Kavanaugh won’t be confirmed in time for the next Supreme Court term.
Via Fox News:
Attorneys for Christine Ford, the California professor accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of committing sexual assault in high school, definitively vowed Sunday that Ford would appear at a Senate hearing Thursday morning despite unresolved “procedural and logistical issues.”
After days of uncertainty, the move set the stage for a dramatic and pivotal day of testimony on Capitol Hill that could determine the fate of President Trump’s second pick to the nation’s highest court.
“We made important progress on our call this morning with Senate Judiciary Committee staff members,” the attorneys, Debra Katz, Lisa Banks, and Michael Bromwich said in the statement. “We committed to moving forward with an open hearing on Thursday Sept 27 at 10:00 am.”
Sources on Capitol Hill tell Fox News they are now preparing in earnest for the Thursday hearing, which is likely to push a confirmation vote on the Senate floor beyond October 1, the start of the next Supreme Court term.
The hearing had been in doubt amid a week of back-and-forth tussling between Senate Republicans and Ford’s legal team, who disagreed on the ideal timing of the hearing, as well as who should testify first and whether outside lawyers should be allowed to ask questions.
But Ford’s legal team said definitively on Sunday that those potential sticking points would not derail the hearing.
“Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr. Ford believes it is important for Senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her,” the attorneys said. “She has agreed to move forward with a hearing even though the Committee has refused to subpoena Mark Judge. They have also refused to invite other witnesses who are essential for a fair hearing that arrives at the truth about the sexual assault.
“A number of important procedural and logistical issues remain unresolved, although they will not impede the hearing taking place,” the attorneys added. “Among those issues is who on the Majority side will be asking the questions, whether senators or staff attorneys.”