Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said Tuesday he wouldn’t agree to Democrats’ request to “silence” Christine Blasey Ford by postponing this week’s hearing.
She’s scheduled to testify on Thursday about her accusation that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party more than three decades ago. Judge Kavanaugh is also slated to testify and denies the accusation.
Democrats on the committee had asked that it be postponed after another woman came forward over the weekend with an accusation that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself at a dorm party at Yale University 35 years ago.
Mr. Grassley, while saying his investigators have tried to reach that woman, questioned her credibility, and said it has no bearing on Ms. Blasey Ford’s story and her hearing can proceed.
“I am not going to silence Dr. Ford after I promised and assured her that I would provide her a safe, comfortable and dignified opportunity to testify,” he wrote in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee.
He added: “Besides being unfair to Dr. Ford, whose attorneys asked for a public hearing one week ago, delaying the hearing further would be unfair to Judge Kavanaugh and his family. He has asked the committee repeatedly for the chance to testify as soon as possible.”
Negotiations over this week’s hearing have intensified as Ms. Blasey Ford has tried to set conditions for her testimony.
Democrats, for their part, say the only way to get to the bottom of conflicting stories is to assign the FBI to investigate.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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