U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier has announced she is nominating Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — the woman who last year accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault — for a distinguished honor normally reserved for public officials.
Speier, a Democrat who represents northern California, mentioned Ford’s nomination for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in a tweet earlier this week.
Nominating Dr. Christine Blasey Ford – a true American (s)hero who sacrificed so much to do what was right for our country and for the pursuit of truth of justice – for this year’s Profiles in Courage Award @JFKLibrary. She is an inspiration to us all.
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 29, 2019
The award was started by the Kennedy family in 1989 to honor the late president and “recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most.”
“Nominating Dr. Christine Blasey Ford ― a true American (s)hero who sacrificed so much to do what was right for our country and for the pursuit of truth of justice ― for this year’s Profiles in Courage Award,” Speier wrote. “She is an inspiration to us all.”
Other previous winners of the award include the late President Gerald Ford, former President Barack Obama and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
In September, Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while the two were high school students. Despite her emotional testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and a heated denial from Kavanaugh, the committee and full Senate later voted to install the judge on the Supreme Court for life.
The 2019 Profile in Courage Award will be presented in May in Washington, D.C.
