Christine Blasey Ford accused Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh and her life was investigated to find material which detracted stature from her reputation or testimony. Now the same thing is happening to Tara Reade, see the Politico story.
These are only two recent examples of a long-time pattern of behavior. An individual does something that puts him or her in the public eye and then, when their former friends, associates, employers, ex-spouses, etc. are located and interviewed, material emerges which casts the individual in a bad light, and reduces their credibility.
If you experience this as new, you haven’t been paying attention. It happened during the McCarthy era, during Watergate, and repeatedly since. I seem to have been aware of it since my mid-20s.
What just struck me is that if this awareness is widespread, imagine all the scurrilous stuff people know but keep to themselves. They realize their backgrounds won’t stand up to what amounts to opposition research aimed at accusers, whistleblowers and ‘troublemakers.’
The suppression of testimony must be extensive indeed. It is surprising anyone ever comes forward. Whistleblowers likely feel they’ve nothing to lose, as their future in their present occupation is generally understood to be nonexistent.
