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As the day began, there were three possible outcomes in the high stakes showdown over whether Christine Blasey Ford would accept the Senate Judiciary Committee’s invitation to testify against Brett Kavanaugh:
- Ford could reject the invitation, which would give Republicans on the committee the political cover they needed to vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s nomination as soon as Monday afternoon.
- Kavanaugh could withdraw his nomination, deciding the high profile fight was just not worth the personal cost to him and his family.
- Ford could accept the invitation, allowing her to tell her story in the most public of settings.
Ford has reportedly accepted the invitation to testify, although “details” still need to be finalized. The Washington Post reports that Ford’s attorneys “will continue to push for their other demands.”
This is easily the worst outcome for Republicans.
If Ford testifies, Republican senators will be put in the position of deciding whether or not they believe her accusations. The best case scenario is that they can say they still do not know the truth after hearing testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh. But that will only raise the question of why they will not allow additional witnesses to testify and it will highlight that Republicans refused to ask the FBI to independently investigate the matter.
The worst case scenario is that the 10 Republican men on the committee will attack Ford in an effort to undermine her testimony, claim to believe Kavanaugh and further erode the party’s support among women just weeks before the midterm election.
Either way, Republicans have little incentive to let this hearing go forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if the remaining “details” are too much for them to work out.
Republicans have backed themselves into a corner with no good options.
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