Posted on 09/18/2018 10:58:23 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
Senate Republicans say they are willing to allow Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a decades-old sexual assault charge, to testify in a closed session without the presence of television cameras if that makes her more comfortable appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.
Ford has yet to confirm her presence at a Monday hearing that could be pivotal to Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
“She has the option of a closed session, with cameras or without. We want her to appear,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Judiciary panel. “We want her to appear and she has said before we made the decision that she wanted to appear.”
Republican staff on the Judiciary Committee say Ford has not responded to requests asking her to schedule her testimony next week. Kavanaugh will also testify under oath.
Nevertheless, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), leaving McConnell’s office, says he still hopes to hold a hearing.
“I hope so,” Grassley said when asked if a hearing is going to take place.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), a senior Republican on the committee, said if Ford doesn’t come to testify before the committee, a hearing will still likely take place Monday.
“I think so,” he said.
Democrats want other witnesses who might have additional information to testify, and have accused Republicans of rushing the process as they seek to fill an opening on the Supreme Court with the conservative jurist.
Ford says that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed at a party both attended in the 1980s, when the two were in high school. Kavanaugh has denied the charge.
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday faulted Grassley for limiting the witness list to Kavanaugh and Ford.
“That’s simply inadequate, unfair, wrong, and a desire not to get at the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” Schumer said. “The minority has always been able to request a number of witnesses to provide context and exert opinion to the committee.”
Democrats want Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s high school friend who Ford said was present when Kavanaugh allegedly tried to assault her, to testify.
Judge in an interview with the Weekly Standard last week denied remembering the incident.
“It's just absolutely nuts. I never saw Brett act that way,” Judge told the conservative magazine.
Democrats, however, say that Judge can testify to Kavanaugh’s drinking habits in high school.
“His own record is one of the bits of sort of confirming evidence that raises the charge just from a stray allegation to ‘this could be serious,’” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) about the need for Judge to testify.
Judge’s memoir about alcohol addiction, “Wasted,” makes a reference to a “Bart O’Kavanaugh,” which has been interpreted as an allusion to Kavanaugh.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key centrist swing vote, however, said that it is “too early” for her to decide whether Judge’s testimony is necessary.
She made the claim. Let her restate it to the pubic.
Republicans wimp-out again.
This is just nuts. She’s trying to destroy a man’s career and public reputation, and she gets to do it behind closed doors? What incredible bulls-—
You did mean ”public”, we hope.
We want to see her squirm in her lies.
I disagree, without cameras the rats have no desire to play this victim charade
She should have to testify in an open session, but, and I mean BUT, closed to the public so we don’t have the parade of screaming clowns that we had during Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony.
And we need to hear from her because??
Like what Kavanaugh was alleged to have done over forty years ago makes him guilty.
Common sense has died in this country along with any semblance of decency.
I would not give an inch to her baseless claims.
Calling her bluff was the right move. She ain’t going to show. Difi will keep demanding the FBI get involved as her personal police force and Fartacus and the Ugandan Giant will keep flinging poop for the entire hearing and Kavanaugh will be confirmed by October.
“Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), a senior Republican on the committee, said if Ford doesn’t come to testify before the committee, a hearing will still likely take place Monday.”
Bring in the 4 guys and old boyfriends to blast her credibility. If she doesn’t show up to defend herself, she is toast.
I don't even think they're laying a trap for her anymore. I just think they're bending over backwards to accommodate her so they'll have some protection against the inevitable accusations that they were unfair to her.
I almost peed in my pants, I'm laughing so hard at this.
Oy.
I love to see the Senators make fools of themselves. Make them face the cameras. They lose and will have political crow in their face.
Called both my senators. No privacy. She makes the accusation, She tells it publicly.
My crappy prediction: About 12 hours before the hearing she will finally agree to testify, and propose a date 2 weeks out.
The left wears pussy-hats but the real pussies are the republicans.
Agreed!
TOTAL BS! Rino’s will do anything to let victory evade them. We must know if this woman is lying and she must be publicly pilloried if she is. These congress critters always forget who they work for.
The Democrats want to restage the Anita Hill hearings, 4 days of hearings with something like 22 witnesses over the allegations of a Pattern of behavior, all in front of cameras. Apparently, the Democrats are about to invent “witnesses” who are going to be prepared to say that they learned about this from Catherine Ford.
The Anita Hill scheme failed, but the purpose of that effort was aimed at turning Democrat Senators. They did not turn enough Democrat Senators, mostly old line Democrat Southerners. They voted for Thomas and he was confirmed. The purpose of this effort is intended to turn one of these Senators: Collins, Corker, Flake, or Murkowski. They only need one. If one of them tell their leadership that they are going to vote no, then the vote would have to be delayed until after the midterm election, which is the real goal.
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