--- title: Ronald Reagan's Daughter Defends Brett Kavanaugh Accuser description: Patti Davis has revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault while defending the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. canonical: https://time.com/5403734/patti-davis-christine-blasey-ford/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-21T22:43:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:10.895Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ronald Reagan's Daughter Comes Out As Sexual Assault Survivor in Op-Ed Defending Kavanaugh Accuser og:description: 'You need to know about it now because of what is at stake for this country' og:url: https://time.com/5403734/patti-davis-christine-blasey-ford/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5f9eb7e7623b507/69893ab17cdbac7183d5df98/christine-blasey-ford-kavanaugh-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2737 og:image:height: 1540 og:image:alt: KAVANUAGH og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ronald Reagan's Daughter Comes Out As Sexual Assault Survivor in Op-Ed Defending Kavanaugh Accuser twitter:description: 'You need to know about it now because of what is at stake for this country' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5f9eb7e7623b507/69893ab17cdbac7183d5df98/christine-blasey-ford-kavanaugh-hearing.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ronald Reagan's Daughter Comes Out As Sexual Assault Survivor in Op-Ed Defending Kavanaugh Accuser > Sponsored content. 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For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._ by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Sep 21, 2018 10:43 PM UTC  President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh listens during his conformation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4, 2018, in Washington, D.C. President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh listens during his conformation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Salwan Georges—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Sep 21, 2018 10:43 PM UTC Patti Davis, daughter of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan, has revealed that she was a victim of sexual assault in an op-ed defending Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of misconduct. In the [op-ed,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-was-sexually-assaulted-heres-why-i-dont-remember-many-of-the-details/2018/09/21/8ce0088c-bdab-11e8-8792-78719177250f%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.542f617ca243) published by The Washington _Post_, Davis writes about meeting with a music executive nearly 40 years ago while she was working on her entertainment career. She said she remembers being offered cocaine, which she is “90% sure” she declined. But despite her blurry memory of certain details of the evening, she writes that she remembers in perfect detail what happened next. “He crossed the room,” Davis wrote. “There was a dark-green carpet, but his footsteps seemed loud, hard. He was against me, on top of me — so quickly — with his hands under my skirt and his mouth on mine, that I froze. I lay there as he pushed himself inside me. The leather couch stuck to my skin, made noises beneath me. His breath smelled like coffee and stale bread. He didn’t use a condom.” Davis writes that she remembers driving home and feeling “alone, ashamed and disgusted” with herself. “Why didn’t I get out of there? Why didn’t I push him off? Why did I freeze?,” she asked herself. Davis said she did not tell anyone in her life about the assault for decades, and is not surprised that Ford did not speak about her own allegation for 30 years. She writes that it is [not uncommon](http://time.com/5403230/donald-trump-tweets-sexual-assault-reporting/) for sexual assault victims to forget specific details surrounding the attack, and so it is unfair to criticize Ford for failing to recall facts like the address of the house in which the alleged encounter took place while claiming to remember precise details about the incident itself. “That’s what happens: Your memory snaps photos of the details that will haunt you forever, that will change your life and live under your skin. It blacks out other parts of the story that really don’t matter much.” Davis writes. Ford has asked that the Federal Bureau of Investigation look into the details of her allegation against Kavanaugh before she testifies about her claim before the Senate Judiciary Committee — a request that Davis calls brave. “Perhaps the aging men who are poised to interrogate her, unless they hide behind surrogates, should pause for a moment and think about the courage it takes for a woman to say: Here is my memory. It has haunted me for decades. It changed my life. You need to know about it now because of what is at stake for this country.” Davis writes. Kavanaugh, who has denied Ford’s allegation, was seen as all but assured to ascend to the Supreme Court until Ford’s claim against him was made public. While many Republicans appear eager to quickly push through Kavanaugh’s would-be lifetime appointment, many Democrats are calling for further examination of Ford’s allegation before his nomination process continues. Republicans currently have the votes to approve Kavanaugh, but his nomination could be sunk if only a few Republicans dissent. Meanwhile, the impending midterm elections could change the political makeup of the Senate; if Democrats gain enough seats, they could block Kavanaugh without the help of Republican defectors. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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