Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Thursday blamed Republicans for the nearly two-week delay in scheduling the hearing to address sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, even though it was his accuser who pushed several times for a delay.
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Feinstein asked Kavanaugh why he wouldn’t support an FBI investigation about the allegations, and Kavanaugh replied that he wanted to testify as soon as he could.
“I wanted to be here right away,” he said.
“Well, the difficult thing is, these hearings are set, and set by the majority,” Feinstein said.
But Republicans on the committee have noted for the last several days that it was Christine Blasey Ford, his accuser, and her lawyers who delayed the hearing.
Republicans on the committee said they learned about the accusation on Sept. 16, and on Sept. 17, set up a hearing on Monday, Sept. 24, to hear testimony.
On the same day, the committee sent several emails to Ford’s lawyers, but got no response.
On Sept. 18, Ford’s lawyers sought a delay in the hearing, and argued in part that she would not be able to make it in time for Sept. 24.
By Sept. 20, Ford’s lawyers set out the conditions that must be met before she would agree to a hearing. By the 21st, the committee set a 10 p.m. deadline to hear from her.
Those negotiations continued through the weekend, and by Sept. 23, Ford’s team agreed to today’s hearing on Sept. 27.
