GOP senator who called for Kavanaugh delay: 'Let's vote' if Ford not at Monday hearing
William Cummings, USA TODAY Published 9:13 a.m. ET Sept. 19, 2018 | Updated 1:21 p.m. ET Sept. 19, 2018
WASHINGTON – Two Republican senators who this week said they would be hesitant to proceed with a vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until they had a chance to hear from a woman accusing him of sexual assault are strongly encouraging the accuser to appear at a scheduled hearing next week.
Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., both called for a delay on Kavanaugh's confirmation vote, which had been scheduled for Thursday, after Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward publicly as Kavanaugh's accuser in The Washington Post over the weekend.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, tried to arrange phone calls with Kavanaugh and Ford to discuss the allegation and eventually agreed to schedule a public hearing on Monday with both parties invited to testify. But Ford's attorney, Debra Katz, has since said that her client wants an FBI investigation into the alleged incident before testifying.
On Wednesday, Grassley sent a series of tweets in which he said "Ford shouldn't be threatened or insulted," that she "deserves to be heard" and that he expects his "colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be respectful & treat the situation with the sensitivity it deserves."
But he also dismissed the calls for an FBI investigation.
more
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/19/republican-senators-kavanaugh-ford-hearing/1355272002/
