Grassley says Monday's hearing will be limited to two witnesses: Kavanaugh and his accuser

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), said Tuesday that next week's hearing on sexual assault charges by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh would be limited to two witnesses: the Supreme Court candidate and his accuser.

The narrow plan, shared by Grassley during a radio interview, sparked strong protests from Democrats, who insisted that an alleged witness be also included when the committee is to meet on Monday. to hear Christine Blasey Ford.

Democrats are also calling on the FBI to reopen a Kavanaugh antecedent investigation, a move that the Justice Department says is not planned.

Ford, a professor of psychology in California, told the Washington Post in an interview published Sunday that Kavanaugh was drugging her on a bed on her back, hugging her, and handing her a party in the early years. 1980. in high school. She said that a classmate of Kavanaugh was also present.

Grassley told syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt that classmate, Mark Judge, had not been asked to testify.

"At this point, we have two people testifying. That's all I can tell you, "said Grassley.

[Senate committee to hold public hearing with Kavanaugh, accuser after sexual assault allegation]

Senator Dianne Feinstein (California), the largest Democrat on the committee, said it was "impossible to take this process seriously," noting that 22 witnesses appeared at the hearing in 1991, when the Anita Hill law professor of sexual harassment.

"What about other witnesses, like Kavanaugh's friend, Mark Judge?" Said Feinstein in a statement. "What about individuals who were previously informed about this incident? What about experts who can talk about the effects of this type of trauma on a victim? This is another attempt by Republicans to rush this appointment and not entirely Judge Kavanaugh. "

Meanwhile, Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Republican No. 2 in the Senate, raised questions about Ford's credibility and his alleged behavior over three decades ago.

"The problem is that Dr. Ford can not remember when it was, where he was or how it happened," Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.

When asked, in a follow-up question, when he was questioning the story of the accuser, Cornyn said, "There are gaps to fill."

During the radio interview, Grassley said Kavanaugh had agreed to participate in Monday's hearing – and had been interviewed by committee staff Monday night – but his staff had not heard of Ford.

"That kind of raises the question: do they want to come to the public hearing or not?" Said Hewley to Hewitt. "We still have not heard of Dr. Ford, so do they want to have the hearing or not?"

During a television appearance on Monday, Debra Katz, a Ford lawyer, said her client was "willing to do everything in her power to publicize her story," including by publicly testifying before the Senate. Katz declined to comment at the post office on Tuesday.

Grassley suggested that the hearing could be canceled if Ford refuses to appear.

On Ford's account at the post office, she said the judge, a friend of Kavanaugh's and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, was present when Kavanaugh assaulted her.

Reached by email Sunday, the judge declined to comment. In an interview Friday with the Weekly Standard, before the Ford name became public, he denied that such incidents occurred, calling the charge "absolutely absolutely crazy."

Senator Lindsey O. Graham (R-S .C.) Said on Tuesday that he saw "no reason" for the judge to appear before the Judiciary Committee, on which he sits.

"He already said what he was going to say," said Graham. "I want to hear, if she wants to speak, and I want to hear," he added, referring to Ford and Kavanaugh.

Grassley said that he did not decide who would testify first but assume that Ford would do it. He said that he did not know how many questions senators could ask.

In response to a question from Hewitt, Grassley did not rule out the possibility that a lawyer could be exploited to ask Ford questions on the Republican side.

The 11 members of the GOP Judiciary Committee are men, a dynamic recognized by some members of the party.

"Everything could be considered now," Grassley said after Hewitt suggested exploring former Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire to question Ford.

"You're asking legitimate questions that still worry us," Grassley said.

In a speech delivered later Tuesday in the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Said the hearing would give Ford an opportunity to discuss the issue. to be heard, but only his allegation Kavanaugh.

"Judge Kavanaugh will have the opportunity to defend himself against this accusation, which he categorically denied, and which contradicts all the positive testimonies we have received from his close friends, colleagues and lawyers. the clerks, from the past to the day of today, including the high school years during which this misconduct allegedly took place, "said McConnell.

At a television appearance Tuesday morning, Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) Stated that she believed Ford and pointed out that she had "nothing" to win "by advancing.

"Anyone who comes forward at this point to be ready to testify in the United States Senate against someone who is appointed to one of the most powerful positions of the United States government, takes extraordinary courage" Harris said on "CBS this morning."

Katz on Monday called Kavanaugh's actions "attempted rape," adding that Ford thinks "that if Brett Kavanaugh was not intoxicated, she would have been raped."

Kavanaugh on Monday issued a new denial of the allegations, which failed his confirmation process.

"I have never done anything similar to what the accuser describes – to her or to anyone," he said in a statement. "Because it never happened, I had no idea who was doing this accusation until it identified yesterday."

Robert Costa, Sean Sullivan, Gabriel Pogrund and Emma Brown contributed to this report.