--- title: GOP Voter on Brett Kavanaugh: 'What Boy Hasn’t Done This?' description: A GOP voter on CNN questioned the sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh, saying "what boy hasn’t done this in high school?" canonical: https://time.com/5404108/brett-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-high-school-gina-sosa/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-23T16:38:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:10.516Z article:section: Politics og:title: GOP Voter on Brett Kavanaugh Sex Assault Accusation: 'What Boy Hasn’t Done This?' og:description: The Supreme Court nominee was accused of sexual assault at a party around 1982 og:url: https://time.com/5404108/brett-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-high-school-gina-sosa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5d6803e9fecc556/69893af2096a9485616a385a/brett-kavanaugh-high-school-accusation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing For Brett Kavanaugh To Be Supreme Court Justice og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: GOP Voter on Brett Kavanaugh Sex Assault Accusation: 'What Boy Hasn’t Done This?' twitter:description: The Supreme Court nominee was accused of sexual assault at a party around 1982 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5d6803e9fecc556/69893af2096a9485616a385a/brett-kavanaugh-high-school-accusation.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # GOP Voter on Brett Kavanaugh Sex Assault Accusation: 'What Boy Hasn’t Done This?' > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b75ff586-d426-4695-a36a-85acf111a89d&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: As Senate Hearing Is Set for Brett Kavanaugh, a New Accuser Emerges [Watch (HLS stream): As Senate Hearing Is Set for Brett Kavanaugh, a New Accuser Emerges](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PSlhPQKg.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2018-09-14. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is denying a sexual misconduct allegation from when he was in high school._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Sep 23, 2018 4:38 PM UTC  Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the third day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 6, 2018. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the third day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 6, 2018. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Sep 23, 2018 4:38 PM UTC A Republican voter on a CNN panel this week questioned the sexual assault allegation against [Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh](http://time.com/5401624/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation/), saying “what boy hasn’t done this in high school?” [Christine Blasey Ford](http://time.com/5402896/trump-christine-blasey-ford-tweets/), now a college professor in California, accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a high school party around 1982\. Ford [told the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/california-professor-writer-of-confidential-brett-kavanaugh-letter-speaks-out-about-her-allegation-of-sexual-assault/2018/09/16/46982194-b846-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.f690cb38d952) that Kavanaugh groped her, attempted to remove her bathing suit and held his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. Kavanaugh has said the allegation is “completely false.” On Thursday, [CNN interviewed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time%5Fcontinue=275&v=flIM3AUyQ3A) a panel of five Republican women in Florida, all of whom defended Kavanaugh and said they believe his denial. But comments by Gina Sosa, a former congressional candidate, have drawn the most controversy. “I mean, we’re talking about a 15-year-old girl, which I respect. You know, I’m a woman. I respect,” Sosa told CNN. “But we’re talking about a 17-year-old boy in high school with testosterone running high. Tell me, what boy hasn’t done this in high school? Please, I would like to know.” Sosa lost the Republican primary last month for the seat representing Florida’s District 27 in the U.S. House. Some of the women in the CNN interview questioned why Ford waited so long to come forward. Victims of sexual assault often [decide not to file a police report](http://time.com/5403230/donald-trump-tweets-sexual-assault-reporting/) or come forward at all because they fear they won’t be believed. But Sosa’s comments echoed arguments made by some other conservatives in defense of Kavanaugh, suggesting that if Ford’s accusations are true, Kavanaugh’s alleged behavior is still not disqualifying because it so common. “If stupid, bad, or drunken behavior as a minor back in high school were the standard, every male politician in Washington, DC would fail. Every single one. Hypocrites,” Former Congressman Joe Walsh [tweeted](https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1041664318805164032) last week. Recent polls show that public opinion on Kavanaugh is still starkly divided by party. But opposition to his confirmation has grown. According to a [recent NBC News/Wall Street _Journal_ poll,](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/poll-opposition-kavanaugh-s-confirmation-grows-n911581) 38% of registered voters now oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation, while 34% support it. 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