Members-Only Article
We’ve had a chaotic day of maneuvering in the Kavanaugh case. But with the end of the day, particularly events of the last hour, I think we have a clear view where the controversy stands.
After Professor Blasey Ford came forward and Sen. Flake said the Senate should not vote without “hearing from” Ford, Republicans quickly realized that they couldn’t move the nomination forward without some delay and communication, of whatever sort, with Professor Ford and Kavanaugh. After briefly trying to go for private phone interviews, they announced a hearing for next Monday in which Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh would be the only witnesses. But Senator Grassley apparently only conferred on this in advance with Kavanaugh. The idea seems to have been to present Ford with a fait accompli, with no preliminary investigation or additional witnesses.