Getty Rachel Mitchell
Did Republicans make a mistake by having Rachel Mitchell, a veteran sex crimes prosecutor from Arizona, question Christine Blasey Ford during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing?
That’s what some people on both sides of the aisle are arguing on social media. Some Republicans and others who support Brett Kavanaugh are frustrated that Mitchell is asking the methodically fact-based questions for Republican Senators – meaning the Senators have ceded any chance to ask tough questions of Ford themselves or build a narrative. Meanwhile, Democratic senators were using their time to praise Ford’s courage and the like. Some felt the 5-minute limit per segment was also hobbling Mitchell’s ability to question Ford.
Almost every person close to Trump who had told me having a sex crimes prosecutor question Ford was good strategy is saying they think it was a mistake after the first portion of the hearing.
Every prominent Republican I’ve spoken to in the past two hours believes the decision to have Mitchell do the questioning is an unmitigated disaster.
Every GOP campaign strategist and Hill staffer wishes they had the button to open the trap door under Rachel Mitchell’s chair. What a total and complete Political disaster for Republicans.
However, some Democrats and others who support Ford and oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination are upset that a prosecutor is questioning Ford as if she’s on the witness stand when she is the accuser. Either way, there’s a lot of criticism of Rachel Mitchell’s performance and the GOP’s decision to cede questioning of Ford to her. Mitchell’s approach seemed to be taking Ford through the timeline in painstaking fashion, and unearthing any contradictions she might have. Some Kavanaugh supporters were upset that Mitchell wasn’t doing more to highlight the fact that the three other people Ford says were at the party – including a female friend – say they have no recollection of it.
Rachel Mitchell said she’s not going to ask about the actual assault out of sensitivity to Dr. Ford…that’s bullshit. She doesn’t want to ask about the actual assault cause they know Dr. Ford is credible. Instead she’s asking about fear of flying.
Other observers were just waiting for the inevitable SNL skit (paging Melissa McCarthy.)
@melissamccarthy is ready to star as Rachel Mitchell when this gets made into a movie.
It was widely believed that Republicans asked Mitchell to lead their questioning because they were worried about the optics of an all-male GOP side of the panel interrogating Ford.
Rachel Mitchell: “Did you ever give Senator Feinstein or anyone else the permission to release that letter?”
Dr. Ford: “Not that I know of.” t.co/005BvMqW3Y
Not everyone was critical, and some argued that Mitchell was handling the hearing like a trial – like a lawyer would – when it’s also a political hearing.
Not sure why people are criticizing Rachel Mitchell’s performance. She has unearthed a myriad of inconsistencies with Ford’s testimony between her polygraph letter, Feinstein letter, WaPo article, and what she is saying now.
But many were – in both directions.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Is there a Republican who thinks Rachel Mitchell doing questions instead of Ted Cruz, for example, is a good idea?
I realize Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell is laying some good groundwork by showing #Ford inconsistencies…but c’mon now…we’re running out of time…let’s take those kid gloves off for a sec & ask her why none of the ppl named at the party…remember the party!!
If Republicans had done just a little research, they would have learned that Rachel Mitchell is very understanding and sympathetic of victims of sexual assault. I think she should have never accepted the assignment.
I can already see @melissamccarthy as Rachel Mitchell…but then how does one spoof watching paint dry?
This whole switching back and forth between the Rachel Mitchell and the Senators is awkward and annoying. This was definitely not a good choice by the GOP. #KavanaughHearings
Rachel Mitchell is a Republican hack.
Rachel Mitchell, the interrogator hired by the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee because they’re too cowardly to question Dr. Ford themselves, keeps trying to poke holes in Dr. Ford’s credibility, polygraph test, etc… & failing miserably. #KavanaughHearings
I don’t understand yet why the Republican senators could not ask the questions Rachel Mitchell is asking.
Blasey Ford has a fear of flying from this alleged incident, but Rachel Mitchell just elicited that she’s not afraid to fly to Hawaii, Costa Rica, and French Polynesia for recreation….
Rachel Mitchell is wasting everyone’s day with this confusing and seemingly irrelevant line of questioning of Dr. Ford. No surprise this hearing confirms the preconceived notion this would just be a political show and not an investigation. #KavanaughHearings
#RachelMitchell You are the type of woman that repels woman, girls and teens from coming forth. You are mean and cold to the most traumatized members of our society.
Mitchell is an award-winning sex crimes prosecutor in Arizona, although her position in Maricopa County has caused some criticism online due to a rape kit backlog and the proximity to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office once helmed by Donald Trump-backing Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The Sheriff’s Office is a different agency from the prosecutor’s office that has employed Rachel Mitchell for more than two decades.
Grassley Called Rachel Mitchell a Career Prosecutor With Decades of Experience but Dr. Ford’s Attorneys Opposed an Outside Counsel
GettyRachel Mitchell, the chief of the Special Victims Division of the Maricopa County attorneyÕs office in Arizona, prepares to question Christine Blasey Ford on behalf of Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC
In his statement, Chuck Grassley praised Rachel Mitchell’s career. Grassley said that Mitchell has “decades of experience prosecuting sex crimes,” calling her a “career prosecutor.”
He added, “As I have said, I’m committed to providing a forum to both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday that is safe, comfortable and dignified. The majority members have followed the bipartisan recommendation to hire as staff counsel for the committee an experienced career sex-crimes prosecutor to question the witnesses at Thursday’s hearing.”
Although critics have alleged the GOP Senators just don’t want the bad optics of an all-male panel questioning Ford, Grassley gave another motive. “The goal is to de-politicize the process and get to the truth, instead of grandstanding and giving senators an opportunity to launch their presidential campaigns,” Grassley said.
“I’m very appreciative that Rachel Mitchell has stepped forward to serve in this important and serious role. Ms. Mitchell has been recognized in the legal community for her experience and objectivity. I’ve worked to give Dr. Ford an opportunity to share serious allegations with committee members in any format she’d like after learning of the allegations. I promised Dr. Ford that I would do everything in my power to avoid a repeat of the ‘circus’ atmosphere in the hearing room that we saw the week of September 4. I’ve taken this additional step to have questions asked by expert staff counsel to establish the most fair and respectful treatment of the witnesses possible.”
However, Ford’s attorneys have repeatedly objected to the Senate Judiciary Committee using an outside lawyer to question Ford. Michael Bromwich, an attorney for Ford, said previously in a statement, “This is not a criminal trial for which the involvement of an experienced sex crimes prosecutor would be appropriate. Neither Dr. Blasey Ford nor Judge Kavanaugh is on trial. The goal should be to develop the relevant facts, not try a case.”
Rachel Mitchell Is on Leave From the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona
Rachel Mitchell is a prosecutor from Arizona, but she’s now on leave.
“Mitchell worked in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix as the chief of the Special Victims Division, which covers sex crimes and family violence,” reported 12News.
CNN reported that Mitchell is currently on leave from her position as “the deputy county attorney and as the chief of the Special Victims Division” in Maricopa County.
Mitchell was pictured in the County attorney’s newsletter as part of a team that won an award, and a post on Twitter indicates she spoke at a conference about medical findings in child sex abuse cases.
“Operation Safe Treat is a partnership between the MCAO, US Marshal’s Office, several local police departments and the Maricopa County Probation Department which sends teams of officers out to the community in the weeks leading up to and on Halloween checking on registered sex offenders to ensure they are following the rules,” the caption with the photo in the County Attorney’s newsletter read.
In 2014, a commission recommended her as a possible judicial candidate in Arizona.
Rachel Mitchell Is a Registered Republican Who Was Drawn to Her Prosecution Area Because of the Vulnerability of Children
MCAO staff pictured: Special Victims Division Director Rachel Mitchell, Sex Crimes Bureau Chief Yigael Cohen, County Attorney Bill Montgomery, Major Offenders Division Director Jon Eliason, Legal Management Assistant Rhonda Eisenhour, Victims Services Division Director Shawn Cox
Rachel Mitchell is a registered Republican, according to the Washington Post, which reports that she’s worked in the Maricopa County office for 26 years.
She has donated to the campaign of Mark Brnovich, Arizona’s Republican attorney general, according to The Post.
Tracey Westerhausen, a Democratic defense attorney in Arizona, praised Rachel Mitchell to The Post, calling her a “very nuanced and wise prosecutor.” She has been a team member responsible for developing sexual assault prosecutor protocols for the Maricopa County office.