It’s appears the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual abuse will get to testify at a Senate hearing this week, before his nomination goes up for a vote. Sunday, Christine Blasey Ford went public with her story. The California professor alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her 35 years. She told the Washington Post, “I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” “he was trying to attack me and remove my clothing,”
Shortly after the story was published several Senators said a vote scheduled for this week, should be delayed. The Boston Globe reports:
Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flake joined Democrats in seeking to delay a crucial committee vote set for Thursday so lawmakers can further examine the allegations after the Washington Post published a detailed account from the accuser.
Donald Trump is said to be livid about the allegations against Kavanaugh and as Bloomberg reports:
President Donald Trump won’t withdraw the nomination and the administration is gearing up for a counteroffensive, a White House official said. The Trump team plans to try to discredit the charges for surfacing late in the confirmation process and to question the credibility of the accuser because she didn’t tell anybody about the incident at the time, the official said.
The White House sees no good options on the table, per multiple people close to the process. They recognize a hearing is perilous. But at moment, pushing ahead with a hearing seems better than having Kavanaugh, who’s adamant he didn’t do it, withdraw, per those in discussions.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 17, 2018
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway had a rare moment this morning that seems to run counter to Trump’s thoughts saying Ford should testify under oath.
Kellyanne Conway moments ago on Kavanaugh's accuser: "This woman should not be insulted and she should not be ignored."
Says she should be heard as well as Kavanaugh.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) September 17, 2018
Some involved in the process are going to urge Senate leaders to call on the accuser — Christine Blasey Ford, who went on the record with The Washington Post’s Emma Brown — to testify publicly this week, ahead of Thursday’s scheduled Judiciary Committee vote. This gambit basically bets that she will decline, and Republicans can then say that they tried to investigate further.
If that is their gamble they may lose. Ford’s lawyer says she is willing to tell Congress her story.
“Is your client willing to testify before the Judiciary Committee publicly and tell this story?” –@savannahguthrie
“She is. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth.” -Debra Katz, attorney for Kavanaugh accuser pic.twitter.com/V3BRF43nGK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 17, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh's accuser's lawyer: "I think that her story has to be carefully listened to and vetted." https://t.co/LAi9GdR6vd pic.twitter.com/b1LToKMU4J
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 17, 2018
It’s important to note that while Ford would testify, her attorney says she hasn’t been asked to do so yet.
Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that Kavanaugh has hired his own attorney and is prepared to answer questions about these accusations as well. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination Thursday.
It's premature to reach any certain conclusions yet, which is why it would be premature to schedule a vote.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) September 17, 2018
