Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation could be on the line.
Last week, Senator Dianne Feinstein referred information to federal investigators, related to possible sexual misconduct between Kavanaugh and a woman when they were in high school. On Sunday, that woman stepped forward, and now she may be willing to testify publicly.
The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, identified herself in a report in The Washington Post on Sunday, detailing her assault. Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, told NBC’s Today on Monday that her client is “willing to do whatever it takes,” including testifying before Congress.
Ford believes that Kavanaugh’s actions amounted to “attempted rape,” according to Katz, noting that “if it were not for the severe intoxication of Brett Kavanaugh, she would have been raped.” Nevertheless, Katz assured viewers that Ford’s coming forward is “not a politically motivated action.”
According to Ford, Kavanaugh “corralled her into a bedroom” and “pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes.” When she tried to scream, he reportedly “put his hand over her mouth.”
For its part, the Trump administration has stood by Kavanaugh and his denial. “On Friday, Judge Kavanaugh ‘categorically and unequivocally’ denied this allegation. This has not changed. Judge Kavanaugh and the White House both stand by that statement,” the White House wrote.
Nevertheless, there is at least one Trump administration official that believes Ford’s account should be heard: Kellyanne Conway. The White House advisor told Fox News on Monday morning that “this woman should not be insulted and she should not be ignored.”
The Judiciary Committee was scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination last week, but it has since been delayed. Several Republican senators, including Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, have have called for the vote to be postponed until Ford speaks to the committee. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, largely seen to be a swing vote on Kavanaugh, has also said the committee “might” need to consider delaying the vote.
