Sexual assault survivor confronts pro-Kavanaugh Republican senator: 'You're telling all women in America they don't matter'

California professor Dr Christine Blasey Ford and president Trump’s nominee for the US Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, have both testified in front of the US Senate.

The hearing saw Dr Ford recount her allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in 1982, with Kavanaugh strongly denying the allegations.

Following the hearing, which saw both Ford and Kavanaugh appear emotional as they recalled their versions of events, senators debated whether they will vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the highest court in the US.

Jeff Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona, had initially expressed unease over Kavanaugh’s confirmation after the allegations against him emerged two weeks ago.

But Flake, likely facing pressure from his Republican colleagues, has confirmed that he will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.

Flake said:

[On Thursday], we heard compelling testimony from Dr. Ford, as well as a persuasive response from Judge Kavanaugh.

I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty

Following his announcement, Flake was confronted by a sexual assault survivor as he made his way in an elevator. The woman, visibly distressed, said:

That’s what you’re telling all women in America, that they don’t matter. They should just keep it to themselves because if they have told the truth you’re just going to help that man to power anyway.

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