A woman who accuses Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh of trying to rape her in 1982 has offered to testify to the Senate if it can “ensure her safety”.<\/p>\n
Christine Blasey Ford’s lawyer says her client will not appear on Monday, as senators proposed, but might do so next week on “terms that are fair”.<\/p>\n
Republicans had vowed to press ahead with the confirmation amid uncertainty over whether the accuser would testify.<\/p>\n
Judge Kavanaugh has issued a fresh rebuttal of the allegation.<\/p>\n
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley welcomed Prof Ford’s offer.<\/p>\n
“We are happy that Dr Ford’s attorneys are now engaging with the Committee,” his spokesperson told US media.<\/p>\n
Thursday’s development came on the eve of\u00a0a Republican-set deadline<\/a>\u00a0for Prof Ford to decide whether she would give evidence.<\/p>\n Judge Kavanaugh, 53, has agreed to testify to the judiciary committee, which vets Supreme Court nominees, on Monday.<\/p>\n “Since the moment I first heard the allegation,” he said in a statement on Thursday, “I have categorically and unequivocally denied it. I remain committed to defending my integrity.”<\/p>\n The California psychology lecturer’s legal team emailed the panel’s staff on Thursday.<\/p>\n Debra Katz, the lawyer, wrote that she wished to “discuss the conditions under which [Prof Ford] would be prepared to testify next week”.<\/p>\n “As you are aware, she’s been receiving death threats which have been reported to the FBI and she and her family have been forced out of their home.”<\/p>\n She continued: “She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety.”<\/p>\n But she ruled out any testimony next Monday, calling the date “arbitrary”.<\/p>\n The attorney said her client would prefer to wait for the FBI to investigate the accusation before agreeing to testify.<\/p>\n But US President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have already ruled that out.<\/p>\n The FBI investigated a sexual harassment claim against a Supreme Court nominee in 1991 at the behest of the White House, finishing that inquiry in three days.<\/p>\n Senior Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas told CNN: “If she doesn’t want to participate and tell her story, there’s no reason for us to delay.”<\/p>\n Senator Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican, sounded bullish about the prospects of confirming the nominee, who would be expected to bring a more conservative tilt to America’s highest court.<\/p>\n “We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination, we’ll get through this and we’ll get off to the races,” he said in a call with fellow Republicans, the Nevada Independent reports.<\/p>\n A petition backing Prof Ford, signed by more than 1,000 alumnae from Holton-Arms, her former Maryland high school, was delivered on Thursday to two Democratic women senators.<\/p>\n Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, said at the event: “Someone who is lying does not ask the FBI to investigate their claims.<\/p>\n “Judge Kavanaugh has not asked to have the FBI investigate these claims. Is that the reaction of an innocent person? It is not.”<\/p>\n On Thursday, 56 people were arrested while attending anti-Kavanaugh protests on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n The mostly female demonstrators wore pins reading: “I believe Christine Blasey Ford.”<\/p>\n Twelve of Prof Ford’s family members have written an open letter, posted on Twitter, in which they call her “highly ethical”, adding that “her honesty is above reproach”.<\/p>\n “Chrissy is not someone who chooses to be in the spotlight,” the letter said.<\/p>\n Prof Ford has accused Judge Kavanaugh of drunkenly pinning her to a bed and trying to remove her clothing at a house party in a Washington DC suburb when they were both teenagers 36 years ago.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What did Dr Ford’s lawyer say?<\/h2>\n
What are members of Congress saying?<\/h2>\n
What are the other developments?<\/h2>\n