TESTIMONY

In a letter to the committee Saturday afternoon, lawyers for Ford 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.

The move by Ford, 51, a research psychologist in California, 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.

The tentative deal came as White House officials and Republicans on Capitol Hill were growing increasingly frustrated at what they said was a ploy to delay Monday’s vote. Republicans had been pressing for Ford, if she were to agree to testify, to do so Wednesday.

Testimony by Ford would set up a potentially explosive showdown. It could also

greatly complicate matters for Kavanaugh, who just last week seemed destined for confirmation.

The letter from Ford’s lawyers to the Judiciary Committee was the latest turn in an on-again, offagain negotiation that began cordially with Ford voicing an openness to testifying but quickly turned acrimonious. There have been several sticking points, including who would question her at a hearing — Republicans want an outside counsel; Ford would prefer to be questioned by senators — and how many news media cameras would be present. The lawyers have also asked for the committee to subpoena testimony from a high school friend of Kavanaugh’s who Ford has said witnessed the assault.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he has enough votes to confirm Kavanaugh, but with at least two Republicans in the Senate undecided and with the party holding only a 51-49 majority, it is hardly assured. It is increasingly unlikely that Kavanaugh will have the support of even a single Senate Democrat.

Privately, Republican senators were working to resolve

differences among themselves about how to proceed. Some favored cutting off negotiations over the hearing and moving swiftly to a vote, while others pushed to accommodate Ford’s wishes.

One of those who has favored accommodation, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon that he saw progress. "This is good," he wrote.

Among the many considerations, according to one official close to the discussions, was how Republican voters would react to any move to push past the allegations. President Donald Trump suggested at a rally on Friday night that he believes that the public, including many women, want to "fight for" Kavanaugh.

After breaking his silence about Ford on Friday and questioning her allegations, the president on Saturday stayed mum about her, heeding the advice of aides who have warned him repeatedly against appearing to attack her.

Ford’s accusations have rocked official Washington, evoking memories of the 1991 confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by law professor Anita

Hill. They have further energized Democrats, and women particularly, in a midterm election in which Republicans are struggling to court the female vote.

Ford has said that a drunken Kavanaugh assaulted her during a small party in suburban Washington when they were both in high school. As a friend watched, she said, he pushed her onto a bed, jumped on top of her, groped her, covered her mouth, and tried to remove her clothing. Ford was able to leave the room when the friend jumped atop both of them, she said.

The friend, whom Ford identified as Mark Judge, says he does not remember anything like what she has described.

Officials said Kavanaugh, who spent much of this past week at the White House preparing for a hearing, was well rehearsed and ready to appear on Capitol Hill if senators opted to go forward with such a session. At mock hearings last week, according to a White House official, he practiced fielding specific questions about the accusations and deflecting broad inquiries about his social life, such as his general drinking habits.