Kavanaugh accuser tentatively agrees to testify Thursday
WASHINGTON — A tentative agreement was reached Saturday for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hear testimony Thursday from Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault from decades ago.
After a brief call late Saturday, the lawyers and aides to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, planned to talk again Sunday morning to continue negotiations over the conditions of the testimony, according to three people familiar with the call. Aides to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the committee’s top Democrat, were also involved.
One person familiar with the call said Kavanaugh also would appear.
Some details of the hearing, such as the order of their appearance, remained in negotiation, and talks were expected to continue Sunday.
The tentative accord could bring to a close days of highstakes brinkmanship that have roiled Washington ahead of midterm elections and threatened to jeopardize Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the court.
If no final deal is made, Grassley will be left to decide Sunday
whether to move ahead with a committee vote on Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination scheduled for Monday. Kavanaugh, who has vigorously denied the allegations, has repeatedly expressed his desire to testify.
In a letter to the committee Saturday afternoon, lawyers for Blasey said they were hopeful an agreement could be reached on the details.
“Dr. Ford accepts the committee’s request to provide her firsthand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week,” they wrote. The lawyers called details of Grassley’s proposal “fundamentally inconsistent with the committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations” but said they hoped to reach an agreement anyway.
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 Monday or even Wednesday.
Republicans viewed Ford’s requests as a way to delay voting on President Donald Trump’s nominee. Democrats, against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, countered that Ford should be shown respect and given accommodation to tell her story.
Adviser quits after sex allegation
A communications adviser to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, RIowa, during the Supreme Court confirmation fight has abruptly resigned after an accusation of sexual harassment.
Garrett Ventry resigned Friday. He denies the allegation.
NBC News reported Saturday that Ventry was let go from a position in the office of North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell in 2017 after a female GOP staffer in the North Carolina General Assembly accused him of sexual harassment.