Using her expertise as a research psychologist, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford on Thursday explained to senators why she cannot forget Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh pinning her down on a bed, groping her, and trying to remove her clothes: The laughter has stayed with her.
Ford said she cannot forget the “uproarious laughter” between Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge as the former sexually assaulted her during a small gathering at a house in the summer of 1982.
Leahy: What is the strongest memory you have, strongest memory of the incident, something that you cannot forget. Take whatever time you need.
Ford: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter — the uproarious laughter between the two and they’re having fun at my expense.
Leahy: You have never forgotten that laughter? You have never forgotten them laughing at you?
Ford: They were laughing with each other.
Leahy: And you were the object of the laughter?
Ford: I was, you know, underneath one of them while the two laughed. Two friends having a really good time with one another.
Speaking before a male-dominated panel of senators, Ford, who goes by Dr. Blasey professionally, told lawmakers she’s sure of the incident.
When Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) asked how she’s sure it was Kavanaugh, she cited “basic memory functions.”
“Just the level of norepinephrine and epinephrine in the brain that sort of, as you know, encodes that neurotransmitter encodes memories into the hippocampus so the trauma-related experience is locked there,” she said.
She went on to explain to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that it was “the laughter” that is locked in her memory.
Republicans have refused to subpoena Judge, who both Blasey Ford and another woman, Julie Swetnick, have said was involved in the alleged sexual assaults. Instead, they have largely stood by their nominee, suggesting Ford is suffering from mistaken identity — despite her repeated instance that there is “zero chance” she could have confused Kavanaugh with someone else.