This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/27/us/politics/kavanaugh-blasey-ford.html
The article has changed 22 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Kavanaugh Hearing Live Updates: Christine Blasey Ford Is Questioned by Rachel Mitchell | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Right Now: Christine Blasey Ford is questioned by Rachel Mitchell before the Senate Judiciary Committee. | |
| • Christine Blasey Ford is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about her accusation that Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, sexually assaulted her. | • Christine Blasey Ford is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about her accusation that Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, sexually assaulted her. |
| • Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation was thrown into turmoil after Dr. Blasey came forward with the claim that he assaulted her at a party when they were both in high school. He denies it. | • Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation was thrown into turmoil after Dr. Blasey came forward with the claim that he assaulted her at a party when they were both in high school. He denies it. |
| • Since Dr. Blasey came forward, two more women have accused him of sexual misconduct at parties in high school and in college. | • Since Dr. Blasey came forward, two more women have accused him of sexual misconduct at parties in high school and in college. |
| Dr. Blasey delivered her opening statement, at times through tears, at times resolute — but always with palpable emotion. | |
| [Read Dr. Blasey’s opening statement here.] | |
| Speaking her first words in public, Dr. Blasey told senators in explicit detail, her voice breaking at times, of the night she said the future Judge Kavanaugh pinned her to the bed, tried to rip her clothes off and clapped his mouth over her as she screamed. | |
| “It was hard for me to breathe and I believed that Brett was going to accidentally kill me,” she said. | |
| She said death threats and vile epithets have “rocked me to my core.” | |
| The main test for Dr. Blasey was whether she could appear credible before the senators, especially Republicans who have suggested that she is suffering from a case of mistaken identity — or that she has partisan motives. | |
| She addressed the latter issue directly. | |
| “I have been accused of acting out of partisan political motives,” she said. “Those who say that do not know me. I am a fiercely independent person, and I am no one’s pawn. My motivation in coming forward was to provide the facts about how Mr. Kavanaugh’s actions have damaged my life, so that you can take that into serious consideration as you make your decision about how to proceed.” | |
| She also poked holes in the mistaken identity theory when she described how she and Judge Kavanaugh met when their social circles intersected. She remembered his friends, including Mark Judge, who she said was in the room, while practicing swimming and diving at Columbia Country Club in suburban Maryland. | |
| “This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who eventually assaulted me,” she said. | |
| Next she is being questioned by Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona prosecutor specializing in sex crimes chosen by the Republican leadership. | |
| Dr. Blasey entered the hearing room flanked by two of her lawyers, Debra Katz on her right and Michael Bromwich on her left. | Dr. Blasey entered the hearing room flanked by two of her lawyers, Debra Katz on her right and Michael Bromwich on her left. |
| Dr. Blasey’s entourage in the hearing room where she will testify includes friends who traveled with her from California to provide moral support, according to a person familiar with her appearance. The group does not include her husband, Russell Ford, who stayed behind with the couple’s children. | Dr. Blasey’s entourage in the hearing room where she will testify includes friends who traveled with her from California to provide moral support, according to a person familiar with her appearance. The group does not include her husband, Russell Ford, who stayed behind with the couple’s children. |
| The family has faced multiple threats since Dr. Blasey went public with her story. | |
| Her friend Samantha Guerry said Thursday morning that Dr. Blasey “is terrified” to speak on Capitol Hill about her allegation of sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh. | Her friend Samantha Guerry said Thursday morning that Dr. Blasey “is terrified” to speak on Capitol Hill about her allegation of sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh. |
| “But she’s spent quite a bit of time centering herself, and she is fierce and determined and undaunted, so we shouldn’t underestimate her,” Ms. Guerry said on NBC’s “Today.” | “But she’s spent quite a bit of time centering herself, and she is fierce and determined and undaunted, so we shouldn’t underestimate her,” Ms. Guerry said on NBC’s “Today.” |
| On Wednesday night, her team said of Dr. Blasey: “She’s ready.” | On Wednesday night, her team said of Dr. Blasey: “She’s ready.” |
| In the minutes before she arrived on Capitol Hill, Deborah Ramirez, another of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers who alleges that he exposed himself to her at a drunken party in college, sent a message of support. | In the minutes before she arrived on Capitol Hill, Deborah Ramirez, another of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers who alleges that he exposed himself to her at a drunken party in college, sent a message of support. |
| — Julie Hirschfeld Davis | — Julie Hirschfeld Davis |
| The hearing began with prickly opening statements from Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Judiciary Committee chairman, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat. | |
| Senator Grassley tried to establish Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility, excoriating Democrats for bringing up the Blasey allegations at the last minute, and defending Republicans, who have refused to allow an F.B.I. inquiry into Dr. Blasey’s and other allegations. | |
| He started by noting that Judge Kavanaugh has undergone six background checks in the past. | |
| “Nowhere in any of these six F.B.I. reports, which committee investigators have reviewed on a bipartisan basis, was there whiff of any issue, any issue at all in anyway related to inappropriate sexual behavior,” Mr. Grassley said. | |
| Ms. Feinstein delivered a blistering assessment of Judge Kavanaugh’s fitness for the Supreme Court, running through not just Dr. Blasey’s accusations but other accusations from other women. Mr. Grassley called those accusations unsubstantiated. | |
| At the conclusion of her opening remarks, Senator Feinstein said that the issue for the Senate to decide is not just whether it is true that Judge Kavanaugh, as a teenager, sexually assaulted Dr. Blasey, but also whether Judge Kavanaugh is being honest today about his past behavior. | |
| She noted that in recent days, Judge Kavanaugh has not just denied attacking Dr. Blasey, but has also denied that he ever drank so much as a young man that he could not remember what happened and that as a teenager he was mainly focused on school, basketball, service projects and going to church. She contrasted that with various accounts by his former associates and classmates that he was a heavy drinker as a young man and that his defensive portrayal of himself had gone too far and was not credible. | |
| “We are here for one reason, to determine whether Judge Kavanaugh should be elevated to one of the most powerful positions in our country,” she said. “This is not a trial of Dr. Ford. It’s a job interview for Judge Kavanaugh. Is Brett Kavanaugh who we want on the most prestigious court in our country? Is he the best we can do?” | |
| Even before Dr. Blasey had come forward, Democrats had attacked Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility, arguing that Bush White House emails had shown that he had misled the Senate when he came before it as an appeals court nominee in 2004 and 2006, in distancing himself from various Bush-era controversies including work on other disputed appeals court nominees and Senate Republican staffers’ then-secret infiltration of internal Democratic computer files to learn which nominees they were likely to try to block and with what tactics. | |
| An hour before the hearing, Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, held a news conference in support of Dr. Blasey, flanked by trauma experts who spoke of the difficult and often hostile cultural attitudes faced by survivors of sexual abuse. | An hour before the hearing, Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, held a news conference in support of Dr. Blasey, flanked by trauma experts who spoke of the difficult and often hostile cultural attitudes faced by survivors of sexual abuse. |
| Ms. Murray was one of a number of female senators who was emboldened to run for office after watching Anita F. Hill testify in 1991, and she referenced that experience directly, calling on her colleagues to learn from their past mistakes. | Ms. Murray was one of a number of female senators who was emboldened to run for office after watching Anita F. Hill testify in 1991, and she referenced that experience directly, calling on her colleagues to learn from their past mistakes. |
| “In 1991, I and millions of women across the country watched as Anita Hill was interrogated and attacked and the Senate failed this crucial test,” Ms. Murray said. “Twenty-seven years later, in 2018, we need to do better and we certainly should not do worse.” | “In 1991, I and millions of women across the country watched as Anita Hill was interrogated and attacked and the Senate failed this crucial test,” Ms. Murray said. “Twenty-seven years later, in 2018, we need to do better and we certainly should not do worse.” |
| [Flashback: The Anita Hill Hearings Compared to Today] | [Flashback: The Anita Hill Hearings Compared to Today] |
| As Ms. Murray delivered her remarks, dozens of protesters supporting Dr. Blasey poured into the Hart Senate Office Building, chanting “we won’t go back” and wearing shirts that said “Believe Women.” Four young women, wearing their Holton-Arms uniforms, walked through the Hart office buildings hallways, arms linked together. | As Ms. Murray delivered her remarks, dozens of protesters supporting Dr. Blasey poured into the Hart Senate Office Building, chanting “we won’t go back” and wearing shirts that said “Believe Women.” Four young women, wearing their Holton-Arms uniforms, walked through the Hart office buildings hallways, arms linked together. |
| Public access is extremely limited inside the hearing room. Several members of Congress plan to attend — their seats are being held by members of their staff — and also in the audience is Alyssa Milano, the actress and a co-founder of the Women’s March, who told reporters she is here to support Christine Blasey Ford. | Public access is extremely limited inside the hearing room. Several members of Congress plan to attend — their seats are being held by members of their staff — and also in the audience is Alyssa Milano, the actress and a co-founder of the Women’s March, who told reporters she is here to support Christine Blasey Ford. |
| Ms. Milano, attending at the invitation of Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said she has stark memories of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings. “I remember it really was the foundation of my learning what sexual harassment was,” Ms. Milano said. | Ms. Milano, attending at the invitation of Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said she has stark memories of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings. “I remember it really was the foundation of my learning what sexual harassment was,” Ms. Milano said. |
| Access for the press is also extremely limited. At Judge Kavanaugh’s first confirmation hearings there were 156 seats in the room for reporters. Today there are 48. | Access for the press is also extremely limited. At Judge Kavanaugh’s first confirmation hearings there were 156 seats in the room for reporters. Today there are 48. |
| Republicans on the Judiciary Committee invited an experienced litigator, Rachel Mitchell, to do the questioning for them. It is no coincidence that Ms. Mitchell is a woman. | Republicans on the Judiciary Committee invited an experienced litigator, Rachel Mitchell, to do the questioning for them. It is no coincidence that Ms. Mitchell is a woman. |
| [What We Know About Rachel Mitchell, the Prosecutor Set to Question Christine Blasey Ford] | |
| Lawyers for Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in California, have been tight-lipped about how they are preparing for the hearing, but they said in a statement on Wednesday that “she is ready.” Since she came forward, Dr. Blasey and her family have received death threats and were forced to move out of their house. | Lawyers for Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in California, have been tight-lipped about how they are preparing for the hearing, but they said in a statement on Wednesday that “she is ready.” Since she came forward, Dr. Blasey and her family have received death threats and were forced to move out of their house. |
| “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified,” Dr. Blasey will say, according to her prepared remarks. “I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.” | “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified,” Dr. Blasey will say, according to her prepared remarks. “I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.” |
| [Read Dr. Blasey’s prepared statement here.] | [Read Dr. Blasey’s prepared statement here.] |
| She will also come armed with a rebuttal to one of the Republicans’ central plans: that she misidentified Judge Kavanaugh as her accuser. “We did not know each other well,” she will say, “but I knew him and he knew me.” | She will also come armed with a rebuttal to one of the Republicans’ central plans: that she misidentified Judge Kavanaugh as her accuser. “We did not know each other well,” she will say, “but I knew him and he knew me.” |
| But Dr. Blasey will also face scrutinizing and at times uncomfortable questioning about the episode, and she has already said that she cannot remember the specific date or location of the assault. Republicans have hired Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona sex-crimes prosecutor, to lead their portion of the questioning, which Dr. Blasey’s lawyers have argued will inappropriately give a political proceeding the feel of a courtroom examination. Democratic senators will question the witnesses themselves. | But Dr. Blasey will also face scrutinizing and at times uncomfortable questioning about the episode, and she has already said that she cannot remember the specific date or location of the assault. Republicans have hired Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona sex-crimes prosecutor, to lead their portion of the questioning, which Dr. Blasey’s lawyers have argued will inappropriately give a political proceeding the feel of a courtroom examination. Democratic senators will question the witnesses themselves. |
| [Read: How trauma and time affect memory of trauma like sexual assaults.] | [Read: How trauma and time affect memory of trauma like sexual assaults.] |
| A number of key Republican swing votes — Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have indicated that they will be closely watching Dr. Blasey’s testimony before deciding how to vote. The votes of moderate Democratic senators up for re-election this fall in states that Mr. Trump won in 2016 are also potentially still up for grabs. | A number of key Republican swing votes — Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have indicated that they will be closely watching Dr. Blasey’s testimony before deciding how to vote. The votes of moderate Democratic senators up for re-election this fall in states that Mr. Trump won in 2016 are also potentially still up for grabs. |
| Ms. Collins will watch the hearing from her hideaway office just off the Capitol rotunda. She’s told aides she will be glued to the screen | Ms. Collins will watch the hearing from her hideaway office just off the Capitol rotunda. She’s told aides she will be glued to the screen |
| Ms. Murkowski canceled a meeting of the committee she chairs to watch live. | Ms. Murkowski canceled a meeting of the committee she chairs to watch live. |
| Mr. Flake is the only swing vote on the Judiciary Committee. | Mr. Flake is the only swing vote on the Judiciary Committee. |
| Dr. Blasey’s testimony will also be of interest to the president. Though he cast doubt on her story at a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Trump told reporters that he would be watching the hearing and “could be persuaded” by Dr. Blasey. | Dr. Blasey’s testimony will also be of interest to the president. Though he cast doubt on her story at a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Trump told reporters that he would be watching the hearing and “could be persuaded” by Dr. Blasey. |
| “It’s possible I’ll hear that and I’ll say, ‘Hey, I’m changing my mind,’” he said. “That is possible.” | “It’s possible I’ll hear that and I’ll say, ‘Hey, I’m changing my mind,’” he said. “That is possible.” |
| Clarence Thomas shocked the all-white Judiciary Committee in 1991 when he testified at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing that the accusations of sexual harassment raised by a law professor he once worked with, Anita Hill, amounted to a “high-tech lynching.” | Clarence Thomas shocked the all-white Judiciary Committee in 1991 when he testified at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing that the accusations of sexual harassment raised by a law professor he once worked with, Anita Hill, amounted to a “high-tech lynching.” |
| Judge Kavanaugh is expected to paint himself as the victim of “last-minute smears,” according to the prepared remarks he submitted to the committee on Wednesday, while issuing a broader warning about the danger of the allegations against him. | Judge Kavanaugh is expected to paint himself as the victim of “last-minute smears,” according to the prepared remarks he submitted to the committee on Wednesday, while issuing a broader warning about the danger of the allegations against him. |
| “Such grotesque and obvious character assassination — if allowed to succeed — will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country,” he will say, according to the prepared remarks. | “Such grotesque and obvious character assassination — if allowed to succeed — will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country,” he will say, according to the prepared remarks. |
| The treatment Ms. Hill received before the Judiciary Committee in 1991 — a profusion of abrasive questions from an all-male panel — prompted a cultural firestorm, with outraged women running for office in unprecedented numbers. | The treatment Ms. Hill received before the Judiciary Committee in 1991 — a profusion of abrasive questions from an all-male panel — prompted a cultural firestorm, with outraged women running for office in unprecedented numbers. |
| While there are many differences between the social and political climate in which Ms. Hill testified and the one in which Dr. Blasey will take the stand, there are still two Republicans on the committee who were there when Ms. Hill testified: Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the panel’s chairman, and Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah. (One current committee Democrat, Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, also sat on the committee then.) | While there are many differences between the social and political climate in which Ms. Hill testified and the one in which Dr. Blasey will take the stand, there are still two Republicans on the committee who were there when Ms. Hill testified: Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the panel’s chairman, and Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah. (One current committee Democrat, Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, also sat on the committee then.) |
| In an effort to avoid the optics of a majority-male panel grilling a female sexual assault victim, Senate Republicans have employed Ms. Mitchell to question both Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh. But some of the senators have made clear to reporters that they reserve the right to ask Dr. Blasey questions themselves. | In an effort to avoid the optics of a majority-male panel grilling a female sexual assault victim, Senate Republicans have employed Ms. Mitchell to question both Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh. But some of the senators have made clear to reporters that they reserve the right to ask Dr. Blasey questions themselves. |
| Some of the Republicans have already been blunt about their skepticism of Dr. Blasey’s allegations, with Mr. Hatch calling her “mixed up” and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina describing the claims as a “drive-by shooting.” | Some of the Republicans have already been blunt about their skepticism of Dr. Blasey’s allegations, with Mr. Hatch calling her “mixed up” and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina describing the claims as a “drive-by shooting.” |