Trump high court pick Kavanaugh's accuser willing to testify, lawyer says

WASHINGTON - A woman who has accused Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's US Supreme Court nominee, of sexual misconduct decades ago is willing to publicly testify before a Senate panel set to vote this week on his nomination, her lawyer said on Monday.

Christine Blasey Ford has accused Kavanaugh of trying to attack her and remove her clothing in the early 1980s when they were both high school students in a Maryland suburb outside Washington. Kavanaugh, the Republican president's second nominee for a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court, has denied the allegations.

The accusation has threatened to complicate his nomination, which must be approved first by the Senate Judiciary Committee and then by the full chamber, which is narrowly controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans. A committee vote is scheduled for Thursday, just weeks before Nov 6 congressional elections.

Some Republicans on the committee have said Ford should have a chance to tell her story, a view also expressed on Monday by White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.

In television interviews on Monday, Ford's Washington-based lawyer, Debra Katz, said her client would be willing to speak out publicly. Asked if that included testimony under oath at a public hearing before senators, Katz told CBS's "This Morning" program: "She's willing to do what she needs to do."

Katz's comments suggested any public hearing could be explosive. Ford, now a university professor in California, believes Kavanaugh's alleged actions were "attempted rape" and "that if it were not for the severe intoxication of Brett Kavanaugh, she would have been raped," Katz told NBC's "Today" program.

Katz told CBS that Ford had consumed a beer but was not drunk.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley plans to speak with Kavanaugh and Ford before the committee's scheduled vote, according to a spokesman for the senator.

Fellow Republican panel member Jeff Flake has urged the committee to delay its vote until it hears from Ford. Another committee Republican, Lindsey Graham, welcomed hearing from Ford but said it should "be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled."

Republicans hold a slim 11-10 advantage on the Judiciary Committee and a 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Reuters