As of noon Friday, two GundFundMe campaigns had raised more than $683,609 to help 51-year-old Ford, who has accusedSupreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaughof sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. (Kavanaugh denied the accusations in the weeks leading up to hisfiery and often combative testimonyon Thursday.)
Discussing her polygraph and legal fees during the hearing, the research psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University said, “I’m aware that there’s been several GoFundMe sites that I haven’t had a chance to figure out how to manage those, because I’ve never had one done for me.”
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The campaign is no longer accepting donations, having raised $473,622 of its initial $150,000 goal with donations from 10,370 people in nine days.
A second campaign,“Cover Dr. Blasey’s security costs,”raised $209,987 of its $175,000 goal with donations from 6,658 people in nine days.
“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,” wrote the campaign organizer. “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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“I do not know Dr. Blasey personally but will contact her via her former high school, Holton Arms, to inform her of this fundraising appeal and to make arrangements to transfer funds to Dr. Blasey,” explained the organizer. “I am a professor of law at Georgetown University who has raised money formally and informally for other causes over the years. My reason for starting this fundraiser is to make concrete the power of collective action in providing security, and therefore support, for Dr. Blasey’s willingness to contribute to a thorough, fair vetting of a nominee for Supreme Court Justice.”
Ford discussed the threats at the hearing on Thursday, saying, “My greatest fears have been realized — and the reality has been far worse than what I expected. My family and I have been the target of constant harassment and death threats. I have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable. These messages, while far fewer than the expressions of support, have been terrifying to receive and have rocked me to my core.”
She added: “People have posted my personal information on the internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home. Since Sept. 16, my family and I have been living in various secure locales, at times separate and at times together, with the help of security guards. This past Tuesday evening, my work email account was hacked and messages were sent out supposedly recanting my description of the sexual assault.”
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, in his own opening statement, equated Ford and Kavanaugh’s ordeals. “Both Kavanaugh and Ford have been through a terrible couple of weeks. Both of them and their families have received vile threats,” Grassley said.
Ford claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in the 1980s, where he allegedly pinned her down to a bed, groped her and tried to remove her clothes. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations.
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Kavanaughhas also denied the additional allegations. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he said, “I never sexually assaulted anyone. I did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter. The girls from the schools I went to and I were friends.”
Kavanaugh denied Swetnick’s allegations in astatement on Wednesday, saying, “This is ridiculous and fromThe Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened.”
source: people.com
