Ford's lawyers say they accept the request to speak to the Judiciary Committee next week, but the details need to be resolved



[ad_1]

"Dr. Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide him with first-hand information on Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week," said Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, Ford's attorneys, in a message to the committee.

However, the message did not allow Ford to address the committee and stated that "many aspects of a previous committee proposal were fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee's promise to conduct a fair and impartial inquiry into its findings. allegations. "

The lawyers asked in their message to "set up a deadline later this afternoon to continue our negotiations".

Senate Speaker Chuck Grassley agreed on Friday night to allow the woman who accused Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault to decide to testify in Congress.

Grassley tweeted that he had "granted another extension" to Christine Blasey Ford, saying "she (should) decide for us to go ahead." I want to hear her ".

The Senate Judiciary Committee had given Ford's lawyers a deadline of 14:30. AND Saturday to respond with their decision, a committee source confirmed to CNN.

The panel proposed to hold a hearing next Wednesday where it would hear testimony from Kavanaugh and Ford, according to a source familiar with the case.

Kavanaugh denied the allegation of sexual assault.

The committee, earlier Friday, set a deadline of 17 hours. And for Ford to decide, and then extend it to 22 hours In response, Debra Katz, who represents Ford, wrote in a letter to the committee that his "rider treatment towards a sexual assault victim that makes his best to cooperate with the committee is totally inappropriate. "

Calling the arbitrary deadline, Katz wrote in a letter that "our modest request is to grant him an extra day to make his decision".

If Ford's lawyers had not responded to the proposal or if Ford had decided not to testify before the deadline, Grassley said the committee would vote Monday on the appointment of Kavanaugh.

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the Democratic's highest-ranking judge, accused Republicans of "intimidating a survivor of an attempted rape to confirm a candidate" by saying that they would vote Monday on the bid they do not reach an agreement with Ford and its lawyers for what it testifies.

"It is clear that Republicans have not learned anything in the past 27 years." Intimidating a victim of attempted rape to confirm a candidate – especially at a time when she receives death threats – is an abuse of power, "said Feinstein in a statement. . "I am shocked and dismayed by the Republicans' refusal to wait for 24 hours for a hearing and rush with a vote on Monday.From the beginning, Republicans have tried to get this nomination at all costs."

Max Young, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said: "Around 2:30, Republicans sent him a proposal by 5:00 pm Shortly after writing it, she responded at 6:00 am 30, they granted him a deadline of 22 hours … At this point, the Senate has shown much more deference with regard to Facebook and Google 's audience requests than to those of Ford. "

Ford's lawyers said late Thursday that Ford would not be able to travel to Washington until next Thursday because of everything his family has to do, according to a Senate Democratic senator.

According to three sources, the proposed hearing would include an outside lawyer who would ask questions. The proposal asks Ford to testify first and Kavanaugh second.

The order of evidence is the opposite of what Ford, through his lawyers, has asked, according to a congressional source.

Another source told CNN that Republicans face internal disagreements about whether to use outside counsel. Several senior members of the committee request one, while others are less interested, according to the source, which does not allow to know if this will be part of the final proposal to Ford.

His lawyers had already suggested that committee senators question their client and not an outside lawyer.

A Republican Senate advisor told CNN Friday that a special council would prevent the politicization of Ford's interrogation.

"Democratic senators have rightly said that the Senate should not intimidate Dr. Ford … how to depolitize it and make sure it is an outside council," they said.

But the recourse to an external council is thwarted by the Democrats of the Senate. An advisor to a Democratic Senate executive told CNN that "outside advisers are not voting on Kavanaugh, senators are doing it, Republicans must do their job and not hide."

Ford also requested that at no point during a potential hearing, is she in the same room as Kavanaugh.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue, Veronica Stracqualursi and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.

[ad_2]
Source link