Celebrities including Busy Philipps, Sophia Bush and Chelsea Handler have taken to social media to ask Ivanka Trump to support Christina Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
Using the hashtag #DearIvanka stars including Alyssa Milano, Debra Messing and Melanie Griffith posted a message to the eldest daughter of President Trump.
“#DearIvanka,” the shared post reads. “You don’t follow me on social media. But as a public servant, you work for me. You’ve proclaimed yourself a feminist and a champion of women’s rights. Right now, you have an opportunity to fight for women. Use your access to demand that Professor Ford’s request for a full, fair, trauma-informed investigation by the FBI be held.”
The post comes four days after Vanity Fair reported that the former fashion designer, who is a White House senior advisor, told her father to “cut bait” and drop Kavanaugh.
Ford, 51, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, came forward to allege that Kavanaugh, 53, assaulted her during a party in the early 1980s, when they were both in high school. She claimed that he pinned her to a bed, groped her, and attempted to remove her clothing. She also told The Washington Post that he covered her mouth with his hand to silence her when she screamed.
“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” she told The Post. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”
Kavanaugh said in a statement that he “categorically and unequivocally” denied the allegation, adding, “I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”
Trump victim-shamed Ford on Twitter on Friday, September 21, by challenging her to produce a police report detailing the alleged assault. He also told reporters two days earlier that it was “very hard for me to imagine that anything happened.”
The professor’s lawyers released a statement on Saturday, September 22, stating that she will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to “provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week.” Ford previously said she wanted an FBI investigation before testifying.
