Kavanaugh denies second misconduct claim
In a statement provided by the White House, Judge Kavanaugh said the event “did not happen” and that the allegation was “a smear, plain and simple.” A White House spokeswoman added in a second statement that the allegation was “designed to tear down a good man.”
The new information came hours after the Senate committee agreed to a date and time for a hearing after nearly a week of uncertainty over whether Ms. Ford would appear to tell her story.
The agreement and the latest accusation set the stage for a dramatic showdown as Judge Kavanaugh and Ms. Ford each tell their side of the story. The developments could also determine the fate of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, which hangs on the votes of a handful of senators.
It had seemed assured before Ms. Ford, a 51-year-old California college professor, went public a week ago with her allegation that Judge Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when they were in high school.
Judge Kavanaugh, 53, an appellate court judge, has denied Ms. Ford’s allegation and said he wanted to testify as soon as possible to clear his name.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrangled with Ms. Ford’s lawyers for the last week over the exact terms of her appearance. She made several requests, some of which were accommodated — a Thursday hearing, three days later than originally scheduled, and a smaller hearing room with less press access to avoid a media circus, for example. Mr. Grassley’s staff also agreed to let Ms. Ford testify without Judge Kavanaugh in the room, for there to be only one camera in the room, “adequate” breaks and a high security presence.
The committee said it would not negotiate on other points, though, including Ms. Ford’s desire for additional witnesses and a request to testify after, not before, Judge Kavanaugh.
“As with any witness who comes before the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses,” Mike Davis, Mr. Grassley’s top nominations counsel, wrote in an email exchange with Ms. Ford’s lawyers obtained by The Associated Press. “The committee determines which witnesses to call, how many witnesses to call, in what order to call them, and who will question them. These are non-negotiable.”
Ms. Ford’s lawyers said it was still unclear who will ask questions, as Republicans were trying to hire an outside female counsel who could take over the questioning. The 11 senators on the GOP side of the dais are all men, which could send an unwanted message on live television against the backdrop of the #MeToo era. They could also use Republican staff attorneys on the committee.
Democratic senators were expected to ask their own questions.
“We were told no decision has been made on this important issue, even though various senators have been dismissive of her account and should have to shoulder their responsibility to ask her questions,” the attorneys for Ms. Ford said in a statement.
As he builds a case for his innocence, Judge Kavanaugh plans to turn over to the committee calendars from the summer of 1982 that don’t show a party consistent with Ms. Ford’s description of the gathering in which she says he attacked her, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper reported that it had examined the calendars and noted they list basketball games, movie outings, football workouts, college interviews and a few parties with names of friends other than those identified by Ms. Ford.
A person working on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation confirmed the Times account to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.