A GoFundMe campaign created for Dr Christine Blasey Ford has rapidly picked up support on the day of her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh. A campaign created on 18, September with a goal to raise $150,000 (£115,000) has since markedly exceeded its goal. At one point on Thursday, the trending campaign reached $375,000 (£280,000) – with donations speedily pouring in throughout the day. Neighbours and colleagues of Dr Blasey Ford sponsored the campaign with the mission to assist the California professor and her family since her identify became known. The funds raised will cover expenses, including security and travel costs. Recommended Kavanaugh says opposition against him fuelled by anger over Trump During the testimony, prosecutor Rachel Mitchell questioned Dr Blasey Ford about the polygraph test she took in August in connection to her allegations against Mr Kavanaugh. The examination’s result revealed that Dr Blasey Ford’s answers were “not indicative of deception”. When Ms Mitchell asked Dr Blasey Ford whether she paid for the polygraph, her attorneys confirmed that they did – “as is routine” they added. The California professor also acknowledged that several GoFundMe pages had been created to support her. “I'm aware that there's been several GoFundMe sites that I haven't had a chance to figure out how to manage those because I've never had one...” she said. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images Dr Blasey Ford has received death threats – among a wave of vile public attacks for not coming forward earlier – and has been forced to relocate out of her home since her allegations came to light. Mr Kavanaugh, who has also been accused of sexual misconduct by two other women, has denied all of the allegations against him. ✕ Kavanaugh gets in heated exchange with Patrick Leahy over friend Mark Judge “Not only has the right wing smear machine started, but she is receiving serious threats against her and has had to engage a security force to protect her family,” a post on the GoFundMe campaign page read in part. “This is all really expensive and she needs our help. We need to protect the voices of brave people who speak out - especially when they are part of our community.” Another GoFundMe page that has gained in popularity was created for Dr Blasey Ford by a professor of law at Georgetown University, according to the campaign’s post. That campaign, which has since closed, set a goal to raise $175,000 (£130,000) and exceeded it by raising nearly $210,000 (£160,000).<doc-sep>A GoFundMe campaign set up on behalf of Christine Blasey Ford drew more than $200,000 in donations in the hours immediately after she mentioned it during her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, more money than it had gained in the past eight days. As of 5 p.m., the campaign “Help Christine Blasey Ford,” one of at least two set up on her behalf, had raised more than $378,000 total — up from $175,000 when the hearing began at 10 a.m., according to a spokeswoman for the crowdfunding website. The GoFundMe campaigns came up after Rachel Mitchell, a prosecutor who questioned Dr. Blasey on behalf of Republican members of the committee, asked who had paid for a polygraph examination Dr. Blasey took as part of her sexual assault accusation against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. “I’m aware that there’s been several GoFundMe sites,” Dr. Blasey told Ms. Mitchell in response, adding that the money would be used for her family’s expenses as a result of her speaking out, including security protection, but that she did not yet know how to access or retrieve it.<doc-sep>
In her appearance before U.S. senators on Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford was asked how she would pay for the polygraph test that was administered and handle other costs associated with her testimony against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "I'm aware that there's been several GoFundMe sites," Blasey Ford told Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona prosecutor who was hired to ask questions on behalf of Republican senators. "I haven't had a chance to figure out how to manage those because I've never had one." GoFundMe, a crowdfunding website that allows anyone to start a fundraising effort, is hosting 13 campaigns related to Blasey Ford, according to a search on the site using her name. Most of them haven't gotten much response, though they picked up after the topic was raised. However, the top two campaigns have reeled in more than half a million dollars for Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology and statistics at Palo Alto University in California. The fundraising effort that's raised the most money brought in over $320,000 from over 6,400 people as of mid-day Thursday, blowing past its original goal of $150,000. The campaign for her "immediate security and personal expenses" is "sponsored by her neighbors and colleagues," and named the Ford family as the sole beneficiary. Blasey Ford is in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to testify, after she came forward to tell her story of being sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh as a teenager in 1982. Kavanaugh's testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee will follow Blasey Ford's appearance. Kavanaugh has denied all the allegations against him. Death threats