WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman accusing him of sexually assaulting her decades ago (all times local):
12:10 a.m.
The lawyer for a woman who Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser has said attended the 1980s party at which he allegedly molested her has told Senate Republican investigators that the woman doesn’t recall such a gathering or know the Supreme Court nominee.
The Washington Post reports Saturday that Christine Blasey Ford told them that Leland Keyser was at that high school party.
A GOP Judiciary Committee investigator contacted Keyser last Tuesday, saying Keyser had been “identified” as attending that party and wanted to talk to her. Committee spokesman Taylor Foy said Keyser’s name “came up” in its investigation.
But in an email late Saturday, Keyser attorney Howard Walsh told the committee she “does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection” of ever attending a gathering with Kavanaugh.
That response seemed a setback to Ford supporters’ efforts to corroborate her claim.
___
7:55 p.m.
A tentative agreement has been reached for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hear testimony Thursday from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexual assault from decades ago.
That’s according to a person briefed on the matter who isn’t authorized to discuss it by name.
The person says that lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford and bipartisan representatives of the committee came to the tentative agreement Saturday. Other terms of the public hearing will be negotiated Sunday.
The tentative accord could close days of brinkmanship over whether Ford would testify.
Ford alleges Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when they were teens. Now an appeals court judge, Kavanaugh denies the allegations. He has said he wants to testify as soon as possible to clear his name.
___
5:20 p.m.
Lawyers for the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a decades-old sexual assault say she has accepted a Senate committee’s request to tell her side next week.
But they want to resume negotiations over the exact terms of her appearance. It’s not immediately clear whether the Republican-run Senate Judiciary Committee will agree to more talks.
Also unclear is what day she might come to Capitol Hill and whether she’s offering to speak in a public session or a private one.
Her lawyers’ letter to the committee’s GOP majority was released just at Saturday deadline set by the chairman, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.
As Republicans considered their next move in private talks, they also made it clear they viewed Ford’s offer as a way to delay voting on President Donald Trump’s pick for the court.
___
3:20 p.m.
The White House is casting doubt on the willingness of a college professor to speak publicly about her sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford told the Senate Judiciary Committee she would be willing to appear next week. But they want to set up a time later Saturday to keep discussing the terms of her appearance.
A senior White House official deemed it a stalling tactic and an effort to “push off” the confirmation vote.
The official claimed it was a “clever way” to continue negotiations “without committing to anything.”
The official was not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The White House response shows a fresh willingness to attack Ford, coming after a series of critical comments from President Donald Trump the day before about her credibility.
___
2:50 p.m.
Lawyers for the woman who’s accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault decades ago when they were teenagers say they’ve accepted the Senate Judiciary Committee’s request for her to tell her story.
But attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford say in a letter to the committee’s Republican majority that they want to set up a time later Saturday to keep discussing terms of Ford’s appearance.
The letter says Ford “accepts” the committee’s request that in the coming week she would “provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct.”
The lawyers say they are “hopeful that we can reach agreement on details” of Ford’s appearance.
___
12:10 p.m.
Vice President Mike Pence calls Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “a man of integrity with impeccable credentials.”
Pence tells a gathering of evangelical activists in Washington that the appeals court judge’s record and career deserve “the respect of every member of the United States Senate.”
The vice president says the way that some Democrats have conducted themselves during the confirmation process “is a disgrace and a disservice to the Senate and the American people.”
Pence also says that he and President Donald Trump are confident that Republicans will handle that process “with the utmost respect for all concerned.” Pence says he believes Kavanaugh will soon join the high court.
Pence made no reference to Christine Blasey Ford, whose accusations about Kavanaugh’s behavior 35 years ago have roiled the confirmation.
___
11:10 a.m.
Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
That’s the new and latest deadline in the high-stakes confrontation over whether Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations and the standoff over the terms of her appearance have left Kavanaugh’s confirmation in limbo.
The committee chairman, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, is shrugging off responsibility for the extension onto the Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer.
Here’s what Grassley says in a tweet: “I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and Schumer is the conductor.”
___
1:45 a.m.
The brinkmanship over whether Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee has come to a standstill, for now.
The committee chairman, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, has given Christine Blasey Ford more time to decide on the terms of her appearance.
The Republican-led committee had insisted that if Ford missed a Friday night deadline to respond to the panel’s latest offer, lawmakers would hold a vote Monday on recommending Kavanaugh’s nomination for the full Senate to consider.
Ford’s accusations of Kavanaugh’s behavior 35 years ago and the standoff over the terms of her appearance have captivated the nation as the appeals court judge’s confirmation hangs in balance.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.