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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Tue Sep 18 14:03:18 2018, in response to Kavanaugh vote delayed, posted by Dave on Mon Sep 17 07:32:12 2018.
Politico
Kavanaugh accuser has not yet agreed to attend hearingBy Elana Schor, Burgess Everett and Eliana Johnson
09/18/2018 10:07 AM EDT | Updated 09/18/2018 01:32 PM EDTThe woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago has not yet confirmed her appearance at a public hearing the GOP is planning next week as of midday Tuesday, according to top Republican senators.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that his staff has reached out to Christine Blasey Ford’s camp several times since the California-based professor came forward with her story of a high-school-era assault by President Donald Trump’s high court pick. Although Ford’s lawyer said that her client would be open to “a fair proceeding,” it remains unclear whether she would agree to a planned hearing on Sept. 24 that Republicans have set up to help save Kavanaugh’s nomination.
"I don't know how they can say: I'm just not going to appear. She has the option of a closed session, with cameras or without. We want her to appear. And then she has said, before we made the decision that she wanted to appear. So that's what we want," Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said after he and other Judiciary Committee Republicans met with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for nearly an hour.
"She's asked to come and testify, she needs to be heard … I hope she comes."
But Grassley later reiterated that Ford still hadn't contacted his panel: "We have not heard from her."
"Our staff reached out to Dr. Ford’s lawyer with multiple emails yesterday to schedule a similar call and inform her of the upcoming hearing, where she will have the opportunity to share her story with the Committee. Her lawyer has not yet responded," said Taylor Foy, a spokesman for Grassley on the committee.
Republicans have billed the public hearing as an opportunity for both Kavanaugh and Ford to share their sides of the story. GOP leaders made that decision under pressure from undecided members of their conference — chiefly Flake, who said he would vote against Kavanaugh in the committee if senators didn’t get more of a chance to hear from Ford.
"We have a woman who has come forward, she deserves to be heard, it's important that her voice and her story is shared," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), an undecided swing vote on the nomination, on Tuesday.
If Ford ultimately opts out of the opportunity to testify, however, Republicans suggested that they plan to move forward with a Kavanaugh-only hearing. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former Judiciary chairman, said that “I think” the hearing would proceed even if Ford chooses not to accept the invitation to testify.
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