US SC contender Neomi faces scrutiny for her views on rape victims

Washington: Trumps nomination for United State’s senior judgeship, Neomi Rao faced fierce questioning from Democrats not just for her work in the Trump administration but also for early writings, which she wrote decades ago as a Yale University student suggesting women should change their behaviour to avoid date rape.

As almost every Democratic senator on the dais mentioned her early writings, Rao stressed that they occurred nearly “two decades” ago at a “time of exploration” in college.

ALSO READ: ED says banks can sell Mallya’s assets to recover their money

The Indian-American woman, Rao, told the senators during her testimony, on Tuesday, “I cringe” at some of the language.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who recently publicly disclosed she had been a victim of sexual assault, said Rao’s columns gave her “pause”, said a source.

In one piece for the Yale Herald written in 1994 titled “Shades of Gray,” Rao had mentioned a date rape incident on campus by writing: “It has always seemed self-evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions.”

She added: “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.”

ALSO READ: ISRO successfully launches communication GSAT-31 from French Guana Island

She also said that when she was writing about the incident she had put an emphasize on the point that rape is a crime and no one should “blame the victim” but that she had attempted to make a “common-sense observation” that there were some actions a woman could take so it would be less likely she would fell victim. Rao said she hoped she has “matured” as a writer and a person.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont referred to her comments and said that as a former prosecutor, he had dealt with rape cases. He said he feared her sentiments might lead some women to be too ashamed to report rape.

Rao, however, re-emphasized that she had made it “very clear” that “rape is a terrible crime for which men should be held responsible.”

“I was trying to make in perhaps not the most elegant way the sort of common-sense observation… It’s the advice my mother gave me; it’s the advice that I give my children. And I certainly regret any implication of blaming the victim,” she said.

Other Republicans leaped to her defence, pointing out that the American Bar Association had given her a rating of “well qualified.” The Senate committee is majority Republican.

A conservative former law professor, Rao, 45, heads the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the President’s executive office which reviews government regulations and oversees collection of information by government and privacy policy.

ALSO READ: US: ‘Joshua Trump’ bullied for his last name, invited to President’s speech