UPDATE: Chairman Chuck Grassley’s
office has given Ford until the end of Friday to make a decision about testifying next Wednesday. The Committee is also open to allowing her to testify without Kavanaugh in the room.
***Original post***
The 10 a.m. eastern time deadline for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanagh of sexual misconduct nearly 40 years ago, to make a decision about whether she will testify at a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday has passed.
Late Thursday evening, Ford's attorney Debra Katz said her client was willing to testify, but wouldn't do so on Monday and only if a number of conditions were met first.
MORE: Ford attorneys did NOT draw hardly any red lines in the list of requests. Those were mostly asks and appear to be negotiable, sources say. The only red lines: Ensuring her safety and making sure she’s NOT in the same room as Kavanaugh. Both sides say it was productive call
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 21, 2018
Majority staff on the Senate Judiciary Committee have already said the demands are non-starters.
Judge Kavanaugh, from the beginning, has agreed to testify in a public hearing on Monday. He has not changed his position and plans to show up.
With a lapsed deadline and no resolution from Ford, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing aren't ruling out a Monday morning hearing. Ford's attorney said her client would be willing to testify next Thursday, the same day the Committee is schedule to vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Talks continue between Judiciary Cmte/others about trying to figure out how to proceed on Kavanaugh/Ford. Am told they are still not ruling out a Monday hearing.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 21, 2018
McConnell and Grassley have discussed the Ford camp’s proposals and member-level discussions will continue today before a response likely later this afternoon, per person familiar
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 21, 2018
Meanwhile, here's the latest on the negotiations and Democrat participation.
Her attorneys say there needs to be an investigation, which is exactly what the committee has been doing all week. And we would love to hear from Dr. Ford. Democratic staff is invited to participate fully every step of the way.
— Senate Judiciary (@senjudiciary) September 20, 2018