Thread: Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford demands 'full investigation' by FBI before te

Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford demands 'full investigation' by FBI before testifying, in letter from her lawyers

By Gregg Re | Fox News
36 mins ago

Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor claiming Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than 35 years ago, late Tuesday demanded a "full investigation" by the FBI before she will attend any congressional hearing or "interrogation" into her accusations.

Republicans repeatedly have invited Ford and Kavanaugh to testify on Monday after delaying a planned Judiciary Committee vote on his confirmation that had been scheduled for Thursday. Kavanaugh accepted the committee's invitation, but Ford stayed mum until Tuesday night.

The development throws the entire hearing into doubt: Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., had threatened to nix the proceeding if Ford refused to participate. It was also sure to add fuel to Republican claims that the allegations -- which were known to ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein in July, but only revealed to federal authorities last Thursday -- are part of a concerted effort to stall Kavanaugh's nomination at the last minute.

"While Dr. Ford’s life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident," Ford's attorneys wrote to Grassley.

In the letter, the lawyers went on to assert that Ford's family "was forced to relocate out of their home" and that "her email has been hacked, and she has been impersonated online."

"The hearing was scheduled for six short days from today and would include interrogation by Senators who appear to have made up their minds that she is 'mistaken' and 'mixed up.' While no sexual assault survivor should be subjected to such an ordeal, Dr. Ford wants to cooperate with the Committee and with law enforcement officials."

The lawyers, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, said historical precedent supported the delay -- echoing comments by ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who on Tuesday said on Twitter that the FBI had also "investigated Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment against Clarence Thomas."

"As the Judiciary Committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations," the letter continued. "A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions."

In response, a federal law enforcement official told Fox News, “It's totally inappropriate for someone to demand we use law enforcement resources to investigate a 35-year-old allegation when she won't go under oath and can't remember key details including when or where it happened.”
The senator speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill.

Because Ford's allegations do not involve any federal crime within the applicable statute of limitations, Fox News has learned that the bureau would require explicit instructions from the White House to conduct any additional probe.

The document concluded: "We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you and Ranking Member Feinstein to discuss reasonable steps as to how Dr. Ford can cooperate while also taking care of her own health and security."

In response, Feinstein and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released statements backing Ford.

“I agree with her 100 percent that the rushed process to hold a hearing on Monday has been unfair and is reminiscent of the treatment of Anita Hill," Feinstein said. "I also agree that we need the facts before senators—not staff or lawyers—speak to witnesses.

"We should honor Dr. Blasey Ford’s wishes and delay this hearing," Feinstein continued. "A proper investigation must be completed, witnesses interviewed, evidence reviewed and all sides spoken to. Only then should the chairman set a hearing date."

Feinstein had told Fox News earlier Tuesday that she could not be sure Ford was being entirely truthful.

"This is a woman who has been profoundly impacted by this," Feinstein said. "Now, I can't say everything's truthful. I don't know."

In a separate statement, Schumer said an FBI probe would be consistent with "precedent", adding, "Dr. Ford’s call for the FBI to investigate ... demonstrates her confidence that when all the facts are examined by an impartial investigation, her account will be further corroborated and confirmed."

Earlier Tuesday, Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., rejected a comparison to the Clarence Thomas epsiode.

"You’re talking about history," Graham said. "We’re not looking back. We’re looking forward.”

The attorneys' letter was yet another curveball in Kavanaugh's ongoing nomination drama, which began last week after a leak to The Intercept revealed that Feinstein was in possession of a damning letter relevant to his confirmation. Republicans have hinted that Senate Democrats orchestrated that leak, which then prompted Feinstein to discuss the letter and its then-anonymous accusations publicly and with the FBI.

Ford went public on Sunday, alleging that Kavanaugh forced himself onto her and covered her mouth in the 1980s, when Kavanaugh was 17 and she was 15. Ford did not mention the incident to others by her own admission until 2012, according to The Washington Post, when her therapist recorded her claim that four individuals had committed the assault.

Ford has since claimed that the therapist incorrectly transcribed that detail, and that she had said there were only two people in the room. Her husband has maintained that Ford mentioned Kavanaugh in the therapy sessions.

Ford also told The Post she could not remember in whose house the alleged incident occured, the exact month of the episode, or why there was a gathering there.

On Monday, Grassley slammed Feinstein for not telling Republicans, even privately, about the claims against Kavanaugh during days of private and public hearings on the nominee.

"Unfortunately, committee Republicans have only known this person's identity from news reports for less than 24 hours and known about her allegations for less than a week," Grassley continued. "Senator Feinstein, on the other hand, has had this information for many weeks and deprived her colleagues of the information necessary to do our jobs."

Fox News' Jake Gibson and Alex Pappas contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...r-lawyers.html

Originally Posted by Judy

Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford demands 'full investigation' by FBI before testifying, in letter from her lawyers

I'm for it. But the investigation should include Feinstein's involvement, the Stanford University's staff, the representative who gave the letter to Feinstein, etc.

Christine claims the alleged incident happened sometime, though she can't remember when, she remembers it happening somewhere, though she can't remember when. She tells no one, family or otherwise, about the alleged incident, she doesn't report it to school personnel or police. In 2012, in therapy with her husband SHE tells her husband and the therapist about the alleged attack. Now, it would appear that only she, her husband and the therapist know of the allegations. But then, in summer of 2018 SHE allegedly with personnel of Stanford University, who have no connection to her high school and no knowledge of events by students then and there, help her compose a letter. That letter, apparently not giving her name, was sent to a representative who forwarded it to Feinstien!

Now Christine says she didn't want to come out. Then who leaked the allegations? Who wrote the letter that Feinstein received? If she sent the letter, surely she, a PHD, knows that only a retained lawyer, her counselor, or her clergy are bound to keep such information confidential. So it is a lie that she did not want it public. Now perhaps she wanted it to do damage without her name being involved. But before it was made public, she retained a lawyer and she took a Polygraph test. Why?

Feinstein apparently sat on the information rather than bring it up during the hearing. Why? The FBI should investigate her motivation to withhold evidence!

The Stanford personnel should also be investigated for their participation in the writing of the letter. If it is found that they did it for political reasons, they should lose their jobs as that should be against the law for the university.

I don't know the validity, but there is a post that Christine's parents had a house foreclosed on by Judge Kavanugh. If the FBI finds that to be true, Christine had motivation to make up a story to retaliate against him. That would be criminal.

Maybe Christine Blasey Ford considered her own demise, and decided that testifying would expose her to criminal prosecution.

Just thinking out loud!

Testifying at the hearing would be under oath, subject to perjury charges.

Her new lawyer, Banks, said she's left her home due to death threats. She lives somewhere in the San Francisco area, why would she be receiving death threats there? Are there Trump Supporters in San Francisco??!! The media has totally protected her. No pictures of her home, no reporters hanging out on her front yard, no public information about where she lives, like they would do and report on anyone else.

I wouldn't wait to hold the committee vote until next week. I'd go ahead and have the committee vote this Thursday, September 20, like they had planned. This pimple has popped, time to wash it away and get back to work. There is no gain by any further delay at this point.

P. S. She should ask local authorities to investigate those death threats, though. That is an actual crime that she could do something about.

Christine Ford’s new excuse for not testifying is, she wants the FBI to investigate Kavanaugh before she testifies.

See: Christine Blasey Ford Wants F.B.I. to Investigate Kavanaugh Before She Testifies

Sept. 18, 2018

”Speaking through her lawyers, Christine Blasey Ford did not explicitly rule out appearing next Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify along with Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. But echoing Senate Democrats, she said an investigation should be “the first step” before she is put “on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident.”

But the real reason seems to be, her lawyer probably told her anyone who knowing lies to Congress, especially one who is under oath, is guilty of perjury and shall be fined or imprisoned up to five years,

JWK

The unavoidable truth is, the Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’, Andrew Gillum and Ayanna Pressley’s socialist plan for “free” college tuition will be paid for by taxing millions of college graduates who worked for and paid their own way through college and are now trying to finance their own economic needs.

Exactly. Talking to the Senate under oath is entirely different than a therapy session with your psychologist and husband.

Originally Posted by Judy

Exactly. Talking to the Senate under oath is entirely different than a therapy session with your psychologist and husband.

Five years for committing perjury is a long time and may be bringing her back to reality, in spite of her original desire to work with democrats to obstruct and delay this nomination.


JWK

Without a Fifth Column Media, Yellow Journalism,Hollywood, and a corrupted FBI, Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton and BarackHussein Obama, would be making license tags in a federal penitentiary