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Brett Kavanaugh’s Accuser Says She’s Willing to Testify Before Judiciary Committee Brett Kavanaugh’s Accuser Says She’s Willing to Testify Before Judiciary Committee
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — The woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers said on Saturday that 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.WASHINGTON — The woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers said on Saturday that 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 Senator Charles E. Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to decide whether to grant the extra time or move ahead with a committee vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination scheduled for Monday. That left it up to Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to decide whether to grant the extra time or move ahead with a committee vote on Judge 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. Dr. Blasey’s representatives separately said that she wanted to appear before the committee on Thursday, though that detail had not been finalized; Republicans want her to appear Wednesday. In a letter to the committee on Saturday afternoon, 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. Dr. Blasey’s representatives separately said that she wanted to appear before the committee on Thursday, though that detail had not been finalized; Republicans want her to appear Wednesday.
“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 Mr. 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 Dr. Blasey, 51, a research psychologist in Northern California, came after an extended back-and-forth between her lawyers and top Judiciary Committee aides. Mr. Grassley had set 2:30 p.m. Saturday as a final deadline for Dr. Blasey to agree or decline to appear.The move by Dr. Blasey, 51, a research psychologist in Northern California, came after an extended back-and-forth between her lawyers and top Judiciary Committee aides. Mr. Grassley had set 2:30 p.m. Saturday as a final deadline for Dr. Blasey to agree or decline to appear.
Mr. Grassley’s spokesman had no immediate comment on the Blasey 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. Mr. Grassley’s spokesman had no immediate comment on the Blasey letter, but a White House official and Republican officials on Capitol Hill suggested that her seeming acceptance was no acceptance at all, calling it a ploy to delay the Monday vote.
Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and 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,” he wrote on Twitter. Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and a senior member of the committee, wrote on Twitter: “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.”
But Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who has advocated public testimony by Dr. Blasey and controls a crucial vote, said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon that he saw progress. “This is good,” he wrote.
Testimony by Dr. Blasey would set up a potentially explosive showdown after days of uncertainty over whether she would appear at a hearing. It could also greatly complicate matters for Judge Kavanaugh, who has vigorously denied Dr. Blasey’s allegations and just last week seemed destined for confirmation.Testimony by Dr. Blasey would set up a potentially explosive showdown after days of uncertainty over whether she would appear at a hearing. It could also greatly complicate matters for Judge Kavanaugh, who has vigorously denied Dr. Blasey’s allegations and just last week seemed destined for confirmation.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, 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-to-49 majority, confirmation is hardly assured. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, 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-to-49 majority, confirmation is hardly assured. It is increasingly unlikely that Judge Kavanaugh will have the support of even a single Senate Democrat. Mr. McConnell has been in regular contact with President Trump and other White House officials about the nomination this week.
Dr. Blasey’s accusations, coming just days before the Judiciary Committee was initially set to vote on Judge Kavanaugh, have rocked official Washington, evoking memories of the 1991 confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by the 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.Dr. Blasey’s accusations, coming just days before the Judiciary Committee was initially set to vote on Judge Kavanaugh, have rocked official Washington, evoking memories of the 1991 confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by the 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.
Over the past week, Dr. Blasey has become a cultural touchstone for women around the country in the era of the #MeToo movement. A hashtag, #IBelieveChristine, has sprung up on Twitter, and survivors of sexual assault are set to rally in New York on Monday. A Facebook post promoting the rally said that “New York City stands with Dr. Blasey Ford and all sexual assault survivors.” Over the past week, Dr. Blasey has become a cultural touchstone for women around the country in the era of the #MeToo movement. A hashtag, #IBelieveChristine, has sprung up on Twitter, and survivors of sexual assault are set to rally in New York on Monday. A Facebook post promoting the rally said that “New York City stands with Dr. Blasey Ford and all sexual assault survivors.” Groups of law students and women were expected to travel to Washington this coming week in a show of support for Dr. Blasey. Others have rallied in support of Judge Kavanaugh.
Dr. Blasey has said that Judge 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 and tried to remove her clothing. Dr. Blasey was able to leave the room when the friend jumped atop both of them, she said.
Judge Kavanaugh has repeatedly said he wants to testify himself to deny the accusation. The friend, whom Dr. Blasey identified as Mark Judge, says he does not remember anything like what she has described.
The intense attention on Dr. Blasey’s accusation continued to reverberate on Capitol Hill on Saturday in unexpected ways. A communications adviser to Mr. Grassley, who had joined the Judiciary Committee temporarily to help shape messaging around Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, stepped down from his position after NBC News raised questions about an accusation that he sexually harassed a co-worker in a previous political job.The intense attention on Dr. Blasey’s accusation continued to reverberate on Capitol Hill on Saturday in unexpected ways. A communications adviser to Mr. Grassley, who had joined the Judiciary Committee temporarily to help shape messaging around Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, stepped down from his position after NBC News raised questions about an accusation that he sexually harassed a co-worker in a previous political job.
The adviser, Garrett Ventry, said the sexual harassment claim against him was false. A spokesman for the committee, Taylor Foy, noted the denial of wrongdoing but said that Mr. Ventry had decided to step aside “to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee.”The adviser, Garrett Ventry, said the sexual harassment claim against him was false. A spokesman for the committee, Taylor Foy, noted the denial of wrongdoing but said that Mr. Ventry had decided to step aside “to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee.”
Saturday’s letter from Dr. Blasey’s lawyers, Debra S. Katz and Lisa Banks, also indicated that Michael R. Bromwich, a Washington lawyer and former inspector general of the Justice Department, had joined Dr. Blasey’s legal team. Mr. Bromwich is also at the center of another leading story line in Washington: He represents Andrew G. McCabe, the former deputy F.B.I. director, who was fired this year and witnessed many of the most sensitive episodes of the bureau’s Russia investigation. Before joining Mr. Grassley’s staff, Mr. Ventry worked for CRC Public Relations, a Virginia-based firm whose conservative clients include the Federalist Society and other groups backing Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation. A spokesman for CRC said that Mr. Ventry had been on a leave of absence and that the firm had accepted his resignation on Saturday.
The letter was the latest turn in an on-again, off-again negotiation that began cordially with Dr. Blasey voicing an openness to testifying but quickly turned acrimonious. There have been several sticking points, including who would question her at a hearing and how many news media cameras would be present. Democrats stepped up to her defense on Saturday. Michael R. Bromwich, a prominent Washington lawyer, joined Dr. Blasey’s legal team on Friday. After doing so, he resigned from his law firm, Robbins Russell, amid objections within the firm about his work, including potential public appearances on Dr. Blasey’s behalf.
Mr. Bromwich, a former inspector general of the Justice Department, is also at the center of another leading story line in Washington: He represents Andrew G. McCabe, the former deputy F.B.I. director, who was fired this year and witnessed many of the most sensitive episodes of the bureau’s Russia investigation.
“Because objections have been raised within the partnership to my doing so while employed by the firm, I am resigning from the firm, effective immediately,” Mr. Bromwich wrote in a letter to the firm’s staff, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times.
The letter from Dr. Blasey’s lawyers to the Judiciary Committee was the latest turn in an on-again, off-again negotiation that began cordially with Dr. Blasey 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 to hire an outside counsel; Dr. Blasey 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 Mr. Judge.
Democrats stepped up to her defense on Saturday.
“Dr. Blasey Ford really is a profile in courage,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said in an interview. “She has decided to tell her story in the face of an impossible choice.”“Dr. Blasey Ford really is a profile in courage,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said in an interview. “She has decided to tell her story in the face of an impossible choice.”
Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who ran for the Senate after watching Ms. Hill’s testimony a quarter century ago, wrote on Twitter that “all eyes are on Senate GOP to see how they treat a sexual assault survivor.”
She continued: “The Senate failed test in ’91, we must do better now.”