Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opened a high-stakes hearing during which Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford will testify before senators with a plea for civility, apologizing to both Kavanaugh and Ford for the way they’ve been treated.
“Both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have been through a terrible couple weeks,” Grassley said during his opening statement. “They and their families have received vile threats. What they have endured ought to be considered by all of us as unacceptable and a poor refection on the state of civility in our democracy. So I want to apologize to you both for the way you’ve been treated and I intend hopefully for today’s hearing to be safe, comfortable, and dignified for both of our witnesses.”
Grassley urged the other 20 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to join him “in this effort for a show of civility.”
Thursday’s hearing comes after Ford alleged Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a party at a Maryland house in 1982.
Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the allegation.
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Since she came forward with her claims, speaking to The Washington Post, two other women have publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, allegations he has also denied.
During his opening statement, Grassley condemned the Democrats on the panel, and specifically Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the committee’s top Democrat, for failing to pass along a letter Ford initially sent to Feinstein detailing the alleged incident in July.
Had Feinstein shared the details of the letter, he said, Ford’s allegation could have been investigated by the FBI confidentially. Instead, Grassley accused Feinstein of referring the matter to the federal authorities in the “11th hour” on the eve of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Her allegation, Grassley, said, were subsequently leaked to the press.
“This is a shameful way to treat our witness, who insisted on confidentiality, and of course Judge Kavanaugh, who has had to address these allegations in the midst of a media circus,” he said.
Grassley emphasized that Kavanaugh has undergone six background investigations by the FBI and answered a slew of questions — both in person and through written answers — from the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The allegations, he said, were never raised.
Ford will testify before Kavanaugh on Thursday. Republicans have hired Rachel Mitchell, an experienced sex crimes prosecutor, to ask questions of Ford and Kavanaugh on their behalf.
