Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday voiced skepticism about the timing of fresh allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but expressed a willingness to allow the accuser to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“If [Christine Blasey] Ford wishes to provide information to the committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh,” Graham said in a statement.
“If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled,” added Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee.
{mosads}The Washington Post on Sunday published a detailed account from Christine Blasey Ford, a Palo Alto University professor of psychology, who alleged that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when the two were in high school. She first notified her congressional representative of the allegation in July, but chose to remain anonymous.
Ford told the Post that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and forced himself on her in the early 1980s, when the two were attending neighboring high schools in Montgomery County, Md.
She claims the incident has affected her mental health for decades, and provided notes from therapy sessions with her husband from several years ago during which she discussed the incident.
Ford’s lawyer told the Post that Ford’s story passed a polygraph test administered last month by a former FBI agent.
Kavanaugh has “categorically and unequivocally” denied the allegation, and continued to do so following publication of Ford’s detailed account of the incident.
Graham on Sunday echoed the statement issued by a spokesman for Judiciary Committee Republicans, which questioned the timing of Ford’s allegations.
“It raises a lot of questions about Democrats’ tactics and motives to bring this to the rest of the committee’s attention only now rather than during these many steps along the way,” the spokesman said in a statement. “Senator Feinstein should publicly release the letter she received back in July so that everyone can know what she’s known for weeks.”