 Accuser to testify: Christine Blasey Ford of Palo Alto reaches a tentative deal to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

WASHINGTON — The woman who has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers said Saturday she was willing to testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but asked for more time to continue negotiating the details of her appearance.

That left it up to Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to decide whether to grant the extra time or move ahead with a committee vote on Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination scheduled for Monday.

In a letter to the committee, lawyers for the woman, Christine Blasey Ford, said they were hopeful that an agreement could be reached on the details and asked to schedule further talks for Saturday afternoon. Ford’s representatives separately said that she wanted to appear before the committee Thursday, though that detail had not been finalized; Republicans want her to appear Wednesday.

The move by Ford, 51, a research psychologist in Palo Alto, came after an extended back-and-forth between her lawyers and top Judiciary Committee aides. Grassley had set 2:30 p.m. Saturday as a final deadline for Ford to agree or decline to appear.

Grassley’s spokesman had no immediate comment on the Ford letter, but a White House official suggested that her seeming acceptance was no acceptance at all, calling it a ploy to delay the Monday vote.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member of the committee, echoed the White House criticism. “Worth noting that this is exactly where we were on Monday morning — without agreeing to a date, time, and terms we are no closer to hearing from Dr. Ford then we were when her lawyers said Dr. Ford was willing to testify during their media tour.”

Testimony by Ford could greatly complicate matters for Kavanaugh, who has vigorously denied Ford’s allegations and just last week seemed destined for confirmation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that he has enough votes, but with at least two Republicans in the Senate undecided and with the party holding only a 51-49 majority, confirmation is hardly assured.

Ford’s accusations have further energized Democrats, and women particularly, in a midterm election in which Republicans are struggling to court the female vote.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a New York Times writer.

Andrew Harnik / Associated Press Brett Kavanaugh, seen appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee this month, has been accused by a Bay Area woman of sexually assaulting her more than 30 years ago.