Kavanaugh hearing uncertain for Monday while the accuser wants the FBI to investigate before hearing

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday night that Republicans still have not heard of Ford or his lawyer about an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.

According to Republican sources at Capitol Hill, it is not certain that the hearing scheduled next Monday to respond to the charge against Kavanaugh will take place.

Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said on Tuesday morning that he had not heard from Ford, who said Kavanaugh had sexually and physically assaulted her while they were both in high school.

Grassley told Hugh Hewitt on his radio show that Ford had not accepted his request to appear before the committee.

"We've contacted her by email in the last 36 hours, three or four times, and we have not heard from them," Grassley said. "So that raises the question a bit, do they want to come in or not?"

McConnell said Tuesday that the committee has yet to decide on the composition of the hearing, and added that they would offer her the opportunity to speak privately if she preferred.

Utah GOP Senator Orrin Hatch said Tuesday night that they plan to make the appointment even if Ford does not show up for the scheduled hearing on Monday.

"We will continue – no question," said Hatch.

Senator Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, sits on the Judiciary Committee and has already stated that the committee should wait for the vote of the accuser. However, Mr Flake said Tuesday that if Ford did not show up at the scheduled hearing for Monday, he would support his party's efforts to go ahead with a vote on Kavanaugh.

"I think we'll have to go through the markup," he told CNN.

Flake said he hoped Ford would accept the committee's invitation and would speak at the hearing. "I hope she does it – I think she needs to be heard," he said.

Ford, in the letter to her lawyers, stated that she was facing "vicious harassment and even death threats" since she had manifested herself and still wanted to cooperate with the committee and the forces of the order.

"We would like to have the opportunity to discuss with you and Member Dianne Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps for Dr. Ford to cooperate while taking care of his health and safety," said Ford's letter of counsel. .

Garrett Ventry, a spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Grassley had condemned the threats.

"President Grassley condemns these threats to Dr. Blasey and hopes for a fair, respectful and thorough hearing next week," Ventry said in a statement before the release of the letter.

Earlier Tuesday, upon entering McConnell's office, Hatch told reporters that lawmakers were meeting to determine next steps – including whether the hearing would proceed without Ford.

Flake also met with executives on Tuesday around noon to discuss a possible delay in the appointment process to schedule a hearing so that Ford can tell its story. Flake said some Republicans wanted to be heard Thursday, but he insisted on Monday.

Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, described Ford's silence as "rather revealing," but added that they hoped she would testify.

"It's pretty telling, she did not respond to normal committee procedures and we do not know if she's coming or not, but it's her chance." It's her only chance We hope it will be, "Cornyn said.

Democrats argue that they want the FBI to reopen Kavanaugh's background check before a hearing.

The 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and White House advisor Don McGahn, saying the FBI should conduct an investigation before the start of the hearing. Monday.

"The committee should have the full report before any hearing and we ask you to take immediate steps to ensure we have the FBI report before proceeding," the senators wrote.

If the FBI did not investigate the allegations, said Senator Feinstein of California, the Democratic's largest judicial panelist, she thinks the hearing should be delayed.

"The important thing is to conduct this investigation," Feinstein said. "There was a witness there – and that was this comrade (Mark) judge …"

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a key Senate vote on Kavanaugh's appointment, said it would be "confusing" if Ford did not testify on Monday.

"It's very confusing for me," she said about the uncertainty of Ford's appearance. "I said from the beginning that it was very serious allegations and that she deserved to be heard. She now has the opportunity to appear before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate to answer questions and I really hope that she will not miss this opportunity. "

Asked about the Democrats' request for the FBI to reopen its substantive investigation on Kavanaugh before the hearing – and if that could be a decisive factor for Ford to testify, Cornyn said: "She's not really able to set the conditions, in my opinion. "

Since Kavanaugh was first appointed, Republicans have continued to stress the importance of following proper procedures – a message that President Donald Trump has even spoken of since the charge was revealed.

However, Feinstein's request for a pre-hearing investigation is at odds with the procedure. She also questioned the speed of the hearing and the fact that there will only be two witnesses, Kavanaugh and Ford.

But a source who supports Kavanaugh notes that it is Feinstein who refused to publish the letter in July before the hearings and rejects any idea that the FBI should intervene and investigate first.

"That's not how it works," he said.

"The hearing is the investigation." At the heart of the investigation is what Ford says, and if Ford does not want an investigation, it should not have gone into the game, "he said.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the comment of Senate Speaker Chuck Grassley regarding the lack of response from Christine Blasey Ford. It was Tuesday.