After the New York Times published an excerpt from “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," a book co-written by Times reporters, Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, a vile tweet was published on the Times' Opinion Twitter feed to promote the piece.
"Having a penis thrust in your face at a drunken dorm party may seem like harmless fun. But when Brett Kavanaugh did it to her, Deborah Ramirez says, it confirmed to her that she didn't belong at Yale in the first place," the now-deleted tweet read.
The Times deleted the tweet once they began receiving flak for what was said.
It was later revealed, by a Times insider, that Pogrebin drafted and sent the tweet.
During a Tuesday interview on "The View," Pogrebin confirmed that she was responsible for drafting the tweet.
"POLITICO's now reporting that you, Robin, wrote that tweet," host Abby Huntsman said. "You can see how whoever wrote it could be tough for people who have been sexually assaulted to read a tweet like that. Was it you who wrote that and if so, why not just say, 'It was me and it was wrong' and let's move on?"
"On 'The View,' I am going to put this matter to rest, make some news right here," Pogrebin replied. "It was a misworded tweet, but what happens at the Times is the reporters are asked to draft tweets. We’re also asked to draft suggested headlines. They don’t always get used. They don't always get sent out. They often don’t."
“I drafted this with this in mind: to have actually the opposite effect, which is to anticipate those who would say, ‘A guy pulling down his pants at a party when they’re drunk is on the spectrum of sexual misconduct. It’s not sexual assault. It’s not rape. What’s the big deal?’ And to try to put in context Deborah Ramirez’s experience to say actually it was a big deal and this can be quite meaningful, depending on what you come from."
"You know, maybe for me, a New Yorker, I would say get that out of my face. She was coming from a very sheltered Catholic upbringing in a lower income kind of community, and she was a person of color, and she felt like maybe she didn’t deserve to be at Yale in the first place," Pogrebin explained. “Having that happen and to have people laugh at her and target her was actually hugely meaningful and made an impact on her life for the rest of her life. So for those who minimize it and dismiss it, I was trying to help them understand that. It had the opposite effect and seemed to undermine her experience.”
‘Education of Brett Kavanaugh’ co-author @rpogrebin says she “drafted” the now-deleted ‘NY Times’ tweet that said Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual assault “may seem like harmless fun” — and calls it “a misworded tweet” that was meant “to have the opposite effect.” pic.twitter.com/LWsz5GIlYW
— The View (@TheView) September 17, 2019
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