A tentative deal will have Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser testify Thursday.
The Associated Press reported the tentative deal between the Senate Judiciary Committee and attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party while the two were in high school, Saturday evening.
The deal follows several days of negotiation between Ford’s attorneys and the committee and several deadlines extended to Ford’s team about her testimony, after her accusation roiled the nomination. Her attorneys responded to a 2:30 p.m. deadline accepting the invitation to appear, pending the working out of certain details.
According to a report from the New York Times, Ford’s attorneys and aides to committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will continue negotiations Sunday morning on the details of the conditions of Ford’s testimony.
Some Republicans, including Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, regarded Ford’s acceptance of the committee’s invitation Saturday afternoon with pending conditions as a delaying tactic.
White House statement issued Sunday evening ahead of news of the deal that said Kavanaugh, who has denied the accusation, “is eager to testify publicly to defend his integrity and clear his good name.”
