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Lawyers for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has gone public with her allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attacked her when they were in high school, have contacted the Judiciary Committee to say she is willing to appear, but not Monday as they are demanding and with terms they must satisfy for fairness and safety.
The timetable the committee has demanded "is not possible and the Committee’s insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event," they write in the email obtained by The New York Times. The email reiterates that it is Ford's "strong preference" that "a full investigation" be conducted before she testifies, but does not require that.
The lawyers stress that she "would be prepared to testify next week" as long as she is offered "terms that are fair and which ensure her safety." That would preclude the proposal from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), enthusiastically embraced and probably orchestrated by Republican leadership, that the hearing be conducted as a trial with Chairman Grassley as judge and Kavanaugh's counsel prosecuting Ford.
Politico reports that Ford has hired Ricki Seidman, a senior principal at TSD Communications, who served as Joe Biden's communications director during the 2008 campaign. She also assisted the Obama White House in managing the nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "I believe her and I think she's very courageous for coming this far," Seidman told Politico.