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If this goes as planned, the audience will become a human drama that will agitate for Ford, while it reveals the most intimate and painful details of an alleged aggression. It will be grueling for Kavanaugh, who defends his reputation after an incident he is categorical.
The showdown will be for the biggest political issues – and will decide whether Kavanaugh takes his seat in the Supreme Court and cement the majority to which the conservative movement has been working for decades.
This will be a crucial moment for Donald Trump, whose Chairmanship in difficulty can not allow Kavanaugh to be the victory that preceded the midterm elections, which will make Monday's meeting even more important politically.
The Supreme Court is an almost existential issue for the administration, since the promise of cementing a right-wing majority was the glue that put the Conservative coalition behind Trump in 2016.
Although the president has invested everything in the audience, he can hardly act to influence an event that will help shape his own political legacy.
Given the acute political sensitivity of the audience, the best thing he can do is maintain the discipline that he showed on Monday when talking about the crisis that surrounded Kavanaugh's candidacy. But that's a difficult question, given the president's propensity to get started on Twitter when he's alone at the White House.
The Republican leader, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, under strong political pressure at his 85th birthday, has scheduled what will likely be one of the most-watched congressional hearings at the end of a year. day of political maneuvering and growing discomfort between the parties.
The GOP leaders tried to show that they recognized the seriousness of the allegations while trying to ensure that they do not delay indefinitely or condemn Kavanaugh's appointment.
"In order to provide sufficient transparency, we will hold a public hearing on Monday to give these recent allegations full circulation," Justice Minister Grassley said in a statement.
Ford's legal team did not react immediately. Democrats can still try to force an investigation before the hearing.
There were signs on Monday that GOP leaders were learning the lessons of Thomas' s auditions as they carefully traced the #MeToo era policy.
He has mostly held his tongue, apparently following advice from his advisor Kellyanne Conway on Fox News, that Ford should not be insulted.
"If it's a little late, it will be a bit late," Trump told the White House.
A test of tone
The outcome of the hearing could depend on how Ford and Kavanaugh are treated.
Republicans will be scrutinized for any sign that they are harassing Ford or treating it with the utmost respect, despite the doubts that many of them seem to have about its allegations.
The sight of 11 middle-aged and elderly men joining a woman at the most vulnerable and vulnerable moment of her life would be a disaster for a party already in serious trouble with the women voters.
But the Democrats would also face a test of tone. Several potential candidates in the presidential election in 2020, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey have pitched Kavanaugh at his confirmation auditions earlier this month.
A CNN commentator, conservative author Amanda Carpenter, suggested that both parties could benefit from asking law professionals to conduct their questions.
If the hearing takes place, this will be a daunting test for Ford and Kavanaugh.
Ford will be appearing for the first time in front of the Americans to discuss an alleged episode that she believes has caused her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and that she has revealed later in couples therapy.
In introducing himself, after initially making his accusations anonymously, Ford entered a political storm. All aspects of his life, from his romantic history and his sanity to his character, will certainly be examined by the activists who support Kavanaugh. MJ Lee of CNN reported Monday that the Ford family had already left his home to avoid control of the media.
Ford may never know true confidentiality again.
Kavanaugh spent all day Monday at the White House, struggling to keep his hopes of confirmation.
A source who knows him well told Ariane de Vogue, of CNN, that the judge was absolutely "stunned" by the accusations. Kavanaugh repeated his categorical denial that he had already treated Ford – or any other woman – in this way.
"Because that never happened, I had no idea who was accusing her until she identified herself yesterday," Kavanaugh said. in a new statement issued by the White House.
In the end, he must convince two Republicans who have already been seen as possible votes against him, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
"Obviously, if Judge Kavanaugh lied about what happened, that would be disqualifying," Collins said Monday, adding that she had spoken to the judge on the phone on Friday and that he had categorically denied these allegations.
Nervous moment for the White House
The week before the scheduled hearing will be a heavy period that will see investigative reporters analyzing the backgrounds of the two protagonists. So, more revelations could occur.
This is one of the reasons why the White House is at a disadvantage because it is trying to protect an application that has proven to be a path to confirmation.
It is hard to exaggerate how much Kavanaugh's choice means to Trump.
A source told CNN's Jim Acosta on Monday that the court is "one of the problems" the Conservatives have confided to the president.
"They have borne all the other defects of character for the good of the high court," said the source.
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