Clinton applauds Stanford sexual assault victim’s letter

Hillary Clinton applauded the Stanford sexual assault victim who wrote about her experience in a letter that went viral earlier this month.

{mosads}“I was struck by [the letter’s] heartbreaking power,” Clinton said in an interview with The Huffington Post on Wednesday.

“It took great courage and I think she has done an important service for others,” she added. “What I’ve heard about this case is deeply concerning. It is clear campus sexual assault continues to be a serious problem. And I’ve said before and I will continue to say it is not enough to condemn it. We must find ways to end it.”

The anonymous letter brought national attention to the case, in which Brock Turner, a swimmer at Stanford, was convicted of sexually assaulting the woman after he was found raping her behind a dumpster on campus.

The judge was widely condemned when he sentenced Turner to six months in jail for a crime that carried a maximum sentence of 14 years. 

And he was removed this week from hearing another sexual assault case. The Santa Clara District Attorney’s office requested that Judge Aaron Persky be disqualified from the case, which involved a male nurse who allegedly sexually assaulted a female patient while she was sedated.

The victim’s letter, which went viral after being published on Buzzfeed, has drawn praise from several lawmakers.

Vice President Biden wrote his own response, praising the unnamed 23-year-old woman for her bravery.

“I do not know your name — but I know that a lot of people failed you that terrible January night and in the months that followed,” Biden wrote in the open letter that was also published on BuzzFeed.

“It must have been wrenching — to relive what he did to you all over again. But you did it anyway, in the hope that your strength might prevent this crime from happening to someone else. Your bravery is breathtaking.”

And Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) took to the House floor to read the letter aloud last week.

Clinton on Wednesday emphasized that she has laid out a plan for addressing campus sexual assault that would include making it easier for victims to come forward and would raise awareness about the issue among students.

“Our country is waking up to this challenge,” she said, emphasizing that she “will prioritize [it] as president.”