Current Update
Friday, September 21, 2018: The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to respond to Ford’s lawyer’s demands.CNN reports that the Republican possible counter-offer to Ford includes a Wednesday hearing; Ford will testify first, followed by Kavanaugh; and questions will be asked by an independent counsel.
Update: NBC News also reports on the GOP’s counter-offer to Ford, including the new detail that only two witnesses will be called and the Committee will “pick a lawyer for question” Ford.
Politico reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee is giving Ford the end of the day Friday to accept this counter-offer.
A Republican senator on the Committee told Politico, “We’ll do [the hearing] on Wednesday, we expect [to hear] the accuser before the accused, and we do intend to have the counsel do the questioning.”
The source also said the Committee agreed to Ford’s request to have only one camera at the hearing and for Kavanaugh not to be in the same room with her.
Republican Committee members discussed this on a Friday morning conference call, according to Politico, “[a]nd barring new revelations, the party plans to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination in Judiciary Committee shortly after hearing [Ford’s] testimony next week.”
A senior Democratic Senate aide told Politico that the GOP’s offer of a Wednesday hearing date is one of several “nonstarters with Democrats and Ford’s camp” because they “had made clear that [Ford] could not be in the capital to testify before Thursday.”
The Democratic aide accused the GOP of “making this disingenuous counter-offer knowing she won’t be here.”
“Ford does not want to fly from her California home to Washington,” a Republican senator told Politico, and therefore “she may need to drive across the country to make the hearing. Ford has reportedly told friends she is uncomfortable in confined spaces, indicating a physical difficulty in making the trip by plane.”
Update: The 5:00 p.m. deadline for Ford and her lawyers to respond to the GOP’s counter-offer has now expire. No word yet on whether they have accepted.
Update: The Washington Post reports that the deadline has now been extended to 10:00 p.m.
Full piece @ Breitbart
Makes one wonder why we even bother voting in these cowardly Republicans. The Democrats stamp their feet and the Republicans go all squishy and fall down apologizing for being alive. What a disgusting waste of taxpayer money. Get to work or get out....write you Congress critter and tell them to get with the program or retire. (spit)
ReplyDeleteget with the program or retire
DeleteFat chance.