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 love teaching law, but thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee have unleashed, I may never be able to do that again," Mr Kavanaugh said, referring to Democratic Senators.
He describes his love of coaching his daughters' sports teams but says, angrily, "thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee have unleashed, I may never be able to do that again."
"We knew it would be challenging, but we never thought it would devolve into this," he said about what he and his wife Ashley, who he called "a rock," expected from the confirmation hearing process.
"My family and Intend no ill will towards Dr Ford and her family," he said.
He asked the committee for treatment as "you would your father, your brother" he said.
Ms Mitchell will begin her questioning.
Mr Kavanaugh said opposition against him is a political hit job fulled by "anger against Trump" and "revenge on behalf of Clintons" since he had served on the legal team assigned to investigate President Bill Clinton during the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky.
Ms Mitchell has circulated a document detailing the legal "definition of sexual behaviour" in order to set a common terminology during the questioning.
Mr Kavanaugh admits knowing Mark Judge, the man Dr Ford said was also inebriated and in the bedroom during her alleged assault.
Dr Ford's spokesperson told NBC News she is not watching Mr Kavanaugh's testimony today.
"I'll do whatever the committee wants," Mr Kavanaugh said to Senator Dianne Feinstein.
"I wanted to be here the [same day]. I wanted a hearing the same day" he said.
"This has destroyed my family Senator," he said in response to her questions about why he has not asked for an FBI investigation.
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