If she doesn’t, the Judiciary Committee should vote as scheduled.
When Americans went to bed last night, the path forward in the Brett Kavanaugh nomination battle seemed set. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee — and the nation — would have an opportunity to watch Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testify, under oath, about Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh brutally assaulted her at a high-school party in the early 1980s. Crucially, both Kavanaugh and Ford would be subject to no-doubt-tough cross-examination.
But then, by Tuesday morning, there was a shift. My former NR colleague Eliana Johnson reported that Ford had not yet agreed to testify:
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Indeed, there was even an indication that her attorney was attempting to impose “serious conditions” on her testimony. Another source said they believed there was only a “50 percent chance she’d testify” before the full committee and “just a 25 percent chance she’d appear at a public hearing.”
Then, today, Dianne Feinstein called for a “full” FBI investigation before a committee hearing. Keep in mind, this is the same person who knew about Ford’s claims for weeks before they were made public on Sunday. Did her staff investigate the claims? If so, what was the result of that investigation?
Senator Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) echoed the same demand, calling for an “FBI report.” The Department of Justice, however, has said that “the purpose of a background investigation is to determine whether the nominee could pose a risk to the national security of the United States. The allegation does not involve any potential federal crime. The FBI’s role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers.” In other words, no further investigation is forthcoming.
The DOJ is right. It is not the FBI’s role to investigate the veracity of 36-year-old state-level criminal claims. But this is a red herring. Ford is entirely capable of telling her story — and facing senators’ questions — without the involvement of the FBI. It is imperative that she appear before the committee to testify.
It is of course extraordinarily difficult for any person to face cross-examination. It’s even more difficult when facing examination based on memories so painful and so far in the distant past. It takes an immense act of will to stand in front of a Senate committee, swear to tell the truth, and then answer all relevant questions. But it’s an act of will that’s foundational to our system of justice.
It is to America’s credit that we are increasingly creating a culture that empowers and supports alleged victims, granting them the opportunity to make a formal accusation no matter how powerful the accused. It will be to America’s great shame, however, if we abandon or weaken protections for the accused. Indeed, in those places (like college campuses) where we’ve weakened due process, unfairness and injustice have followed as night follows day. Under our court system, even if an accuser seeks only money, the accused has an opportunity to depose and cross-examine the accuser, and the accuser bears the burden of proof.
Here, Christine Blasey Ford has made an accusation that is more serious than any demand for money. Her claims, if sufficiently credible, could alter the course of American history. There is no reason why they can’t be tested, in an open hearing, with the eyes of the nation on her. It will of course be hard, but no harder than what we ask of victims and plaintiffs in countless other cases across the land.
At the same time, the Senate has its own responsibilities. The grandstanding and hectoring we witnessed in the first round of Kavanaugh hearings would be rendered doubly shameful in this circumstance. Senators, many of whom love the limelight almost as much as they love life itself, should act with dignity and remember that they belong to what was once called the world’s greatest deliberative body. To that end, Republican senator Susan Collins (Maine) has an excellent idea:
I'm writing to the Chairman & RM of Judiciary Cmte respectfully recommending that at Monday’s hearing, counsel for Prof. Ford be allocated time to question Judge Kavanaugh & counsel for the Judge be granted equal time to question Prof. Ford, followed by questions from Senators.
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 18, 2018
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Testifying is hard. It’s also necessary. Claims of misconduct must be tested by cross-examination.
It’s this simple: Ford should agree to testify, or the committee should vote without considering her claims:https://t.co/ZyZP4nIXkE
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 18, 2018
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