CNN’s Powers Says GOP’s Post-Kavanaugh Message to Women Is ‘Sit Down and Shut Up’

Political analyst Kirsten Powers (pictured above) insisted Monday on CNN’s “New Day” that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation sends the “message” that women “won’t be taken seriously” and will be told to “sit down and shut up.”

“I think the message is that if you come forward — no matter how credible you are, no matter how calm and reasonable, and truthful you are in your testimony — that you won’t be taken seriously,” said Powers, a columnist for USA Today.

“You will be sort of patted on the head and patronized the way the Republicans did with Christine Blasey Ford, saying, ‘We believe her, but we don’t believe … And we just won’t take it seriously. We will do a sort of sham investigation, and then we will tell you to sit down and shut up,'” she added.

Related: Will Kavanaugh Confirmation Drive Women Away from the GOP? Not Likely

“I think that that’s a really terrible message to send to women,” Powers concluded. “And when people say, ‘I don’t understand why women don’t come forward,’ I would say, ‘Let’s look at what just happened.'”

The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh Saturday following a grueling process that became brutal during its last three weeks, after Ford accused Kavanaugh publicly on September 16 of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago during a high school gathering in Maryland.

Two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, also came forward with accusations of sexual assault.

Kavanaugh repeatedly and unequivocally denied all of the sexual assault allegations leveled against him. Both Kavanaugh and Ford testified before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and both of their testimonies were widely viewed as credible and compelling.

“Doesn’t remember exactly when it was, where it was, how she got home — those holes.”

Kavanaugh was confirmed 50-48 Saturday and sworn in later that day following a short FBI investigation into the allegations.

The CNN segment, moderated by CNN correspondent Erica Hill, addressed “the question” following Kavanaugh’s confirmation: “What message does the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh send to women?”

Although Powers claimed that the GOP is telling women to “sit down and shut up,” CNN political commentator Alice Stewart disagreed.

“I think that Dr. Ford was listened to. I think her testimony was compelling and credible, and senators looked at the full story. They heard her. They heard other people that came forward with accusations and looked at it completely,” Stewart insisted. “The bottom line, the takeaway, is that an incendiary accusation doesn’t mean an instant conviction.”

At this remark, Powers sighed and shook her head.

“Look, Alice and I are good friends. I love Alice, and I just could not disagree more with her on this and I don’t understand, when I listen to her, what she’s talking about,” Powers said. “The message basically is, ‘Don’t question this man because if you suggest that you take this seriously enough to do a real investigation, a real thorough investigation, you are trying him in the court of public opinion, and you are finding him guilty.'”

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“That’s not what happened, OK? What happened is people asked for a real investigation, and this was not a real investigation,” Powers claimed. “And I’m sorry, Alice, but you can’t say you believe her if you don’t believe what she actually said. She said it was Brett Kavanaugh. And I’m not saying you have to believe that … you just can’t have it both ways. You can’t say ‘I believe her’ when you don’t.”

Although Stewart said that she believed Ford’s “pain” and “anguish,” she pointed to the “holes in her story.”

“I hate to question her pain, but there are holes in her story, and I am not going to outline them and there’s no corroborating witnesses, no one to back up her claims,” Stewart noted.

Powers wanted to know, “What holes, though? Because she can’t remember how she drove home?”

“Doesn’t remember exactly when it was, where it was, how she got home — those holes.” Stewart said.

President Donald Trump, members of his administration and GOP senators also highlighted the holes in Ford’s testimony, along with the lack of witnesses who could corroborate her allegations.