Supreme Court nominee accuser agrees to testify
Washington, Sept. 23: The woman whose sexual assault allegation threatens to bring down President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has agreed to testify in the Senate, her lawyers said Saturday, setting up a dramatic showdown next week.
Christine Blasey Ford’s decision followed days of negotiations and came after Trump turned against her and said her accusation could not be true.
After the Senate Judiciary Committee received a message from Ford’s lawyers, several members confirmed she had accepted their committee’s request to testify.
“Dr Blasey Ford will testify next week. She has shown tremendous courage in the face of death threats and harassment and deserves respect as final details for the hearing are worked out,” Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein tweeted. Hours later, multiple outlets including Politico and The Daily Beast reported the hearing would take place on Thursday, citing sources familiar with a phone call between the committee and Ford’s lawyers.
Ford alleges that Brett Kavanaugh Kavanaugh drunkenly assaulted her at a party when he was 17, she was 15 and they were attending private schools outside Washington in the 1980s.
Kavanaugh denies knowledge of any such assault and wants to give his side of the story to the committee. — AFP
CHRISTINE BLASEY Ford’s decision came after Trump said her accusation could not be true.
TESTIMONY BEFORE Senate panel is likely to be on Thursday