Kavanaugh Accusations Test Power of #MeToo Movement in Washington

The sexual assault allegation from Brett Kavanaugh’s past is testing a political system that is still adjusting to the realities of a #MeToo era. And just how Washington, D.C., will react has taken an added dose of importance because the midterm elections are less than two months away, reports ABC News.

This is shaping up to be one the most remarkable weeks of the entire #metoo era, made more remarkable by the fact that Kavanaugh’s accuser was so reluctant to speak out. https://t.co/L3ltHex1ht

— megan twohey (@mega2e) September 17, 2018

Democrats are maintaining that the Senate Judiciary Committee should not vote until the FBI investigates and Christine Blasey Ford is heard publicly, but Republicans are saying that Sen. Dianne Feinstein held this information back until now and her party is using the scandal to sow chaos. The White House, meanwhile, is standing behind Kavanaugh’s denial.

These are the Republicans who will be asking an alleged sexual assault victim questions in a public hearing. Think about the optics of this. pic.twitter.com/CM0K7bsH8m

— Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) September 17, 2018

Should Kavanaugh be confirmed, his conservative opinions could remake the court during a time of major reconstruction for the country. Kavanaugh could be the swing vote judging the constitutionality of a number of state laws that aim to restrict when and how a woman can have an abortion.

But ABC News writes that whatever happens next will be decided by a small handful of senators based on who they believe — or perhaps what priorities they have.