A woman who has accused US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has agreed to testify before a Senate panel next week but details of her appearance have not been finalized, her lawyers said on Saturday.
US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley had set a Saturday afternoon deadline for Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assaulting her at a high school party 36 years ago, to decide whether and how she will testify.
"Dr. Ford accepts the committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week," Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, Ford's attorneys, said in a statement. "We are hopeful that we can reach agreement on details."
The news site Politico cited a source as saying representatives of Ford and the committee would talk on Sunday to work out the specifics of her testimony.
A White House official said it appeared that Ford's lawyers were trying to prolong negotiations.
US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (2nd L) holds a letter signed by Holton-Arms alumnae in support of Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault at a high school party about 35 years ago, as (L-R) Sen. Mazie Hirono, alumnae Kate Gold, Sarah Burgess and Alexis Goldstein look on, in Washington, DC, the US, September 20, 2018. /VCG Photo
"We look at this statement as a delay tactic," the official said. "The White House sees this as not an acceptance.
"Senate Republicans went from looking accommodating and generous to looking like they are getting played unless they see this as stalling and a delay tactic."
White House spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the statement from Ford's team did not appear to move them closer to a fair hearing and that Kavanaugh was eager to testify as soon as possible.
Senator Orrin Hatch, a member of the Republican-controlled Judiciary committee, also expressed skepticism.
"Worth noting that this is exactly where we were on Monday morning," he said on Twitter. "Without agreeing to a date, time, and terms we are no closer to hearing from Dr. Ford than we were when her lawyers said Dr. Ford was willing to testify during their media tour 6 days ago."
The committee had delayed a vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation after Ford's allegations emerged last week and her lawyers were negotiating with committee staff the conditions of her testimony.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegation and pledged to testify.
Confirming Kavanaugh's nomination would cement conservative control of the Supreme Court and advance a White House effort to tilt the American judiciary farther to the right.
Grassley had said earlier that the panel would vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation on Monday unless a deal was reached with Ford's lawyers by a Friday night deadline. Katz had said the deadline was "aggressive and artificial."
"Your cavalier treatment of a sexual assault survivor who has been doing her best to cooperate with the Committee is completely inappropriate," Katz added.
On Friday, President Donald Trump sought to cast doubt on Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 when both were high school students in Maryland.
Screenshot of the US President Donald Trump's official Twitter account.
The judiciary committee has struggled with how to proceed with Kavanaugh's nomination.
Democrats have demanded more time for scrutiny, and Republicans want to move ahead quickly with a confirmation vote in an increasingly volatile political climate ahead of congressional elections on Nov. 6.
(Cover: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies during the third day of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, September 6, 2018. /VCG Photo)