NJ Women’s March Founder Calls Out Lance for Pivoting on FBI Investigation to Save His Seat

STATEMENT:

Leonard Lance will speak out for survivors of sexual assault, only if it benefits his political career. That’s the real Leonard Lance.

In private, when he thought no one is listening, Lance dismissed the claim of Dr. Blasey Ford. He didn’t believe her.

Now he’s calls for an FBI investigation of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, only moments after watching Republican Senator Flake do the same and after two days of being under fire for his private rebuff of Dr. Blasey Ford.

Leonard Lance doesn’t care about doing what’s right to support sexual assault survivors. He cares about saving his seat.

Until Senator Flake had the moral courage to stand up, my cowardly representative in Congress remained seated and silent, waiting to see how the hearing would unfold, failing to advocate for sexual assault survivors, and strategizing how to pacify his conservative constituents, while courting more moderate ones.

The fact is that, because Leonard Lance was silent, so was my voice. I want a representative that won’t sit there, wafting in a pool of ambiguity, worrying about how to get the votes necessary to stay in office instead of actively advocating for fairness. I want a representative who is not afraid to do what’s right, regardless of party politics and rank.

To women, men, and children who have been sexually assaulted, this is the message they often endure: “What happened to you doesn’t matter. No one believes you. No one cares. Your voice means nothing.” Leonard Lance’s failure to demand an investigation from the start makes him complicit in reinforcing the massive amount of public skepticism victims face when they speak up and report sexual assault crimes. He failed Dr. Blasey Ford when she needed him to echo her voice for an FBI investigation. He failed the sexual assault survivors of his district. And he failed me.

Leonard Lance is the voice of all the women of his district. He is the voice of all sexual assault survivors in his district. He is my voice and the voice of my two young daughters. That voice has been doubtful and weak at a time when it should have roar for us. He has failed the women and survivors of the 7th Congressional district.

It’s time to usher in an era of new, strong leadership in Washington D.C. That is why I support Tom Malinowski to be our voice in the 7th Congressional District. He is someone who isn’t afraid to take a stand for what’s right, to advocate for the rights of women, and fight to make the voices of those most vulnerable heard. As a woman and a mother, I cast my vote for Tom Malinowski.