Christine Blasey Ford has agreed to publicly testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding her allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh drunkenly forced himself on her while the pair were in high school.
“Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr. Ford believes it is important for senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her,” lawyers for Ford, now a California-based professor, wrote Sunday in a statement sent to reporters.
Ford’s legal team said they would take part in a public session set for 10 a.m. on Sept. 27. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley confirmed the time and date on the panel’s website.
“She has agreed to move forward with a hearing even though the committee has refused to subpoena Mark Judge,” Ford’s lawyers continued, referring to a friend of Kavanaugh’s from Georgetown Preparatory School, who Ford claims was in the bedroom when Kavanaugh groped her over her clothes during a party in a Maryland home.
Ford’s attorneys have been engaged in high-stakes negotiations with Grassley, R-Iowa, over the parameters for their client’s testimony since she went public last week with her allegation. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied any sexual misconduct.
Ford’s legal team on Sunday expressed particular concern over the committee’s refusal to include other witnesses, other than Kavanaugh himself, to speak before the panel.
“A number of important procedural and logistical issues remain unresolved, although they will not impede the hearing taking place,” they said. “Among those issues is who on the majority side will be asking the questions, whether senators or staff attorneys.”
Grassley’s legal counsel said Sunday the chairman was pleased Ford had accepted an invitation to face the panel and promised to “do everything in his power to provide a safe, comfortable, and dignified forum” for her to speak.
“Again, as with any witness who comes before the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses,” the staffer wrote in an email shared with the press. “The Committee determines which witnesses to call, how many witnesses to call, in what order to call them, and who will question them. These are non-negotiable.”
The panel later released a statement standing by its effort to investigate Ford’s allegation, arguing it had contacted at least four potential witnesses and one person who initially said they had secondhand knowledge of the incident but all had declined to sit for a confidential interview.
Ford had been holding out on agreeing to testify in hopes that the FBI would probe her accusation, but President Trump refused to order an inquiry. The GOP majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite repeatedly pushing back deadlines for Ford, remained committed to scheduling an appearance as soon as possible.
A committee vote regarding Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court that was set for Monday was postponed as lawmakers prepare to dive deeper into the allegation.
