Democrat Operative Who Advised Anita Hill Is Now Helping Kavanaugh Accuser
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, is reportedly being advised by Ricki Seidman, who is known to be a Democratic operative.
Politico reports that Ford, who reportedly accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her over three decades ago, is still weighing her options as to whether she will testify before Congress.
However, in the meantime, Ford has hired multiple attorneys and is now being supported by Seidman, who was an investigator for Sen. Ted Kennedy.
“I believe her and I think she’s very courageous for coming this far,” Seidman told Politico referring to her role in advising Ford.
More recently, Seidman worked as the communications director for Joe Biden’s 2008 election campaign and in 2009 worked alongside White House staff during the confirmation of Obama Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
Prior to those positions, she worked in the Clinton White House in multiple capacities, including White House Deputy Communications Director, Counselor to the Chief of Staff, and Director of Scheduling and Advance for the President.
She later went on to serve as Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice, according to the biography on her current company’s website, TSD Communications, where she is the senior principal.
Politico reports that “Seidman was brought in to offer personal advice to Ford, a California-based psychologist who has no experience living in the spotlight of a national story, or in the crosswinds of Washington politics.”
Another one of Seidman’s qualifications that more directly impacts Ford’s current situation, is the interaction that she had with Anita Hill, another woman who accused a potential Supreme Court justice of impropriety, during his confirmation period.
Seidman reportedly impacted Hill’s decision to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, in an effort to discourage Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ appointment to the highest court in the land.
NEW: Kavanaugh's accuser is being advised by Dem super-activist Ricki Seidman who derailed Bork's nomination, found a reluctant Anita Hill & convinced her to testify against Clarence Thomas.
Seidman worked for Dukakis, Mondale, Clinton and Obama campaignshttps://t.co/jZCPzltDUZ— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 20, 2018
Politico reports that a senior Republican official said that Seidman’s association with Ford “feels more like a Democratic super PAC than a legal effort to get at the truth.”
“If you’re concerned about an appearance of partisanship, hiring a Democratic operative with a history of smearing conservative judges doesn’t exactly mitigate that,” said Cassie Smedile, press secretary for the Republican National Committee.
It is still unclear whether Ford will testify before Congress. Politico reported that Ford’s attorney, Debra Katz, said Ford wanted to wait until the FBI investigated her claims, before being examined by the committee.
However, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley gave Ford a deadline of Friday to decide whether she wants to testify on Monday.
CNN reported on Thursday that a letter sent on Ford’s behalf to Sen. Grassley stated that she would be open to the possibility of testifying before Congress next week. However, Ford’s representative was clear that Monday was not an option.
In the letter, Katz said that the Monday time frame “is not possible and the Committee’s insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event,” according to CNN.
“As you are aware, she has been receiving death threats, which have been reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and she and her family have been forced out of their home,” the email said. “She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety.”
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