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Speier Nominates Blasey Ford For Profiles In Courage Award

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Peninsula Congresswoman Jackie Speier nominated Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford on Tuesday for the prestigious Profiles in Courage Award.

In a tweet, Speier called Ford -- "a true American (s)hero who sacrificed so much to do what was right for our country and for the pursuit of truth of justice ... She is an inspiration to us all."

The John F Kennedy Library award annually honors "a public official at the federal, state, or local level whose actions demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of Profiles in Courage, President Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book."

Blasey Ford, a Palo Alto college professor, came forward with allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during their high school years. She appeared before a Congressional hearing, standing by her story and triggering a national controversy over Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

What followed was an online campaign of harassment and threats that drove Blasey Ford into hiding after she feared for the safety of herself and her family.

Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed to the Court by a narrow margin in a Senate vote.

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