Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford have tentatively agreed to hold a public hearing Thursday so that she can share details of her accusations, according to multiple Democrats and Republicans familiar with the plans. Ford has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago.
A “short but very productive call” between Democratic and Republican members of the committee and Ford’s attorneys yielded the agreement, according to one person familiar with the call.
All sides plan to speak again Sunday to sort out final details.
“There was a very productive discussion tonight and it looks like they’re down to the final details. But, the devil is in the details. I’m not saying it’s a done deal,” said another person familiar with Saturday’s exchanges. “It looks like it will be Thursday, but [Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck] Grassley has to run it by his people.”
Earlier Saturday, before an agreement had been announced, Ford’s lawyers said she had agreed to “provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week.”
Ford’s attorneys and Senate Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley have been publicly ironing out whether she will testify about the alleged incident since Friday, when Grassley demanded a decision on whether she would testify by 10 p.m. Her lawyers responded with a public request for one more day, and Grassley tweeted shortly before midnight that they had granted the extension.
Michael Bromwich, former inspector general of the Justice Department, announced Saturday that he joined Ford’s legal team.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley had requested that Ford respond to his invitation to testify before the Senate by Saturday afternoon. Republican committee staff and Ford’s lawyers had reached a stalemate in negotiations over the details of the testimony.
Although Democratic committee staff members usually would participate in these negotiations, Democrats are refusing to do so because they believe that the investigation into the allegations should be conducted by the FBI.
Republicans on the committee and Ford’s lawyers had disagreed on numerous counts. Katz requested that the hearing be held next Thursday, and that Kavanaugh testify before Ford, among other requests. Republicans made a counteroffer on Friday of holding the hearing on Wednesday, and having Ford testify before Kavanaugh.
CBS News political correspondent Ed O’Keefe contributed reporting.
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