PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 28, 201
BETTER UTAH STATEMENT REGARDING SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE VOTE
Salt Lake City, UT – Today, Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee joined nine of their colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee to recommend Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate for a confirmation vote to the Supreme Court of the United States. This follows yesterday’s hearing during which Hatch and Lee spoke passionately in support of the nominee, who is facing allegations of sexual assault from four different women.
Katie Matheson, communications director at Alliance for a Better Utah, issued the following statement:
“Over the past 48 hours, Utahns have watched as our friends, family members, and co-workers have spoken up and shared their deeply personal stories of sexual assault in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford. We as a society are facing a reckoning as we hear these stories from brave women and men who are laying bare some of the darkest moments in their lives.
“Over the past two weeks, Senators Hatch and Lee have loudly reaffirmed the same message they sent in 2016 when they ultimately supported then-nominee and accused sexual harasser and assaulter, Donald Trump. In response, we once again strongly state that the career ambitions of a man and an unwavering loyalty to partisan goals should not take precedence over the very real experiences of survivors.
“While this behavior from our Senators is not unexpected, it is nonetheless deeply disappointing. We can only imagine the experience survivors across our state are facing as this issue is once again brought into the national spotlight, and as we once again watch our leaders fail to value the trauma of sexual assault survivors, many of them women, above the aspirations of a powerful man.
“Today, we speak directly to the many Utahns who are survivors of sexual assault–we stand with you, we hear you, we believe you.”
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Alliance for a Better Utah is a good government advocacy and watchdog organization based in Salt Lake City. The organization works to improve the lives of all Utahns by ensuring balance, transparency, and accountability in Utah politics, policy, and government. More information at www.betterutah.org.