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Republicans Set Saturday Afternoon Deadline for Blasey Ford to Decide to Testify

An attorney for Christine Blasey Ford said Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is unnecessarily rushing toward a hearing by pushing for her to testify about her allegation of sexual assault against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. (Credit: Researchgate.net and AFP/Getty Images)

Senate Republicans say Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, must decide this afternoon whether she will agree to their terms for testifying next week.

Ford, a research psychologist at Palo Alto University, has signaled she is willing to testify before the committee — if the Senate Judiciary Committee meets several conditions.

The back and forth about when Ford will speak with the committee, and under what conditions, has dragged on for several days, blocking what had appeared a likely party-line vote for the Supreme Court nominee.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee chairman, had initially set a 5 p.m. Friday deadline for Ford to make a decision, but then amended that to 10 p.m., adding that if she did not reply the committee would go forward with a hearing Monday without her and vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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