Senator Chuck Grassley indicated Friday that if the accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh did not respond to an offer by 10 PM to testify before Congress that the vote would be taken on Monday.
“We cannot continue to delay"
Christine Blasey Ford says that she attended a party where she was sexually attacked by Kavanaugh when he was in high school about 35 years ago. Kavanaugh categorically denies the claims.
Ford and her legal representation have been negotiating with Grassley about whether she would testify against Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and under what circumstances.
Grassley declared Friday that she had several hours to agree to testify, otherwise the vote would be held on Monday to confirm Kavanaugh.
“I’m providing a notice of a vote to occur Monday in the event that Dr. Ford’s attorneys don’t respond or Dr. Ford decides not to testify," Grassley said in the statement. "In the event that we can come to a reasonable resolution as I’ve been seeking all week, then I will postpone the committee vote to accommodate her testimony."
"We cannot continue to delay," he added.
"A hostage situation"
Democrats were not happy with the announcement. Rep. Mazie (Hawaii) blasted the decision via a tweet from her official social media account.
Chairman Grassley is now threatening to hold a vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination on Monday unless Dr. Blasey Ford gives in to his demands," she tweeted.
"The 11 Republican men on the committee are treating this like a hostage situation," she added. "They just don’t get it."
Republicans have accused the Democrats of using the claims of sexual abuse to stall the nomination vote beyond the midterms in hopes of stopping the vote with a new Congress.
Democrats have countered that even if Kavanaugh is confirmed, they are considering calling for a full investigation if they gain control of the House of Representatives after the midterm elections.
Here's the Fox News report on the Grassley ultimatum:
