Despite the common show business adage, all publicity is not, in fact, good publicity.

Particularly if you’re a senator with hopes for a potential 2020 presidential bid.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the opportunistic New York Democrat, drew all sorts of bad publicity last week for comments she made on Thursday during a news conference addressing the sexual assault allegation made by Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Now, there are two ways to handle a situation as serious as accusations of sexual assault.

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Smart and thoughtful people are willing to let the events play out and reserve judgment until something more concrete surfaces than decades-old allegations. The smart people aren’t ascribing guilt or innocence quite yet.

People like Gillibrand? They’re jumping feet-first into the debate to ruin careers — for political gain.

As it should be, those who are jumping to conclusions are being called out for their absurdity.

“I believe Dr. Blasey Ford because she’s telling the truth,” Gillibrand said.

If Ford is telling the truth, then yes, she should be believed and Kavanaugh’s actions should be condemned.

But there’s literally no way to determine how truthful Ford is being right now. There’s no actual evidence, no witnesses who remember the incident (or even the events surrounding the way Ford says it happened) and it’s all conjecture at the moment. It is nothing more than word versus word.

Nobody should be skewering Ford for coming forward with allegations because we don’t know the truth. But by that same token, nobody should be skewering Kavanaugh due to that exact same lack of evidence. That is how the American judicial system has, and always should, function.

But don’t tell that to Gillibrand.

“I believe her because she’s telling the truth. She is asking the FBI to investigate her claims,” Gillibrand continued.

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“Someone who is lying does not ask the FBI to investigate their claims. Who is not asking the FBI to investigate these claims? The White House. Judge Kavanaugh has not asked to have the FBI review these claims. Is that the reaction of an innocent person? It is not.”

Gillibrand was promptly, and correctly, slammed for the idiocy of her comments.

https://twitter.com/SamCrowley/status/1042838819362549763

Yes, exactly, an innocent person would not be asking for legal athorities to investigate them. Why? Because they are innocent!!!! — Dave (@DaveNoParty) September 20, 2018

or someone that actually understands how the law works. NY you can do better than Gillibrand. She apparently has no understanding of the law. — Arabellaa ❤️🇺🇸❤️ (@arabellaa12) September 20, 2018

That’s some deserved backlash.

That’s also how to become a national laughingstock in a matter of seconds.

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