Neomi Rao, the nominee to fill Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh’s seat on the Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit, wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee to apologize for offensive comments she made about rape and women’s equality back when she was a “sheltered” college student.
“I particularly regret the insensitivity demonstrated in my remarks on rape and sexual assault,” she wrote. “While responding to debates and events on campus, I failed to recognize the hurt that my words could cause a survivor of such crimes.”
She said that her perspective had changed with more life experience and the birth of her children.
“As a college student, I was sheltered,” she wrote. “Many years later, I have experienced more of the ups and downs of life.”
Many senators have asked Rao about her controversial writings, a particularly striking moment occurring when Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who recently shared her trauma as a sexual assault survivor, asked Rao about her stance on rape and feminism.
Read Rao’s letter here:
