Kavanaugh’s accuser just issued an ultimatum to Republicans over her Senate testimony

With Professor Christine Ford, the woman who has accused Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of attempted rape and sexual assault at a high school party when they were teenagers, forced into hiding after receiving death threats—presumably from Trump supporters who laughably call themselves “pro-life”—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is now supporting Ford’s request for a complete FBI investigation of the incident before testifying before the committee about her experience.

Senator Feinstein went on Twitter to denounce the Republicans in the Senate for downplaying the seriousness of the allegations and the veracity of Professor Ford’s claims.

Senate Republicans are still not taking these allegations seriously. They’re rushing into a hearing that is completely unfair. Anita Hill’s column today was absolutely correct: We have to do this right.

— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 18, 2018

The Senator’s reference to Anita Hill’s column refers to an Op-Ed that Ms. Hill wrote today in The New York Times explaining how the committee can and needs to do better than when she testified at the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas back in 1991 after accusing Thomas of pervasive sexual harassment while they were work colleagues.

Part of Hill’s prescription for conducting a fair hearing for both Kavanaugh and Professor Ford includes the admonition to “not rush these hearings.” Yet Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is doing everything he can to keep the confirmation hearings and the eventual vote in the full Senate from being delayed until after the midterm elections.

Although he postponed Thursday’s confirmation vote to accommodate a hearing originally scheduled for next Monday where both Kavanaugh and Ford would testify, Grassley did so without consulting Ford on the schedule at all. He and his Republican colleagues have rejected any agreement to postpone the hearings further to allow for a full FBI investigation into the incident before Professor Ford testifies as she has requested through her lawyers in a letter to the Committee.

“A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions,” lawyers for For, said in a letter to the panel late Tuesday.

Ford’s attorney, Lisa Banks, told CNN today that the issue was too important given the lifetime tenure of Supreme Court Justices, to be railroaded through in a hurry.

"There's no reason that we should have a public hearing on Monday … this is being rushed through, and it's too important to be rushed through. It's not a game, this is a serious situation." Lisa Banks, attorney for Christine Blasey Ford https://t.co/un750fFvzN pic.twitter.com/zkeykaBqJI

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 19, 2018

Senator Feinstein declared in a series of tweets her full support for Professor Ford’s request for the weight of a full federal investigation to be brought upon the matter before she sits in front of the committee to testify.

We should honor Dr. Blasey Ford’s wishes and delay this hearing. A proper investigation must be completed, witnesses interviewed, evidence reviewed and all sides spoken to. Only then should the chairman set a hearing date.

— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 19, 2018

I agree with her 100 percent that the rushed process to hold a hearing on Monday has been unfair and is reminiscent of the treatment of Anita Hill. I also agree that we need the facts before senators—not staff or lawyers—speak to witnesses.

— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 19, 2018

Senator Feinstein also condemned the threats of violence that have been made against Professor Ford since her identity was revealed on Sunday.

I hope that each and every one of us will immediately denounce the horrific treatment of Dr. Blasey Ford. That this brave woman is receiving death threats and has been forced to flee with her family is appalling and heartbreaking. This abuse must stop. We’re better than this.

— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 19, 2018

Meanwhile, The Washington Post is reporting that Kavanaugh supporters are circling the wagons and holding lengthy strategy sessions to try to ram the nomination through to confirmation.

“Kavanaugh and White House counsel Donald McGahn, along with other White House officials, met Monday and Tuesday for hours, monitoring news coverage and talking through their strategy, as Kavanaugh personally called senators to press his case,” the newspaper said.

With Democrats and Republicans at a stalemate over how to proceed, Professor Ford has at this point not yet agreed to testify at Senator Grassley’s Monday hearings in the absence of a commitment to a full FBI investigation. This likely suits Republicans just fine as they can blame Professor Ford for deciding not to testify while ignoring her legitimate calls for a thorough inquiry by professional investigators before being called up before some of the very same Senators who failed so badly in their handling of Anita Hill’s testimony.

Stay tuned as this story continues to develop.

Some original reporting in this story by Seung Min Kim, Robert Costa, and John Wagner of The Washington Post