Accuser clear to testify Thursday
Date is acceptable, but other details are still being worked out
WASHINGTON» Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, moved closer Saturday to reaching an agreement with Republicans for her to testify at a Senate hearing Thursday.
According to multiple people familiar with Saturday discussions that took place between Ford’s lawyers and committee representatives, a Thursday hearing — Ford’s favored date for the session — would not be a sticking point if the parties are able to work out other terms of her appearance.
The emerging accord marked the most concrete signs of progress yet in highstakes negotiations that seemed to be at an impasse at the start of the weekend. Still, the Senate has made no public announcement of a hearing, and those close to the situation cautioned that they still needed to
resolve some disagreements. “Dr. Ford accepts the Committee’s request to provide her firsthand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week,” said attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks in an email to the staff of Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, Riowa, although they stopped short of accepting Grassley’s offer of a Wednesday hearing. They called much of Grassley’s offer “inconsistent with the Committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations” and requested a followup conversation later in the day to continue negotiating.
Sen. Jeff Flake, Rariz., a key swing Republican vote on the panel, said Saturday that he would not mind if the hearing took place Thursday.
As negotiations continued, Leland Keyser, a woman who Ford said was present at the party where she alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her, came forward to say she had “no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present,” according to an email her lawyer sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, obtained by The Washington Post.
Before her name became public, Ford told The Post she did not think Keyser would remember the party because nothing remarkable had happened there, as far as Keyser was aware. Ford has said she did not tell anyone about the alleged assault until 2012.
The email marked the latest turn in the tense showdown between Republican senators and Ford that has hovered over Kavanaugh’s nomination for days. Ford first told her story publicly in an interview with The Washington Post published last Sunday. Kavanaugh has firmly denied her allegations.
Ford’s legal team planned to continue to press for a Thursday hearing, according to a person familiar with the lawyers’ thinking. During a Saturday call, the parties discussed the option of holding the hearing Thursday and agreed to continue their negotiations on Sunday, according to people familiar with the conversation.
Several Republicans were skeptical of Ford’s offer. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, Rtexas, tweeted the hashtag “#Ropeadope,” referencing to a boxing strategy of trying to tire out an opponent by making them consistently go on offense.
“We have heard about different dates, conditions and everchanging schedules, but today we appear no closer to a fair hearing,” White House spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said late Saturday. “But one thing has remained consistent: Brett Kavanaugh remains ready, willing and eager to testify as soon as possible.”
A senior White House official charged that Ford’s legal team was trying “to continue ‘negotiations’ without committing to anything.”
“It’s a clever way to push off the vote Monday without committing to appear Wednesday,” the official said.
The official was referring to plans Grassley had set in motion Friday for the Judiciary Committee to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination Monday if his demand for a Wednesday hearing was rejected by Ford or he did not receive a response. After Katz asked for more time to reply, Grassley extended his deadline for a decision to Saturday afternoon.