Joe Biden has a few things to say when it comes to the Brock Turner rape case.
And those things are all directed at the woman this former Stanford University student assaulted last year.
As previously reported in detail, Turner was convicted in March on three felony counts of sexual assault.
But the case went viral last week after the judge sentenced Turner to a mere six months in county jail, despite guidelines permitting a punishment as harsh as 14 years in state prison.
Prosecutors had argued for six years.
The Internet has been in a collective outrage over the judge’s decision, spurred on by the victim’s moving statement.
She stood up in court after the sentencing was announced and read a letter that outlined the effects this rape has had on her over the past 18 months.
It’s well worth your time to listen to read aloud by a CNN anchor below:
Turner himself has also issued a revolting statement, almost painting himself as a victim of the “binge drinking” culture in college.
But now the Vice President of the United States has stepped in to address the true victim in this situation.
“I do not know your name – but your words are forever seared on my soul. Words that should be required reading for men and women of all ages,” Biden’s letter reads.
It goes on:
I am in awe of your courage for speaking out – for so clearly naming the wrongs that were done to you and so passionately asserting your equal claim to human dignity.
And I am filled with furious anger. Both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth.
It’s true.
The judge who handed out such a lenient sentence to Turner said he feared anything worse would have a negative “impact” on the young man. Yes, he really said this about a rapist.
“The statistics on college sexual assault haven’t gone down in the past two decades. It’s obscene, and it’s a failure that lies at all our feet,” Biden adds.
“And you were failed by anyone who dared to question this one clear and simple truth: Sex without consent is rape. Period. It is a crime.”
Yes it is. Thank you for saying all of this, Mr. Vice President.
In related news, while it also does not make up for such a light prison term, USA Swimming has banned Brock Turner for life.
Says the organization in a statement:
“USA Swimming strictly prohibits and has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, with firm Code of Conduct policies in place, and severe penalties, including a permanent ban of membership, for those who violate our Code of Conduct.”
