The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers is willing to testify, just not as soon as Monday, reports The New York Times.
Christine Blasey Ford’s attorney released a statement Wednesday afternoon, arguing that the planned hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday is rushed and “not a fair or good faith investigation.” Ford's lawyer also asks that multiple witnesses be allowed to testify.
This is after the committee already agreed to postpone its vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation in order to hold said hearing.
“The committee’s stated plan to move forward with a hearing that has only two witnesses is not a fair or good faith investigation; there are multiple witnesses whose names have appeared publicly and should be included in any proceeding,” said lawyer Lisa J. Banks.
“The rush to a hearing is unnecessary, and contrary to the committee discovering the truth,” the statement continues.
Ford, a university professor, also asked through her lawyer that the FBI investigate her allegation against Kavanaugh prior to any hearing.
"[Ford] continues to believe that a full non-partisan investigation of this matter is needed and she is willing to cooperate with the Committee," the statement reads.
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.), said Wednesday that the committee is “doing everything that we can to make Dr. Ford comfortable to coming before the committee in an open session or a closed session, or a public or a private interview.”
The date, however, is set, he said.
“It would be a disservice to Dr. Ford, Judge Kavanaugh, this Committee, and the American people to delay this hearing any further,” he wrote in a letter to committee Democrats.
Asked why he won't budge on the date, Grassley told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, “A simple answer to that would be why didn’t Dianne Feinstein send the request to the F.B.I. on July the 30th instead of now?”
He also sent a letter to Ford explaining his decision not to request the FBI investigate her claims:
The FBI does not make a credibility assessment of any information it receives with respect to a nominee," Grassley wrote. "Nor is it tasked with investigating a matter simply because the Committee deems it important. The Constitution assigns the Senate, and only the Senate, with the task of advising the President on his nominee and consenting to the nomination if the circumstances merit. We have no power to commandeer an Executive Branch agency into conducting our due diligence. The job of assessing and investigating a nominee's qualifications in order to decide whether to consent to the nomination is ours, and ours alone.
Sen. Grassley has set a deadline of 10 a.m. EST on Friday "for Christine Blasey Ford's legal team to respond to his request for her to speak to the committee," CNN reports.
President Trump continues to defend his nominee.