Betsy DeVos unveils rules bolstering rights of accused college rapists

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday unveiled new campus sexual assault rules that bolster the rights of accused rapists and reduce legal liabilities for colleges.

The dramatic shift — including giving accused sex attackers the right to cross-examine their alleged victims — rolls back zero tolerance policies that DeVos claims led to some students being railroaded.

“We can continue to combat sexual misconduct without abandoning our core values of fairness, presumption of innocence and due process,” she said.

Under the new rules, students on both sides must be given equal access to evidence gathered in the school’s investigation and be allowed to bring an adviser or lawyer to the proceedings.

Colleges must also allow students on both sides of a case to question one another during live hearings. The grilling would be done through representatives to avoid direct confrontation, but opponents have said it’s a cruel policy that forces victims to relive the trauma of sexual violence.

"Survivors will get the message loud and clear that there is no point in reporting assault,” said Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of The National Women’s Law Center. “We refuse to go back to the days when rape and harassment in schools were ignored and swept under the rug.”