Kavanaugh accuser agrees to speak to US Senate panel
WASHINGTON (AP) —Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault from decades ago, accepted the request to speak to the panel next week about the alleged incident, her lawyers told the Senate Judiciary Committee staff on Saturday.
“Dr. Ford accepts the committee’s request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week,” Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, attorneys representing Ford, wrote in a message to the committee.
Some details of the hearing, such as the order of their appearance, remained in negotiation. Talks were expected to continue this week.
The tentative accord could bring to a close days of high-stakes brinkmanship that have roiled Washington ahead of midterm elections and threated to jeopardize Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the court.
Tensions have been running on overdrive since Ford, a 51-year-old college professor in California, went public with her allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were at a house party in high school.
Kavanaugh, 53, an appellate court judge, denied the allegation and said he wanted to testify as soon as possible to clear his name.
Ford initially indicated she wanted to tell her story to the committee, but talks dragged on as her lawyers negotiated terms of her appearance.
Republicans grew frustrated as Ford’s lawyers insisted on a hearing next Thursday rather than today or even Wednesday and made other requests, some of which the committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley rejected.
Democrats, against the backdrop of the (hash)MeToo movement, countered that Ford should be shown respect and given accommodation to tell her story.