Her lawyers insisted on a hearing next Thursday in which the accused, Kavanaugh, would testify first and Ford would follow, without Kavanaugh in the room.
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“If we need additional help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, we could ask for it – the committee could ask for [it]”, she said.
In swing states with governor’s races and districts with House seats up for grabs – particularly suburban regions where Democrats are counting on strong support from women – the allegation facing Kavanaugh could be most politically potent, Democrats said.
“She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety”, Debra Katz, her lawyer, said in an email that was obtained by The New York Times.
Trump, a confessed sexual abuser, tweeted that if Professor Christine Blasey Ford’s alleged assault was “that bad”, then she should have come forward when it allegedly occurred.
Senator Susan Collins, a moderate Republican and potentially a key vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, said at an event in Portland, Maine, that she was “appalled” by Trump’s tweet.
Her lawyers say the professor’s life has been turned upside down, having received death threats and been forced out of her home. Mr Judge has told the committee he does not recall the incident and does not want to speak publicly.
By Friday afternoon, the hashtag had over 122,000 tweets from both women and men. Judge has denied witnessing the alleged assault and refused to testify before the committee. Ford now wants it to be shifted to later in the week, and has sought, through her attorney, a guarantee for her security.
In comments that tore up days of a relatively cautious approach, Trump rejected the credibility of Ford’s claim to have been sexually assaulted by a drunken Kavanaugh when they attended neighboring private schools near Washington in the early 1980s.
Twelve of Prof Ford’s family members have written an open letter, posted on Twitter, in which they call her “highly ethical”, adding that “her honesty is above reproach”.
“The reason that we know that this allegation is false is because we know Brett Kavanaugh”, Fagen said.
Blasey’s allegations, which for weeks had been kept secret by the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, have thrown Kavanaugh’s confirmation process into turmoil.
Prof Ford has accused Judge Kavanaugh of drunkenly pinning her to a bed and trying to remove her clothing at a house party in a Washington DC suburb when they were both teenagers 36 years ago.
Ford wanted an investigation by the FBI, as there was for the Anita Hill allegations during the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991, before appearing.
Minutes after Trump’s tweet Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell played verbal hardball of his own, drawing a standing ovation when he assured a gathering of evangelical activists that the conservative Kavanaugh will soon be a justice.
Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world. “I mean, you could also say, when did this all happen?”
Shortly before the 10 pm deadline, Ford’s attorney released a new statement saying the deadline was “arbitrary” and asking for an additional 24-hours so Ford could make up her mind about testifying.
“The most powerful man in the world just used his position and platform to attack a sexual assault survivor”, she said on Twitter. “This strikes us as simply a check-the-box exercise in a rush to confirm Judge Kavanaugh”.
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Ford had already indicated that she can not be prepared by Monday, as the current schedule for a hearing in front of the Senate judiciary committee demands.
