Update IV: Ford’s testimony has resumed, with Democrats including Rhode Island’s Sheldon Whitehouse once again pontificating about the injustice of the fact that the FBI hasn’t been called upon to investigate Ford’s claims for Kavanaugh’s background file. In addition, he said once again that Mark Judge, the alleged witness to the assault, should have been subpoenaed.
Mitchell then asked Ford if there might be other contributing factors to the post-traumatic symptoms she has experienced in the wake of the assault. Mitchell then clarified that Ford had told her husband that she had experienced a sexual assault before they were married, then divulged more details during a therapy session in 2012.
In response to another one of Mitchell’s questions, Ford claimed that taking the polygraph about the assault was almost as anxiety provoking as flying on an airplane, to which Mitchell asked how Ford had made it to Thursday’s hearing.
“I flew,” she replied.
In a statement to reporters during a break in the testimony, Chairman Grassley said that he likely wouldn’t have a comment on the proceedings on Thursday., per Axios.
“During a break, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters, “I don’t think I can make any comments at all today, maybe it’s something I ought to sleep on. This is pretty important. We ought to be thinking about it a lot and not making hasty comments.”
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Update III: In a sign that the rift between Trump and Kavanaugh is worsening, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the two hadn’t spoken in “the last couple of days.”
In response to a question from Sen. Dick Durbin, Ford said she remembers encountering Mark Judge once following the assault during a trip to the Potomac Safeway, and that he appeared extremely uncomfortable, despite the two of them being friendly before the assault. Asked by Durbin about whether she could be mistaken about Kavanaugh’s identity, she said she is “100% certain” that it was Kavanaugh who had assaulted her.
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Update II: Rachel Mitchell’s questioning has begun with an examination of texts between Ford and a Washington Post reporter, as well as the letter Ford wrote to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Ford offered a few minor corrections. Afterward, answering a question from Feinstein, Ford recounted how the assault impacted her mental health over the following four years, saying she struggled in her studies and in her “relationships with boys.”
Ford likened coming forward to “jumping in front of a train” and said she had feared she would be “personally annihilated.”
Asked if her accusation of Kavanaugh could be a case of mistaken identity, Ford replied “absolutely not” adding that she was flooded with adrenaline and norepinephrine.
Asked about the atmosphere of the party, Ford said she remembers a modestly furnished living room, and that Kavanaugh and Mark Judge were extremely inebriated. Ford clarified that the event “wasn’t a party” saying instead that it was a gathering that she expected would lead to a party later.
In response to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy, Ford said the most indelible memory from that night was “the laughter” shared by Kavanaugh and Judge. “It sounded like two friends having a really good time.”
Shifting back to Mitchell, the prosecutor asked about inconsistencies in Ford’s testimony, like the number of people in attendance at the party (at one point Ford claimed there were four boys and two girls at the party, and at another time she said there were only four boys).
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Update: With Ranking member Dianne Feinstein (who initially helped publicize Ford’s allegations) nearly finished with his opening remarks, the headlines are starting to roll in…
Grassley opened the hearing by assailing Democrats, asking why they didn’t publish Ford’s allegations sooner, and apologizing to both Ford and Kavanaugh for the “vile threats” levied at their families. He also attacked Feinstein for failing to publicize the allegations until the last minute. The Iowa Republican promised a “safe, comfortable and dignified” atmosphere at the hearing. Ford is expected to testify first, with Kavanaugh following later in the day.
Meanwhile, Feinstein, blissfully unaware of the irony embedded in her statement, accused Republicans of rushing to judgment in promising to move ahead with a confirmation vote on Friday. “This is not a trial for Dr. Ford, it is a job interview for Judge Kavanaugh.”
During her opening testimony, Ford, sounding choked up and on the verge of tears, described the alleged assault and explained how it had drastically altered her life, and said that, after finding out that his name was on a short list of SCOTUS candidates, she felt it was her “civic duty” to tell the public about the assault. Ford – who said she first told her husband about the assault during a couples counseling session in 2012 – claimed that, once she read media reports claiming Kavanaugh’s confirmation was virtually assured, she decided to stay silent. However, she soon found herself being harassed by reporters, who told her that she would soon be outed with or without her consent. At this point, she said she decided to speak out to “describe the assault in my own words.”
Ford says she and her family have paid a heavy price for “speaking out”, saying they were forced out of their home because of the volume of death threats.
She concluded her opening testimony with a “request for caffeine.”
CNN has published a list of committee members and pointed out that, of the 21 senators on the committee, only four are women.
Eleven Republicans:
Sen. Chuck Grassley, of Iowa
Sen. Orrin Hatch, of Utah
Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina
Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas
Sen. Michael Lee, of Utah
Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas
Sen. Ben Sasse, of Nebraska
Sen. Jeff Flake, of Arizona
Sen. Mike Crapo, of Idaho
Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina
Sen. John Kennedy, of Louisiana
Ten Democrats:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California
Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont
Sen. Dick Durbin, of Ilinois
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota
Sen. Christopher Coons, of Delaware
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut
Sen. Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii
Sen. Cory Booker, of New Jeresey
Sen. Kamala Harris, of California
CNN is also reporting that Democratic senators aren’t expected to consolidate their questions,
Senate Democrats are not expected to consolidate their questions, meaning no one is giving up their allotted time to ask questions in order to allow others more time. However, they are coordinating their questions.
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After a series of delays and countless hours of haggling and speculation, President Trump’s embattled SCOUTS nominee Brett Kavanaugh will face the first of what are now five accusers (two of them anonymous) who have alleged that he sexually attacked or assaulted them, or someone they know, in the distant past.
For the hearing, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford – who went public 11 days ago with allegations that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, attempted to remove her clothes and covered her mouth when she tried to scream for help during a high school party 36 years ago – will travel to Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to answer questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as a female sex crimes prosecutor hired by committee Republicans. Kavanaugh, who has already sat for two days of confirmation hearings, will testify later in the day, where he will answer questions about allegations of past sexual misconduct.
The hearing, which is slated to begin at 10 am ET, is expected to be a media circus that has already drawn comparisons to the confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas, who was nearly waylaid by accusations of sexual harassment from former law clerk Anita Hill back in the early 1990s. The hearing is expected to last several hours.
Watch the hearing live below:
We’ve published a guide to everything readers need to know about the hearing a piece explaining the potential repercussions that this hearing could have on the #MeToo movement and a story detailing some of the latest allegations against Kavanaugh.
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Democrats will seek to paint Kavanaugh as scattered and anxious, while Republicans are hoping to discredit Ford by focusing on gaps in her memories. Already, all of the people who Ford claims were at the party have said they either weren’t there or that the incident never happened.
Another question that will be on viewers minds: What will Trump think of the hearing?
And will any more accusers step forward between now and the time the marathon session ends?
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