The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when the two were in high school has not agreed to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer questions.
Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), told Hugh Hewitt he has not heard back from Christine Ford — a professor who accused Kavanaugh of pinning her down on a bed at a party and covering her mouth with his hand when she tried to scream — about their invitation to appear at a hearing set for next week.
Her silence “kind of raises the question, do they want to come to the public hearing or not,” Grassley told Hewitt on Tuesday, according to Politico. While Ford has been unresponsive to inquiring senators, Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the accusations and has been reportedly pushing for immediate hearings to defend himself, according to CNN.
“Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday,” Kavanaugh said in a statement Monday. “I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the Committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity.”
While Ford has yet to agree to appear, her attorney, Debra Katz, has been doing a media blitz tour telling outlets that her client is willing to talk— but she’s been reportedly rebuffing invitations for just that.
More information now from the Judiciary Republicans on what's happening with the process. No response yet from lawyer. pic.twitter.com/0TJ6gnQ3No
— Todd Ruger (@ToddRuger) September 18, 2018
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who for two months sat on a letter that was hand delivered to her office outlining the accusations against Kavanaugh, has reportedly refused to participate or help facilitate inquiry phone calls to Kavanaugh and Ford.
Both Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins — Republicans regarded as crucial swing votes in confirming Kavanaugh — have expressed disappointment in Ford’s unresponsiveness to the Judiciary Committee’s requests.
Sens. Murkowski and Collins are both telegraphing that Ford needs to follow-through with appearance before the committee, something she previously claimed to want, or they'll vote to confirm Kavanaugh. pic.twitter.com/HvuxvHiimO
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) September 18, 2018
