October 3, 2018

Trump Isn’t the Only Republican Mocking Survivors of Sexual Assault

“We will not be intimidated by these people,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Tom Williams/ZUMA

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President Donald Trump’s steady withdrawal from his uncharacteristically measured approach to the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh reached its inevitable peak on Tuesday. 

“How did you get home? I don’t remember,” Trump said, openly mocking Ford’s testimony. “How did you get there? I don’t remember. But I had one beer, that’s the only thing I remember.”

The remarks, which triggered laughter and applause from his supporters, made it clear that the president no longer cared to play along with Republican claims that they were empathetic to sexual assault survivors and were dedicated to providing Ford a fair hearing on her allegations.

Now, it appears that the rest of the party is falling in line with the president. On Wednesday, Sen. Mitch McConnell defiantly proclaimed that he and his Republican colleagues would not be deterred by sexual assault survivors who have confronted Republican lawmakers, including the Senate Majority Leader, in public this week to vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination. “I want to make it clear to these people who are chasing my members around the hall her here, or harassing them at the airports, or going to their homes,” McConnell said. “We won’t be intimidated by these people. There is no chance in the world they’re going to scare us out of doing our duty.” 

McConnell was just one of several Republicans who ignored sexual assault survivors in public this week. In another instance on Monday Sen. David Perdue accused protesters of trying to touch him, before running to the men’s bathroom to dodge their questions.

Shortly after McConnell’s speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Lindsey Graham responded to Trump’s remarks on Ford from the night before, first describing them as factually accurate and then saying he didn’t approve of the comments.

He then insisted that Ford was handled “respectfully” by Republicans and that Kavanaugh had been “treated like crap.” 

Graham’s comments drew instant boo’s from the audience.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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