WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford said she wants an FBI investigation of her allegation of being sexually assaulted decades ago by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before a Judiciary Committee hearing set for Monday.
They said in a letter Tuesday that Ford wants to cooperate with the panel. But they said that in the days since she went public with her allegation, she has been the target of “vicious harassment and even death threats.” They said her family has relocated.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the lawyers said an FBI investigation “should be the first step in addressing the allegations.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said there’s “no reason for any further delay” in a hearing about the allegations.
Grassley said, “Nobody should be subject to threats and intimidation.”
But he added: “Dr. Ford’s testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr. Ford tells the committee.”
Kavanaugh has denied Ford’s allegations that he groped her and tried to pull off her clothes during a party in high school in the early 1980s.
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