NEW YORK (Dagbladet): The new documentary film, “Justice”, was made in secret by director Doug Liman. On Friday night, it was shown for the first time, as a surprise to the audience at the famous Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
It addresses the abuse allegations that came against Brett Kavanaugh when then-President Donald Trump in 2018 nominated him to be the new Supreme Court justice.
The film is already making waves because it contains at least one new molestation allegation. It is also highly critical of the rapid investigation carried out by the FBI into the allegations, reports a number of American media – among others AP, Washington Post and Huffington Post.
The meeting that saved Kavanaugh: – Show them what you feel!
Emotionally charged
The entire project has been surrounded by fierce secrecy and was a surprise on the program during the prestigious film festival, reports Rolling Stone.
The director behind the film is known, among other things, for having directed films such as “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. This is his first documentary film.
The hearings in the Senate in 2018 when Kavanaugh was to be approved, created violent waves. Current professor Christine Blasey Ford said in a highly emotional testimony that Kavanaugh violently sexually assaulted her when he was drunk at a party when they were teenagers in the 1980s.
Kavanaugh responded in an angry and tearful testimony that he had not done what he was accused of. In the end, he was approved by a narrow margin in the Senate. Thus he got the job as Supreme Court judge for life.
That is why they voted against their party
The accusation
Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, also came forward with accusations against Kavanaugh. She spoke up The New Yorker that Kavanaugh at one point pushed his penis towards her. It must have happened in a dormitory while they were students at the elite Yale University. Later, seven other people said they had heard about the incident even before Kavanaugh got another federal judgeship, according to the report The New York Times.
While working on the documentary film, Liman has gained access to an audio recording with another fellow student of Kavanaugh and Ramirez, Max Stier.
Stier is now chief executive of the non-profit organization Partnership for Public Service.
In the recording, Stier tells about an incident, which is said to have happened when he lived in the same dormitory as Kavanaugh. He says he saw Kavanaugh expose his penis to another young woman. His friends then allegedly pushed his penis into her hand. The woman, who was a first-year student, is said to have been very drunk and does not want her name published, according to the filmmakers.
– Said things I shouldn’t have said
– Hoping for rage
– I hope this triggers rage. I hope this sparks action. I hope it sparks further investigations with proper powers, said the film’s producer, Amy Herdy, during an event following the screening, according to The Guardian.
Kavanaugh himself has denied all the accusations. He also declined to participate in this documentary film.
Ramirez himself is interviewed in the film, but not Ford. In addition, it contains a number of interviews with journalists, lawyers, psychologists and people who knew Ramirez and Ford.
– This was a type of film where people were terrified. People who chose to participate in this film are heroes, says Liman after the festival screening.
FBI investigation
The film also describes how Ramirez’s lawyers contacted then-Republican Senator Jeff Flake. He was involved in the Senate hearings for Kavanaugh. They gave Flake information about the Ramirez allegations, and Flake delayed the process for a week and insisted on an FBI investigation.
But the film then reveals how the FBI did not interview many of the witnesses Ramirez’s lawyers suggested. Nor did they question Stier about his witness observation of another woman.
Anger at Kavanaugh spilled into the streets – hundreds arrested
The filmmakers also say that they spoke to other people who had allegations against Kavanaugh.
– We spoke to people who had other charges, and we were very careful and careful. It wasn’t that we don’t believe in them, but the stories that you see here are the ones that we have been able to substantiate, says Herdy, according to The Guardian.
She also confirms that the filmmakers have received even more tips about accusations against Kavanaugh as soon as it became known that the film “Justice” was to be made. screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She believes that this new information may mean that it may be appropriate to expand and re-edit the film again.
