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Insights from a Women's Advocate Who Knows Her
A women's advocate and rape crisis counselor who has befriended Juanita Broaddrick told NewsMax.com on Sunday that the Clinton accuser has no political or financial motive and has not timed her allegation to coincide with the President's Senate impeachment trial. But despite Broaddrick's lack of ulterior motives, her friend believes that NBC News will not air the January 20 interview Broaddrick gave to Lisa Myers until the trial is over. This friend, with years of experience with women like Broaddrick, stressed that her relationship with the alleged Clinton rape victim is primarily supportive -- and that she is neither Broaddrick's spokesperson nor has she counseled her in a professional capacity. Since the Rapegate controversy exploded two weeks ago, Broaddrick's friend has become the target of what she says appears to be a White House inspired intelligence-gathering operation. She agreed to be interviewed by NewsMax.com only on condition of anonymity, sharing insights on rape and the challenges confronted by victims like Broaddrick. Why do rape victims like Juanita Broaddrick often wait so long before coming forward? "The experience of rape can intimidate the victim for years ñ possibly forever. Many women who've had it happen never report it. It's far worse when the perpetrator is a powerful person like Clinton. Society finds a woman more credible when she's accusing someone of lower status who just jumped her from behind the bushes. It's the well connected perpetrator who most often gets away with it." Does the average rapist do it only once? "No. While rapists are completely capable of having normal relations with their wives and girlfriends, once they rape, they often do it again -- especially if they know they can get away with it." How do rape victims and their counselors feel when feminist leaders turn away from sexual abuse victims like Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick? "We keep in contact with women across the nation who've had things like this happen. And I can tell you, they were really upset with Clinton even before Juanita's case came to the forefront. It's annoying when people think Gloria Steinem and Patricia Ireland speak for us." Do experts recommend that women like Broaddrick come forward? "As a rule we generally don't encourage rape victims to go public because we know what happens to them. It's very unpleasant because most people don't want to believe the victims. A victim like Juanita may think she can get this out of her system with one interview and then it will be over. But it will never be over. Her life will be changed forever. I never advised Juanita to come forward." If NBC won't run her interview, why doesn't she just go to another network? "People who say she should take her story elsewhere don't understand that most victims are emotionally exhausted after an interview like that. It's not easy to recount the intimate, embarrassing details of a rape experience. Now that NBC won't run it immediately, it's almost like saying they don't believe her. That's every rape victim's nightmare. Besides, what guarantee does she have that the next network won't do the same? "It's Juanita's decision to do what she feels is best for her. Victims tend to think with their emotions. The truth comes out on their own terms and on their timetable, as frustrating as that may seem to others who care deeply about the victim's well being." Could President Clinton ever be prosecuted on the basis of Broaddrick's charge? "No way. The statute of limitations for rape in Arkansas is 6 or 7 years. He's not going to be prosecuted no matter how much evidence she has." Do many rape victims come forward after waiting 20 years, as Juanita Broaddrick has. "Oh yeah. The majority stay silent forever but we've had several who have sought counseling after 10, 15, 20 years of keeping the assault secret. We get referrals from psychiatrists who say they have a patient that needs to talk to us. And we try to be there for them if they have a panic attack or a nightmare -- or if they run into their rapist, which does happen." According to an ABC News investigation, which was revealed through an inter-office memo uncovered by NewsMax.com's executive editor, Christopher Ruddy, Juanita Broaddrick did encounter her alleged rapist thirteen years after her assault. The memo recounts an incident just before Clinton announced presidential his bid. Clinton had Broaddrick pulled from a meeting and offered what ABC insiders describe as an "apology". He also asked her "if there was anything he could do." (See: Leaked ABC News Memo Details Rape Allegations -- NewsMax.com, Dec. 22. 1998) Was Clinton's offer to help Broaddrick an attempted bribe? "I can only tell you that Juanita never took anything to stay silent. I know one of the witnesses associated with this case, Phil Yoakum, has made that charge. But it's not true." Would Broaddrick have felt intimidated when Clinton, as governor, compelled her to meet him again? "It's rare that a rapist will seek his victim out again but it happens. Usually an encounter like that, even with others present, puts the victim into a state of shock. So she would probably just listen to him as long as it was in a non-threatening situation. But I won't comment on whether Juanita herself felt intimidated or not. I can't speak for her." Based on court documents that claim Broaddrick had been intimidated, House Judiciary Committee members considered calling her as a witness in the Clinton impeachment trial. In interviews with investigators from both the Office of Independent Counsel and the Judiciary Committee, Broaddrick would not say she was threatened. But the question arises: What happened in that 1991 meeting between Juanita Broaddrick and Bill Clinton? Was her second encounter with her alleged rapist an intimidating experience in and of itself? Would other rape victims be frightened if the governor of their state, who just happened to be their onetime tormentor, summoned them to a meeting? The person who counsels women like Broaddrick won't say what her friend actually felt at that moment, adding only: "Right now I'm concerned for her because I believe NBC is jerking her around. And the longer NBC waits, the more time the White House has to discredit her. It took all that she had to make the decision to grant an interview. Now that she has made that decision, Juanita's story should be heard." |
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