Samantha Bee perfectly broke down why it doesn’t matter what age Brett Kavanaugh was when he allegedly assaulted a woman
Samantha Bee is officially the reigning queen of late night, and we’re bowing down.
On the September 19th episode of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, the host wasted no time tackling the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. California professor and research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of attempting to sexually assault her at a high school party in the 1980s. Since the allegations were first reported on September 14th, there’s been no shortage of debate over Ford’s credibility, and—infuriatingly—whether Kavanaugh should even be held accountable for his alleged actions as a purportedly drunk 17-year-old.
Bee took aim at Kavanaugh’s defenders and reminded viewers that attempted rape is never okay, regardless of what some people might see as “extenuating” circumstances.
"Politicians and pundits are rushing to Kavanaugh's defense, but some of them sound more like they're confessing to something themselves," Bee said, as quoted by The Daily Beast. "All this is a horrifying window into a certain kind of privileged childhood that isn't supposed to come with consequences, a view that Kavanaugh shares."
Samantha Bee goes off on Brett Kavanaugh: “We knew he was against a woman’s right to choose. We just didn’t know that included her right to choose not to be under Brett Kavanaugh.” https://t.co/2QXaH53nxA
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 20, 2018
Even as the Senate Judiciary Committee delays a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, the judge may still get confirmed to the nation’s highest court. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised—after all, America did elect a confessed sexual harasser to the presidency—but that doesn’t mean we’re any less troubled.
“It's been 27 years since Anita Hill, can we please try to be less horrendous about it this time? We've had enough nineties reboots. We're good.” #SamanthaBee
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) September 20, 2018
Bee eviscerated the notion that the actions of a 17-year-old boy should have no bearing on his life 40 years later.
"Brett Kavanaugh is being considered to serve for life on the highest court of the land," Bee said. "The decisions he makes on the Supreme Court will impact women's bodies for generations. Of course if he assaulted someone when he was 17 and lied about it should impact him for the rest of his life. It sure as hell impacted her."
“Not to mention Kavanaugh tried to block a pregnant immigrant from getting an abortion,” Bee added. “He absolutely thought the decisions that a 17-year-old made mattered enough to permanently alter her life.”
Samantha Bee: “How is it never the right time to bring up assault allegations against a rich white dude?” https://t.co/AJ4Go7qG3H pic.twitter.com/YGU8DdN0TJ
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) September 20, 2018
Since revealing her identity on September 16th, Ford has reportedly had to move out of her home and hire security amid myriad death threats and harassment from Kavanaugh defenders. Meanwhile, Kavanaugh has yet to face any real repercussions, with the exception of a delay in his confirmation vote.
Thank you, Samantha Bee, for pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation and for speaking truth to power. And let’s hope the senate heeds your warnings about the dangerous precedent that confirming Kavanaugh would set.
