The woman who became a household name during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is back in the spotlight thanks to her new memoir.
Christine Blasey Ford’s book, One Way Back, chronicles what led her to level her sexual assault accusations against Kavanaugh and the “overwhelming aftermath” of her testimony. Her media tour has included stops at CBS News, The View, and NPR, where she has been met with fawning questions about her “resilience” and bravery.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Michael Knowles, host of The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles Show, to discuss the softball interviews and the double standard when it comes to ‘Me Too’ accusers.
The Allegation
In the fall of 2018, Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the early 1980s. “The story didn’t have any independent witnesses – to the contrary…. there was like a long list of people around Christine Blasey Ford who had real questions about her story,” Megyn noted. “But it led to a full on media frenzy with women coming out of the woodwork and, I’m just going to say it, making sh-t up.”
The Stanford professor’s recollection of the event changed over time, including details like when it occurred, where the party took place, and the number of alleged assaulters. At the hearing, she claimed that she believed Kavanaugh “was going to rape me” and that she “tried to yell for help” but he “put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.”
Kavanaugh staunchly denied the allegation and was eventually confirmed by a slim margin. In her book, Ford stood behind the accusation and wrote that the justice is not a “good person.”
Of all the women who made claims against Kavanaugh, Megyn said Blasey Ford’s accusation was the only one that really carried any weight. “You can believe it or not believe it, but you could not believe any one of the other women came forward,” she said. “The number of things that undermine these alleged other accusers, you’d have to be a complete hack to have given any credence to that.”
Conversely, Megyn said “Blasey Ford versus Brett Kavanaugh was a he said, she said –but 30 years later.” That complicated her allegations. “How is he supposed to disprove something 30 years after the fact,” she asked.
Of all the women who made claims against Kavanaugh, Megyn said Blasey Ford’s accusation was the only one that remotely carried any weight. “You can believe it or not believe it, but you could not believe any one of the other women who came forward,” she said. “The number of things that undermine these alleged other accusers, you’d have to be a complete hack to have given any credence to that.”
Conversely, Megyn said “Blasey Ford versus Brett Kavanaugh was a he said, she said – but 30 years later.” That complicated her allegations. “How is he supposed to disprove something 30 years after the fact,” she asked.
The Book Tour
While those are questions typically probed by the media, that is not what has transpired so far during Blasey Ford’s book tour. “She is getting the star treatment going on all the shows,” Megyn noted. “And you will believe but you kind of won’t believe the way the media is treating her.”
CBS Sunday Morning’s Tracy Smith crafted a dramatic surfing metaphor to introduce her interview with Blasey Ford. “The waters around Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz, California, are beautiful to look at, but surfing here is something else,” she began. “It takes a certain kind of fortitude to jump in. The waves are great, but the currents are strong and the rocks are sharp and unforgiving.”
On The View, all the hosts applauded the story and book. “You’ve been called a highly credible witness… but, even today, some people remain skeptical of your story,” Sarah Haines said. Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, inquired if Blasey Ford was “speaking out now” so she could “take charge of the narrative.” And Sunny Hostin thanked her for her “courage and bravery.”
NPR’s Terry Gross took a similar approach, asking Blasey Ford how she managed to write her book without “re-traumatizing” herself and wondering if the Senate hearing was “even more traumatizing than the assault.”
Megyn said the line of questioning from all the outlets is telling. “It’s rather presumptive, wouldn’t you say, when the nature of the questions around her is that this, in fact, must have happened as opposed to leaning on the many doubts that have been cast on the story and, of course, Justice Kavanaugh’s is staunch denials,” she explained.
The same presumption of truth would not be extended, in Megyn’s view, to someone like Tara Reade who has accused Joe Biden of sexual assault. “I wonder if Tara Reade writes a book if she’d be getting similar treatment… from Terry Gross over an NPR or by the ladies of The View,” she asked. “Would she be getting questions like, ‘Oh my God, how courageous are you?’ ‘What was it like to be re-victimized again?’… It’s just such an obvious double standard.”
Knowles doubted it but noted that Blasey Ford’s book serves a specific purpose for a specific audience. “Regardless of whatever happened to Christine Blasey Ford, what it becomes is a kind of political fan fiction – people are buying this book to just vent and feel a catharsis of political hate toward their opponents,” he concluded. “That is why it’s coming out in 2024, that is the only reason anybody is going to buy it, and that is why, ultimately, these sorts of accounts are worthless.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Knowles by tuning in to episode 749 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.