.”
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