Is the confirmation battle of Kavanaugh about to explode?

After a day of chicken with avocados for Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who has leveled the charges of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Republicans apparently made a breakthrough Thursday night, and reportedly held a "positive" dialogue with the Ford team on the terms of his testimony. No "ironclad" agreement has emerged, and some conditions are likely to be non-Republicans – that Kavanaugh, who repeatedly denied the allegations, testifies first, for example, or that this presumed witness Mark Judge to be summoned. But the conversation ends with a breathtaking week in which unrest and controversy have threatened to derail Kavanaugh's appointment and foreshadow what could be one of the most important political events of the Trump era in the days to come. to come up.

As bombs around Kavanaugh exploded, Republicans found themselves in charge of adhering to the #MeToo standards, offering an answer that could be interpreted as giving Ford the benefit of the doubt, while scrambling to pass the confirmation. After Ford's lawyers announced that she was ready to testify, she would prefer that a F.B.I. pre-trial investigation, head of the Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley issued a series of statements reversing the demand, but with a cautious restraint tone. "I certainly understand and respect Dr. Ford's desire to investigate his allegations," he said. wrote in. "This is precisely what the Senate does. . . . I remind you that, in accordance with the rules of the Committee, the testimony and the biography prepared by Dr. Ford must reach the Committee on Friday, September 21, at 10 am, if she intends to testify on Monday. they should proceed, after due diligence. "If we do not hear both sides on Monday, let's vote," the senator tweeted. Bob Corker.

On Monday, Ford's lawyers said in a letter obtained by The New York Times, is out of the question But now that Ford seems to want to testify, Republican sources told Politico that the committee could not impose an arbitrary date on it: "They must be more accommodating than that." to be questioned by a litigator – "There is a deliberate and conscious effort not to seem to attack the woman in any way," said a source. The Washington Post. Ford's lawyers said on Thursday it was opposed to being questioned by an outside board.

Even though many in the party seemed to compel Ford, others began to crack, attacking everything from his memory powers to his choice of lawyers. At one point, senator Orrin Hatch suggested that Ford might have "mixed" the attack, while Kathleen Parker [speculated]https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/is-there-a-kavanaugh-doppelganger/2018/09/18/88418f52-bb86-11e8-a8aa-860695e7f3fc_story.html) at the To post Ford's assailant was a "Kavanaugh doppelgänger" at the party. Ed Whelan, A prominent friend of Kavanaugh's of the Bush era and the chairman of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, took this theory and ran with it, posting a massive Twitter feed based on Google Maps, Kavanaugh's plans, and not the man himself, was responsible for the alleged assault. Whelan went so far as to publish the name and photo of his suspect it's excused for– while behind the scenes, the Republicans would have whispered that the theory could be credible, citing Whelan's reputation in the right circles. (In response, Ford it is noted that she had "socialized" with both men, even visiting the so-called doppelgänger at the hospital. "There is no chance for me to confuse them," she said. the To post could not join the classmate for a comment.)

This plan was probably calculated; according to at CNN Jeremy Diamond, Kavanaugh's allies had instructed reporters to watch Whelan's Twitter feed. But the usual uncoordinated plots have also cropped up right, including an erroneous theory that Ford's parents had a grudge against Kavanaugh's mother (also a judge) for ruling on the foreclosure of their home in the 1990s (his parents the bankers and the judge licensee the suit, allowing them to keep their home), and another who deliberately took negative reviews on ratemyprofessors.com as coming from Ford students. Even more dubious theories suggest that Ford is connected to Fusion GPS, and that it has already accused Neil Gorsuch of sexual assault. Even Ford's lawyers were monitored after CNN announced they were co-organizing a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of the Democratic Party. Tammy Baldwin, where tickets went for $ 1,000 each. (Both withdrew from fundraising after the CNN report was released.)

While the right overflowed, her figurehead remained remarkably silent. Like my colleague Gabriel Sherman reported this week, Donald Trump Kavanaugh was very discreet, knowing that he might lose the half-time if he did and felt comfortable in his list of support judges if the candidate fell. (Not to mention, he added to a friend, "he's a [George W.] Bush man, why should I put myself out of him by defending him? & # 39; ". However, the end of the day Thursday night, two sources told Axios that it was almost impossible to control the president (, said a White House official Jonathan Swan. "It's only 48 hours, right?") And on Friday morning, he cracked:

It is true that Trump's tweets are less an open attack than an insidious attempt at waste – a deliberate misunderstanding of the many obstacles faced by victims of sexual assault. Nevertheless, they faced at least one crucial decisive vote on Friday afternoon, Susan Collins told reporters, she was "dismayed" at Ford's Trump criticism. Lisa Murkowski, Collins' colleague, still undecided, has not commented on the tweets yet, but on Thursday afternoon, both the governor and lieutenant-governor of Alaska issued statements denouncing Kavanaugh's views on health and safety. 'Alaska. It remains to be seen whether the president has desperately alienated the two women. But as the debate rages over the weekend, the fate of Kavanaugh – and, potentially, the fate of the Republican Party at large – could very well be based on Ford's imminent testimony.