When Christine Blasey Ford came forward last weekend to publicly accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school, Senate Democrats clamored for Republicans to allow her to testify about her story. On Monday, Ford’s lawyer Debra Katz was asked on the Today show if Ford was willing to testify publicly. “She is,” Katz said. “She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth, yes.” Now, Ford is protesting that a hearing scheduled for next week would be too soon.
On Tuesday, Ford’s lawyers sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is handling Kavanaugh’s confirmation, insisting that the FBI investigate her charge before she testifies to the committee.
“While Dr. Ford’s life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident,” they wrote. “The hearing was scheduled for six short days from today and would include interrogation by Senators who appear to have made up their minds that she is ‘mistaken’ and ‘mixed up.’”
“A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions,” the letter added.
Committee Democrats quickly backed up the letter. “We should honor Dr. Blasey Ford’s wishes and delay this hearing,” ranking member Dianne Feinstein said in a statement. “A proper investigation must be completed, witnesses interviewed, evidence reviewed, and all sides spoken to. Only then should the chairman set a hearing date.”
But the letter provoked protests from committee Republicans, who disputed the claim that Ford had been asked to testify on the same panel as Kavanaugh and insisted that an FBI inquiry was not necessary for Ford to share her “personal knowledge and memory of events.”
“Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr. Ford tells the committee, so there is no reason for any further delay,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said in a statement.
If Ford declines to appear at the scheduled Judiciary Committee hearing next Monday, there is no guarantee Republicans will agree to delay the scheduled confirmation vote again. GOP leaders had originally intended to hold the committee vote Thursday, and only pushed it back a week after several Senate Republicans insisted that Ford must be given a chance to speak. One of those Republicans, Arizona senator Jeff Flake, tweeted Tuesday night: “When Dr. Ford came forward, I said that her voice should be heard and asked the Judiciary Committee to delay its vote on Judge Kavanaugh. It did so. I now implore Dr. Ford to accept the invitation for Monday, in a public or private setting. The committee should hear her voice.” Moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters: “If she isn’t going to be part of the hearing, that would be a very interesting and unfortunate turn of events.”
Even before Ford’s eleventh-hour letter Tuesday, Senate Republicans were chafing at what they characterized as political obstruction from the Democrats, who have been eager to delay votes on Kavanaugh’s confirmation for as long as possible since long before the allegation became public. Republicans have charged Democrats with attempting to stymie the confirmation until after the November midterm elections, and with weaponizing Ford’s allegation to achieve that political end.
“They did not raise it in the closed session, the proper forum where such an allegation could have been addressed with discretion and sensitivity,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday. “They did not raise it in the thousand-plus follow-up questions that senators sent to Judge Kavanaugh in writing. But now, at the 11th hour, with committee votes on the schedule, after Democrats have spent weeks and weeks searching for any possible reason that the nomination should be delayed—now they choose to introduce this allegation.”
President Donald Trump echoed McConnell’s critique during a joint press conference with President Duda of Poland Tuesday afternoon.
“This should have been brought to the fore. It should have been brought up long ago. And that’s what you have hearings for. You don’t wait until the hearing is over and then, all of a sudden, bring it up,” Trump said. “Why didn’t the Democrats bring it up then? Because they obstruct and because they resist. That’s the name of their campaign against me. . . . And it’s a shame, because this is a great gentleman.”
