Ford said she kept silent about the alleged incident until she was in couples’ therapy with her husband in 2012.
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Ford had contacted the Post through a tip line in early July after it had become clear that Kavanaugh was on Trump’s shortlist to fill a vacancy but before the Republican president nominated him, the newspaper said.
At the time, Ford was a student at the prestigious Holton-Arms school for girls in suburban Washington; Kavanaugh was at the equally well-regarded Georgetown Prep private school. “Judge Kavanaugh and the White House both stand by that statement”.
The White House is prepared to go along with a confidential closed-door consideration of allegations but not public testimony, the official said.
Katz told ABC’s Good Morning America her client is “willing to co-operate” with investigators and the Senate’s judiciary committee. But since the Intercept revealed the allegation – which quickly snowballed into absurd theater in the days following – she said she felt she needed to come forward. “Along with another male, Kavanaugh locked the door from the inside and played loud music that the accuser said precluded successful attempts to yell for help”.
“Kavanaugh was on top of me while laughing with (another teen, name redacted), who periodically jumped onto Kavanaugh”.
In considering their options Sunday, Republicans largely settled on the view that Ford’s story alone was not enough to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation. “I thought he might inadvertently kill me.”-Professor Ford about -Kavanaugh assault”. The statement also referenced the letter signed by 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school attesting to his character.
“She clearly considers this an attempted rape”, Katz said Monday.
The image references Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that Kavanaugh had assaulted her when they were both teenagers. She said that Kavanaugh, while in high school, pinned her down, tried to remove her bathing suit and put his hand over her mouth when she attempted to scream.
“These are all the ills that I was trying to avoid”, she said. Both Democratic and Republican senators questioned her handling of the allegation.
The therapist’s notes say four boys were involved, but Ford says that was an error by the therapist.
Her husband, Russell Ford, said she spoke of being trapped in a room with two drunken boys. On Sunday, the Post published an interview with Ford. The results, which Katz provided to the Post, concluded that Ford was being truthful when she said a statement summarizing her allegations was accurate. Ford also described how the aftermath of the assault colored her life, saying “I think it derailed me substantially for four or five years”.
Several Democrats joined Feinstein in calling for more scrutiny of the allegation before a vote.
Since Trump’s fellow Republicans control a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, and with Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie, Democrats can not stop Kavanaugh’s appointment unless some Republicans make a rare decision to break with their party and vote against Trump.
“No way, not even a hint of it”, an unnamed Whose House lawyer told Politico, discussing the possibility that Trump would withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination. Feinstein received a letter detailing Ford’s claim in July, but the allegation contained therein was not widely known until last week. The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to scrutinize SCOTUS nominees.
Napolitano said the Senate Judiciary Committee will have to decide on the credibility of Ford’s accusation and Kavanaugh’s denial. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, about the allegations earlier this summer.
“All Senators, regardless of party, should insist the Federal Bureau of Investigation perform its due diligence and fully investigate the allegations as part of its review of Judge Kavanaugh’s background”, they wrote in a letter to Grassley made public by Feinstein.
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A spokesman for Grassley told CNN that the chairman and Feinstein routinely hold bipartisan staff calls with nominees when updates are made to their background files. However, the reaction of two leading GOP members of the Judiciary Committee – Charles Grassly and Lindsey Graham – are certainly worth noting.
