WASHINGTON _ Negotiations for a high-stakes public hearing about the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh gained steam Thursday when his accuser, California professor Christine Blasey Ford, sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee offering to testify next week.
In the letter from her attorney, Ford said she was prepared to appear before the Senate next week, but ruled out Monday, when GOP leaders are currently planning to hold the hearing. They set that date without consulting Ford.
She also indicated that she may be willing to testify without an FBI investigation first, though she still prefers that the law enforcement agency look into the matter before the hearing. Republicans have rejected calls for the FBI to get involved.
The letter said Ford is willing to work with the committee in the coming days to arrange a hearing as long as the terms are fair and her safety is assured.
"As you are aware, she has been receiving death threats, which have been reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and she and her family have been forced out of their home," Ford's attorney, Debra Katz, wrote. "She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety. A hearing on Monday is not possible and the Committee's insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event."
There was no immediate reaction from the committee.
