Conservatives have been questioning why Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) sat for such a long time on Christine Blasey Ford’s high-stakes accusations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Now suspicions are growing even at this hour, as Feinstein has admitted that she “can’t say” if everything Ford wrote in a letter about the sexual assault she allegedly suffered years ago is truthful.
Feinstein admitted the uncertainty in interviews with Fox reporters.
Fox’s Chad Pergram reported the incident.
“From colleague Connor Marley. Feinstein on Ford. Says Ford ‘is a woman that has been, I think, profoundly impacted, on this. I can’t say that everything is truthful. I don’t know,'” he tweeted.
However, Feinstein — the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee — quickly clarified that even though she doesn’t know if everything is true, she still finds Ford to be credible.
CBS reporter Alan He reported on Twitter: “Feinstein just now clarifies: ‘Look I believe she is credible. What we have wanted is an investigation carried out to look at the facts before there was a hearing. The Republican majority is apparently not going to do that. But based on what I know at this stage she is credible.'”
Feinstein also clarified the comments herself in a tweet.
“During every step of this process, I’ve found every single piece of information from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford eminently credible, sincere and believable. She knew this would have a huge effect on her life and she was incredibly brave to come forward,” the senator tweeted.
However, earlier on in the day, Feinstein wrote in a statement how it will be hard to take the testimony seriously with only two witnesses.
Mark Judge, a former high school classmate of Judge Brett Kavanaugh from 35 years ago — the man who was said to be in the same room with Kavanaugh when Ford alleges he attempted to sexually assault her all those years ago — has told senators that he will not testify before them.
Earlier on in the day, Feinstein wrote in a statement that it will be hard to take the testimony seriously with only two witnesses.
It is still unclear at this juncture whether Ford herself will be hearing and testifying at a hearing on Monday.
Kavanaugh has vigorously denied the allegations by Ford and has said that he will appear on Monday.
“Chairman Grassley today said there would be only two witnesses invited to testify at the Kavanaugh hearing next week on sexual assault allegations. Compare that to the 22 witnesses at the 1991 Anita Hill hearing, and it’s impossible to take this process seriously,” said Feinstein in a statement.
To recap: President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to replace the outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in July. But it wasn’t until Sunday that Christine Blasey Ford publicly came forward via an article, published in The Washington Post, claiming that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago at a party in Maryland, when they were teens in high school.
Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in northern California, derailed the traditional Senate confirmation process when she came forward publicly after her anonymous allegation was leaked last week.
Ford detailed her allegation to Feinstein through her congresswoman, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), in July.
From colleague Connor Marley. Feinstein on Ford. Says Ford "is a woman that has been, I think, profoundly impacted, on this..I can't say that everything is truthful. I don't know."
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 18, 2018
Feinstein just now clarifies: “Look I believe she is credible. What we have wanted is an investigation carried out to look at the facts before there was a hearing. The republican majority is apparently not going to do that. But based on what I know at this stage she is credible.” https://t.co/yDldaHTrDe
— Alan He (@alanhe) September 18, 2018
During every step of this process, I’ve found every single piece of information from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford eminently credible, sincere and believable. She knew this would have a huge effect on her life and she was incredibly brave to come forward.
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 18, 2018
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