What Is The Price Of Your Soul....

[Laxman]

Ms. Mitchell? What are you doing in Washington, DC and why are you there? What will you go home to? Long ago and far away, in a place so different than where I am now that it seems like it must have happened to someone else, I spent some time prosecuting sexual assault crimes. My reputation and my credibility were the most important assets that I possessed. If I couldn't establish a relationship of trust with the victims I wouldn't have been able to bring one case to trial. From this day forward, what victim will look at you as someone who can be respected. Who will have the confidence that they can share painful and traumatic experiences with you? Why have you sold your most important resource for a few moments on the national stage?

I'll say this, prosecuting sexual assault cases is not for the faint of heart. Give me a good old murder or robbery any day. Those were crimes I could understand and live with. Rape and sexual abuse? Those crimes stay with you forever. That's just as the prosecutor. The victims? Well, since you know the job just as well as I do, you understand just what it means to them. And yet here you are trying to undermine the credibility of a very credible witness. Which goes back to the earlier question. Just what the hell are you doing in Washington, DC? How are you going to go back to Maricopa County and look the next woman you have to interview for a prosecution in the eyes and have her know you've got her back? Good luck with that.

The irony is that whatever it is that the Republicans brought you in to do, well, frankly, you're not very good at it. Whatever they thought you could accomplish for them, it didn't quite work out. And who exactly hired you anyway? Whoever it was, whatever they are paying you, I doubt it was worth your while.

[lapfog_1]

1. everything Trump touches, even indirectly,

turns to shit.

Let's hope our nation can survive this asshole

[Laxman]

2. Anyone And Everyone....

who comes into his orbit ends up sullied. I'm at a loss to comprehend why someone would risk their career for this circus. Did Rachel Mitchell think this would end well? Did she think she was doing something good for the country? Good Lord, bad judgement on parade.

[Doreen]

3. All of those years of working her ass off to become a prosecutor in a male

driven world and then she accepts being called in front of the entire world "an assistant?" What do they have on her to bring her down to accepting "an assistant" title?

[Laxman]

5. After This....

I don't know what career she has. It's hard to explain what it is like to sit in a room with a victim of sexual assault and get them to talk to you about what happened to them, let alone convince them to go into court and take the witness stand with their attacker sitting in the same courtroom. It's not an act or even a skill that you learn (although you do "learn" what not to do) it's an ability that is based on sincerity, honesty and humanity. She has exposed herself as cynical and mercenary. I don't know how any victim can trust her ever again.

[alwaysinasnit]

4. Very thoughful post. What I gather is that you have, at the very least, sympathy if not empathy

for survivors of sexual assault. I don't think Ms. Mitchell does, and so she wouldn't be hampered by the valid concerns you raise.

[Laxman]

6. There Is A Quality....

that you must have that will get people who have been traumatized to open up to you. They need to trust you. You're going to go through some really difficult experiences together if the case goes to trial. There's no faking it. Human decency, belief in dignity and trust are all you've got. Try as you might, you can never really know what the person sitting in that room with you experienced. Even so, years later those cases still haunt me. I don't know how Ms. Mitchell takes on the role of trying to undermine a credible witness. She can't be immune to those same feelings. After that, I don't know how she returns to her old job and how any victim looks at her as someone to be trusted ever again.

[alwaysinasnit]

7. Thank you for your past and current sensitivity to these survivors. I truly hope Ms. Mitchell is

capable of learning from this debacle and that she returns to her normal life with a better understanding and respect for survivors of sexual assault. I wish you peace.