Brett Kavanaugh hearing: Trump tweets support for nominee as hearing ends after Christine Ford says she is '100%' sure judge assaulted her
Dr Christine Ford tells senate she thought Brett Kavanaugh was 'going to rape and accidentally kill' her as Supreme Court judge says his wife and family have been left 'destroyed' by false allegations
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Christine Ford has told Congress that she believed Brett Kavanaugh was "going to rape her" in dramatic testimony over her sexual assault allegation against Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee.
Dr Ford said she was "100 per cent" sure it was Mr Kavanaugh who assaulted her.
Later, Mr Kavanaugh appeared in front of the same Senate panel, the judiciary committee, and denied the allegations calling the hearing a "circus". He said he believed Dr Ford had been assaulted at some point, but not by him.
Dr Ford said she was "terrified" of testifying, but that she believes it is her "civic duty". Before she began Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, commended her on coming forward.
The clash pitted her word against his. Members of the Senate, controlled 51-49 by Trump's fellow Republicans, must now decide whether to vote to confirm him after the extraordinary nearly nine-hour-long hearing. Senate Republicans planned to meet on Thursday night to discuss the next steps on the nomination.
“I swear today, under oath, before the Senate and the nation, before my family and God, I am innocent of this charge,” Mr Kavanaugh told the Judiciary Committee later.
Calling himself a victim of “grotesque and obvious character assassination,” Mr Kavanaugh, speaking passionately, said he “unequivocally and categorically” denied Dr Ford's allegation.
“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” Mr Kavanaugh added.
Writing on Twitter after the hearing, President Donald Trump said of Mr Kavanaugh, “His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats' search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!”
"I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally" Mr Kavanaugh said.
He then said Dr Ford's friend, Leyland Kayser, "does not remember" the incident and neither do any of the other people Dr Ford named.
"I requested a hearing immediately to clear my name...I demanded a hearing," he said.
"The 10-day delay" in scheduling Dr Ford's hearing has "totally" destroyed his reputation and family, Mr Kavanaugh said, adding that he "welcome[d]" any kind of investigation.
"I was not at the party described by Dr Ford"
"This confirmation process has become a national disgrace" Mr Kavanaugh said, appearing incredibly agitated.
He asked the public to "listen" to friends, family, colleagues, and even exes to attest to the quality of his character.
He also condemned Democrats for calling him "evil".
"Some of you were lying in wait and had [a new strategy] ready" to destroy me, Mr Kavanaugh said.
"False last-minutes smears designed to scare me...all nonsense, reported breathlessly and often, uncritically by the media," Mr Kavanaugh said. He is coming out firing anger.
"This is a circus"
"The consequences will be with us decades. This grotesque...character assassination" will dissuade others from working for the public, he said.
"What goes around, comes around," Mr Kavanaugh warned Democrats and retractors.
"I will not be intimidated from this process...your coordinated effort to destroy my family and my good name...will not drive me out," he noted.
"I have never sexually assaulted anyone," Mr Kavanaugh asserted.
"Allegations of sexual assault should always be taken seriously, always"
"At the same time" the person being accused also deserve to be heard, Mr Kavanaugh said, emotionally.
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