Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations that Brett Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court nominee, sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school have Internet conspiracy theorists trying to discredit her by spreading wild rumors.
The New York Times has debunked the top five conspiracy theories.
Ford is a Califorinia-based psychologist who teaches at Palo Alto University. One claim is that students rated her poorly on RateMyProfessors.com. But the reviews weren’t about Ford, rather, about Christine A. Ford a professor of human services at California State University Fullerton.
A conspiracy theory on right-wing websites says that Ford is seeking revenge for her parents, Ralph and Paula Blasey, because Martha G. Kavanaugh, the mother of Brett Kavanaugh and a district court judge, ruled against them in a court case. The claim is false.
There was a foreclosure case in 1996 that Kavanaugh presided over involving Blasey’s parents. But, according to Snopes, Kavanaugh’s decision actually allowed for the Blaseys to keep their house.
A Twitter user who supports QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy theory, tweeted the rumor that Ford, in a letter, also accused Justice Neil Gorsuch of sexual assault while he was in his nomination process. The Times reports there is no record of a letter sent by Ford.
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Conspiracy theorists also said that Ford is a Democratic donor, and in 2016, said on Facebook “Scalia types must be banned from law.” Another version of this claim also has her writing that “Scalia types must be banned from courts.”
In a search of public Facebook posts in 2016, neither phrase appears, the Times reports. Also, Ford holding a “not my president” sign at an anti-Trump rally is misleading.
In another false claim, the Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group, said that Ford’s brother, Ralph Blasey, has ties to the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. And even issued a press release with the claim.
The law firm in question is BakerHostetler, where Blasey did work. But he left the firm in 2004. Investigations into Russian collusion began over a decade later, in regard to the 2016 presidential election.
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