Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford will testify on Monday



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Kavanaugh and the woman who charges her with physical and sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify, a source familiar with the time schedule told CNN.

Both indicated that they were willing to testify about the allegations.

"Judge Kavanaugh is looking forward to a hearing where he can clarify the name of this false allegation and is ready to testify tomorrow if the Senate is ready to listen to him," White House spokesman Raj said on Monday. Shah.

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, one of the key votes for the nomination, said she wanted Kavanaugh and Ford testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plans to vote on the appointment Thursday. Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also called the two men to testify, saying he had spoken to Kavanaugh by phone on Monday.

"I want both people to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and testify under oath," Collins told reporters Monday at the Capitol. She said that there are still a lot of questions and "we need to know what happened".

"Obviously, if Judge Kavanaugh lied about what happened, that would be disqualifying," said Collins, adding that she had spoken to Kavanaugh on the phone on Friday and that he had categorically denied these allegations.

President Donald Trump said he was ready to delay the process to finally confirm Kavanaugh.

"Judge Kavanaugh is one of the best players I know, he is an outstanding intellectual and a respected judge of all, and never has a spot been recorded on his record," said Trump. "If it's a little late, it will be a little late."

The statements allow the judicial commission to receive a duel testimony on the alleged incident decades ago, which could threaten Trump's attempt to install a Conservative in place of the show of hands, Judge Anthony Kennedy. .

The chairman of the committee, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, said he wanted to make phone calls with Kavanaugh and Ford, but did not say that he was going to postpone the vote.

"Anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford deserves to be heard, so I will continue to work in a way that will be heard in a proper, previous and respectful way," Grassley said.

The 10 Democratic members of the committee want to delay the planned vote and allow an investigation by the FBI before the panel progresses. Senate Republicans have a 51-49 majority and can not afford that two or more Republicans vote against Kavanaugh's nomination unless they collect votes from Democrats.

In a statement released on Monday, Kavanaugh described Ford's allegation, a college professor, of "completely false".

"I have never done anything similar to what the accuser describes – to her or to anyone," Kavanaugh said. "Because that never happened, I had no idea who she was accusing so much that she did not identify herself yesterday.I am ready to discuss with the Senate Judiciary Committee to refute this false allegation of 36 years ago, to defend my integrity. "

Kavanaugh's statement came shortly after Ford declared by her lawyer that she would be willing to speak with Congress to tell her story.

The power of an accuser named: Kavanaugh's future is now at stake

Kavanaugh was seen Monday morning arriving at the White House, before the judge facing the charges. The 53-year-old judge was there to meet with the White House legal team to prepare for potential interviews or questions from the Judiciary Committee, a source close to the case said.

According to several sources, Kavanaugh hired Beth Wilkinson, of the law firm Wilkinson Walsh and Eskovitz, as a lawyer. Wilkinson has not returned CNN calls for comments.

The decision of the Accuser to go in public

Ford went in public with his allegations in an article published by the Washington Post on Sunday. In the article, she alleged that at a party during their high school years, Kavanaugh pushed her into a room with her friend Mark Judge, tried to pull her clothes off and put her hand on her mouth when she tried to scream.

The judge denied the allegation in an interview with the Weekly Standard on Friday.

While Ford initially sought to keep her allegations confidential, she stated that she had decided to go in public once the allegation had appeared to the public and that the journalists had started pursuing it. His lawyer, Debra Katz, told CNN on Monday morning that Ford would be ready to testify before Congress and face his story due to the expected reaction.

Katz described the memory of the Ford incident in harsh terms, going so far as to say that his client considered that it was an attempt at rape.

"She thinks that, despite her drunkenness and inability to undress, he would have raped her," Katz said.

Calls for late

Ford's decision to go public has prompted some key senators to express support for a delay in the Kavanaugh nomination process, which is expected to be voted in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.
On Sunday night, two outgoing Republican senators said categorically that the Senate Judiciary Committee should not vote on Kavanaugh's appointment until he spoke to his accuser.

"I have made it clear that I am not comfortable going ahead with the vote on Thursday if we have not heard his side of the story or explored this more, "said Jeff Flake, a member of the Arizona committee.

Bob Corker also thinks that Kavanaugh's accuser should be heard before the Judiciary Committee votes on his appointment, said the spokesman for Tennessee Senator Micah Johnson in a statement to CNN. Corker, however, does not sit on the panel.

While some Republican senators, such as Lisa Murkowski (South Carolina), Lindsey Graham and Flake (South Carolina), are concerned about the process, one source said that does not necessarily mean a long delay. for.

A supporter of Kavanaugh also rejected reports that the White House or the Republicans would deploy any aggressive attack, calling it "maddening".

Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House advisor, told reporters on Monday that Ford "should not be ignored or insulted, it should be heard," adding that Ford should also testify under oath to Capitol Hill.

Kaitlan Collins of CNN, Phil Mattingly, Manu Raju and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.

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