Image 01 Image 03

US Senate Tag

After a wild and crazy Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh today. Chairman Chuck Grassley said debating will begin at 9:30AM ET. Procedural vote in the Senate will occur on Saturday with the final confirmation vote by Tuesday. Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona sex crimes prosecutor who questioned Christine Blasey Ford, said she would not have prosecuted Kavanaugh or had the ability to obtain a search warrant.

Brett Kavanaugh's testimony is over. I assessed Christine Ford's testimony earlier, Mid-Hearing Assessment: Christine Blasey Ford believes an untruth. I heard Kavanaugh's opening statement, but missed over half of his question and answer because of another commitment. So I've been catching up via Twitter, highlights and reports. I think I have a good sense of how it went.

At 10:00AM ET, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault back in high school. I will update this thread as it goes. You can follow along and watch a livestream.

As of this writing, it appears that Christine Blasey Ford still plans on testifying at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, September 27. A committee vote tentatively has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and a floor vote is likely early next week. Ford's attorneys still are objecting to some of the planned procedures, including the use of an as-yet unidentified female sex crimes prosecutor to ask questions for Republicans. Having complained that a female accuser would face questioning from the all-male Republicans on the committee, Democrats are now complaining that those male Senators have hired a female attorney to ask questions.

Christine Blasey Ford's team sent another letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley with concerns about the hearing that should take place on Thursday with her and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, told Grassley they have a problem with the hiring of an "experience sex crimes prosecutor" since neither of them are on trial. He also doesn't think she can get a fair hearing due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling her allegations a "smear campaign."

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein that he will not withdraw. He wrote:
These are smears, pure and simple. And they debase our public discourse. But they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley gave Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, until 10AM ET to decide if she will testify on Monday. Ford's team handed out the terms for her testimony late Thursday night and I doubt it will sit well. First of all, she won't do it on Monday and she still wants an FBI probe. Now the Senate Republicans have given Ford a counteroffer with a hearing on Wednesday.

It still looks like Brett Kavanaugh's accuser Christine Blasey Ford will not show up for a hearing set for Monday, which has caused some mayhem at Capitol Hill. The decision to not show up has caused the teetering Republicans to push for a confirmation vote if nothing happens on Monday. To make matters worse, Feinstein won't give the Republicans the letter that contains the accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh. Does this mean that no one else has actually seen the letter? Just Feinstein? How does she expect Ford to get a proper hearing on Monday if everyone else lacks all the tools?

Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Brett Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her in high school, said she wanted to testify in front of the Senate. The Republicans immediately made it known they wanted to hear from her. After all, these are serious accusations and she, along with all victims, deserve to be heard. But Ford has not accepted the invite and now wants an FBI investigation before she testifies. Sen. Chuck Grassley said that if she doesn't show up on Monday, the Senate will move on and schedule a confirmation vote for Kavanaugh.

The drama surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has not gone away. In this post, we will continue to update as new developments emerge during the day. If you come across any interesting news reports, please place them in the comments and we will consider promoting them into the post.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has a private letter about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but refuses to share it. She sent it to the FBI for investigation.