Ford flatly rejects mistaken identity theory during Senate testimony
Christine Blasey Ford expressed total confidence under oath Thursday that it was Brett Kavanaugh, not a lookalike, who sexually assaulted her in high school.
After testifying that Kavanaugh groped her and attempted to rape her at a high school gathering, Ford was asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) whether this could possibly be a case of mistaken identity. This idea has become a popular one on the right, with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway floating it Thursday morning on Fox & Friends; Kavanaugh himself has also suggested Ford could be mistaken. But Ford's response was unequivocal: "Absolutely not," she told Feinstein.
Ford told Feinstein that she's confident of this because of "basic memory functions" and that she can be sure it was Kavanaugh who assaulted her "the same way that I'm sure that I'm talking to you right now." Feinstein also questioned Ford about the fact that there are certain details about the alleged incident that she does not fully recall, such as how the gathering came together and how she got there. Ford, who is a college psychology professor, explained that in cases such as these, the "trauma-related experience is locked" in the brain whereas "other details kind of drift."
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Later, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asked Ford to again clarify how sure she is that it was Kavanaugh who attacked her. "100 percent," she responded. Watch Ford's exchange with Feinstein below. Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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