Brett Kavanaugh & Sexual Assault Accuser Christine Ford To Testify On Monday Before Senate Judiciary Committee

On Monday, a date was set for the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

The pair will testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, Sept. 24. This hearing could play a major role in determining whether or not 53-year-old Kavanaugh is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.

The allegations against Kavanaugh first surfaced anonymously on Friday, then Ford revealed her name in a Washington Post op-ed on Sunday. The claims date back to the 1980s when she and Kavanaugh were in high school, and also involve another man named Mark Judge whom Ford — a research psychologist — alleges helped Kavanaugh hold her down and cover her mouth at a party. The SCOTUS pick denied the allegations.

Since this revelation, many Senate Judiciary Committee members and other lawmakers — among them Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and Bob Corker — have said they wish to delay the confirmation of Kavanaugh, which the New York Times reported had been scheduled for Thursday.

Despite the latest controversy surrounding Kavanaugh, many prominent officials including President Donald Trump have rushed to defend the Supreme Court pick.

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“He is somebody very special; at the same time, we want to go through a process, we want to make sure everything is perfect, everything is just right,” the president told reporters of Kavanaugh at the White House on Monday. “If it takes a little delay, it will take a little delay — it shouldn’t certainly be very much.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) reportedly became furious with Democrats on Monday for bringing up the allegations against Kavanaugh several days into the confirmation process.

Many Washington groups have also jumped to take sides amid the case surrounding Kavanaugh. According to the Times, a conservative advocacy organization announced it would launch a $1.5 million advertising campaign in order to back Kavanaugh. Meanwhile, a liberal group said it would start a similar effort to influence some senator’s votes.

Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate GOP lawmaker from Maine who is considered one of the deciding votes for Kavanaugh, said she was happy with the decision to delay his confirmation and to let him and Ford testify in order to learn the truth about the allegations.

“I’m pleased that the committee mark up for this week has been canceled and there will be a public hearing and both Judge Kavanaugh and Professor Ford will be testifying under oath, in a public hearing, next Monday,” Collins told CNN. “It’s exactly the outcome I hoped for and advocated for.”

The case surrounding Kavanaugh has drawn comparisons to the 1991 hearings in which Anita Hill detailed her sexual harassment accusations against eventual Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.