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!”
Mr Kavanaugh said Mr Judge was an addict who had a "drinking problem" and "almost died".
He said Mr Judge's "fictionalised" book but the "Kavanaugh" character, who he had written drank and blacked out on a beach in the story, was just based on friends and part of his sobriety path.
"You'd have to ask him," he said to Mr Leahy, who pressed him to answer "yes" or "no" to whether the character was based on him.
Mr Leahy and Mr Kavanaugh are going back and forth in a heated exchange.
"We can sit here and make fun of someone with an addiction," Mr Kavanaugh said about Mr Leahy's line of questioning.
"No, I'm going to sit here and talk about [myself] in high school if you going to mock me," he spit back at Mr Leahy.
Mr Grassley intervenes saying "we were fair to Dr Ford" and asked the same for Mr Kavanaugh as Mr Leahy continued to press for a "simple" answer as he put it.
"You don't have to filibuster the answer," Mr Leahy said.
Mr Kavanaugh said he would have documented even the "small event" Dr Ford described and appears to say that since it was not on the calendar for the summer of 1982, he was not present at the event in question.
Ms Mitchell asks Mr Kavanaugh if he is aware there is no statute of limitations on the type of assault Dr Ford alleged and that he could still be investigated or charged.
Senator Dick Durbin tells Mr Kavanaugh to turn around to the man in the front row: White House counsel Don McGahn and say "it's time to get this done".
He said Mr Kavanaugh should tell Mr McGahn to suspend the nomination process and allow a proper, full investigation to be carried out.
Chuck Grassley vehemently disagrees.
"This committee is running this hearing," not Mr Durbin and not even "you as a nominee" Mr Grassley said.
"I want to know what you want to do," Mr Durbin said.
"The FBI doesn't reach conclusions! You do!...This thing was sprung on me and held until the last minute," Mr Kavanaugh said emphatically.
But he has yet to say he wants an FBI investigation, only claiming "they don't reach conclusions".
To Democrats, it seems he is resisting an investigation.
Finally, Mr Kavanaugh said "I will do whatever the committee wants."
Mr Durbin continues to push: "Do you think that is the best thing for us to?" appearing to want the nominee to say he wants the FBI involved.
Mr Kavanaugh repeats the allegation was "held" by Democrats and "sprung on" him. He maintains his innocence.
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