Christine Blasey Ford to testify before Senate Judiciary Committee on Kavanaugh assault

Now what?

The Washington Post reports that Christine Blasey Ford has accepted the invitation from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify. Dr. Ford has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were both teenagers.

The details of this acceptance are not yet available. But the wording of the acceptance makes it seem likely that Dr. Ford will appear in person before the Judiciary panel. Committee chair Chuck Grassley had demanded an answer from Dr. Ford by this afternoon. 

Earlier today, Grassley staffer and Republican strategist Garrett Ventry resigned as head of communications for the Senate committee after it was revealed that he had been fired from a previous job over charges of sexual harassment. Blasey Ford and her family have been subject to death threats and right wing media attacks since she came forward to reveal her experience with Kavanaugh.

Saturday, Sep 22, 2018 · 7:18:52 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The Washington Post has updated its story, but the information is still far from complete. 

There is this statement from Dr. Ford’s attorneys:

Dr. Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week. Although many aspects of the proposal you provided via email, on (Friday) are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations, and we are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process, we are hopeful that we can reach agreement on details.

Which certainly indicates that while the committee and Dr. Ford have reached an agreement in principle, there remain details to be resolved before times, dates, and formats will be clear.