Neomi Rao apologies for writings on rape

NP NEWS 24 ONLINE:    President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Neomi Rao apologized for her controversial writings from college about date-rape victims, which had come under scrutiny.

In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rao condemned “sexual assault in all forms” as “abhorrent” and stressed that she “particularly regrets the insensitivity demonstrated in my remarks on rape and sexual assault.”

She said that in college, her perspective on the issue evolved as she grew more mature and became a mother to two children.

She wrote to the committee “No woman or man should be subject to sexual violence, regardless of the clothes they wear or how much alcohol they consumed. Non-consensual sexual activity is never appropriate or excusable. Victims should not be blamed for the terrible things that have happened to them. As a society we should create an environment where survivors feel empowered and comfortable coming forward.

She added, “I am sorry for anything in my college writings to the contrary.”

Neomi faced criticism from senators during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week for some of her early writings, particularly on sexual assault, from her time as an undergraduate student at Yale University.

In 1994, Neomi wrote a column stating “It has always seemed self-evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions. A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober.”

According to the new Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, recently disclosed that she had been raped in college, told Neomi that her writings “do give me pause” and that she was concerned about the message the columns send to young women

Rao, who serves as the White House’s regulatory czar, has been nominated for the vacancy on the D.C. Circuit, considered the second-most-powerful court in the nation and one that has often served as a pipeline for future Supreme Court justices.