Christine Blasey Ford's voice was quivering at points during her opening statement as part of the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearing Thursday morning. Ford emotionally detailed her allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school, saying how she feared for her life and has never been able to forget the incident which she says happened in 1982. The room was silent except for Ford, who directly addressed the senators for 20 minutes. Senators were riveted, listening very intently to Ford, with several visibly pitched forward in their seats. Her prepared testimony was released as a letter on Wednesday and she deviated very little from it. She provided a brief moment of levity when she ended her remarks by saying she "would request some caffeine" and said a Coke "sounds good." Here are her full introductory remarks: "Thank you, Chairman Grassley and ranking member Feinstein, members of the committee. My name is Christine Blasey Ford. I'm a Professor of Psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school. I have described the events publicly before. I summarized them in my letter to ranking member Feinstein, and again in a letter to chairman grassley. I understand and appreciate the importance of your hearing for me directly about what happened to me and the impact it has had on my life and on my family. I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I attended the Holton arms school in bethesda, Maryland, from 1978 to 1984. Holton arms is an all girls school that opened in 1901. During my time at the school, girls at Holton arms frequently met and became friendly with boys from all boys schools in the area, including the Landon school, Georgetown prep, Gonzaga high school, as well as our country clubs and other places where kids and families socialized. This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me. During my freshman and sophomore school years, when I was 14 and 15 years old, my group of friends intersected with Brett and his friends for a short period of time. I had been friendly with a classmate of Brett's for a short time during my freshman and sophomore year. And it was through that connection that I attended a number of parties that Brett also attended. We did not know each other well, but I knew him and he knew me. In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent most every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, swimming and practicing diving. One evening that summer, after a day of diving at the club, I attended a small gathering at a house in the Bethesda area. There were four boys I remember specifically being at the house. Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, a boy named P.J., and one other boy whose name I cannot recall. I also remember my friend Leyland attending. I do not remember all of the details of how that gathering came together, but like many that summer, it was almost surely a spur of the moment I truly wish I could be more helpful with more detailed answers to all of the questions that have and will be asked about how I got to the party and where it took place and so forth. I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to. But the details about that night that bring me here today are the ones I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult. When I got to the small gathering, people were drinking beer in a small living room/family room type area on the first floor of the house. I drank one beer. Brett and Mark were visibly early in the evening, I went up a very narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the restroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom across from the bathroom. I couldn't see who pushed me. Brett and Mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind them. There was music playing in the bedroom. It was turned up louder by either Brett or Mark once we were in the room. I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding into me. I yelled, hoping that someone downstairs might hear me. And I tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was very inebriated and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit underneath my clothing. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. This is what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me. Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack. They seemed to be having a very good time. Mark seemed ambivalent, at times urging Brett on. At times telling him to stop. A couple of times, I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me. But he did not. During this assault, Mark came over and jumped on the bed twice while Brett was on top of me. And the last time he did this, we toppled over and Brett was no longer on top of me. I was able to get up and run out of the room, directly across from the bedroom was a small bathroom. I ran inside the bathroom and locked the door. I waited until I heard Brett and Mark leave the bedroom, laughing and loudly walked down the narrow stairway, pinballing off the walls on the way down. I waited, and when I did not hear them come back up the stairs, I left the bathroom, went down the same stairwell, through the living room, and left the house. I remember being on the street and feeling an enormous sense of relief that I escaped that house and that Brett and Mark were not coming outside after me. Brett's assault on me drastically altered my life for a very long time, I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone these details. I did not want to tell my parents that I at age 15 was in a house without any parents present, drinking beer with boys .I convinced myself that because Brett did not rape me, I should just move on and just pretend that it didn't happen. Over the years, I told very, very few friends that I had this traumatic experience. I told my husband before we were married that I had experienced a sexual assault. I had never told the details to anyone, the specific details, until May 2012 during a Couple’s Counseling session. The reason this came up in counseling is that my husband and I had completed a very extensive, very long remodel of our home, and I insisted on a second front door, an idea that he and others disagreed with and could not understand. In explaining why I wanted a second front door, I began to describe the assault in detail. I recall saying that the boy who assaulted me could someday be on the U.S. Supreme Court and spoke a bit about his background at an elitist all-boys school in Bethesda, Maryland. My husband recalls that I named my attacker as Brett Kavanaugh.<doc-sep>Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's prepared testimony was released Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee just a day before he and his accuser, Professor Christine Blasey Ford, are scheduled to testify before the committee about allegations of sexual assault in high school. In the written testimony, Kavanaugh reiterated his denial of Ford's claims and again accused opponents of attempting to block a confirmation vote by any means necessary. "There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination," Kavanaugh wrote. "These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country." Ford is expected Thursday to testify about the alleged assault carried out by Kavanaugh during a party in 1982, and Kavanaugh's testimony will follow. Kavanaugh denied ever assaulting anyone but also stated he was not "questioning" Ford's claim. "I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford," Kavanaugh said. "I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge." Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who heads up the Judiciary Committee, pegged on Tuesday a woman to lead Ford's questioning instead of the 11 Republican men that serve on the committee. Career sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell will question Ford about the alleged assault. Ford claimed Kavanaugh, and his friend Mark Judge, corralled her into a room and Kavanaugh proceeded to grope her and tried to remove her clothes, while covering her mouth to stop her screaming. Ford has said she was afraid of being raped or accidentally killed by the allegedly drunk Kavanaugh. Since Ford has come forward publicly, two other women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Deborah Ramirez, who is not scheduled to testify, said Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face while drunk at a fraternity party at Yale. And Julie Swetnick released an affidavit Wednesday, through attorney Michael Avenatti, in which she claimed Kavanaugh and Judge were present at a high school party when she was drugged and "gang raped." Republicans have scheduled a vote on Kavanaugh's nomination for Friday morning. Here's the full text of Kavanaugh's prepared written testimony: Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee: Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name. Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country. As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever. Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law. Dr. Ford's allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that's not why we are here today. What I've been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes. The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women. I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge.<doc-sep>Christine Blasey Ford offered gripping, emotional testimony Thursday to the Senate Judiciary Committee, her voice shaking as she described a sexual assault she allegedly suffered at the hands of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Ford was often on the verge of crying several times during more than two hours of testimony. Others in the room were also in tears. Kavanaugh "groped me and tried to take off my clothes," Ford said, her voice quaking, in recalling what she alleged happened more than three decades ago when they were high school students. "He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life." Ford also said she agonized over whether or not to come forward, fearing that Kavanaugh's confirmation was so assured that her testimony would be pointless. "I was calculating daily the risk benefit for me of coming forward, and wondering whether I would just be jumping in front of a train that was headed to where it was headed anyway and that I would just be personally annihilated."<doc-sep>
In preparation for tomorrow’s hearing, Christine Blasey Ford has released her opening statement. Having read it, I’m struggling to see a path forward that doesn’t end in an impasse. Ford repeats her accusations against Kavanaugh but names no new witnesses and gives no new information. She also confirms that she did not name Kavanaugh as the alleged assailant to anyone “outside of therapy” “until July 2018” when she “saw press reports stating that Brett Kavanaugh was on the “short list” of potential Supreme Court nominees”: I do not recall each person I spoke to about Brett’s assault, and some friends have reminded me of these conversations since the publication of The Washington Post story on September 16, 2018. But until July 2018, I had never named Mr. Kavanaugh as my attacker outside of therapy. This all changed in early July 2018. I saw press reports stating that Brett Kavanaugh was on the “short list” of potential Supreme Court nominees. I thought it was my civic duty to relay the information I had about Mr. Kavanaugh’s conduct so that those considering his potential nomination would know about the assault. Per the Washington Post, Kavanaugh’s name is not in the therapist’s notes: The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.” Which is to say that we have an accusation that has not been corroborated by any of the named witnesses, all of whom have either said that it categorically did not happen, or that they do not know Brett Kavanaugh, or that they have no memory of any such party or event; that is strenuously denied by the accused; and that was not fleshed out to anyone other than the accuser’s husband until the day Kavanaugh’s name became national news. That strikes me as a recipe for disaster. What Christine Blasey Ford is alleging is unprovable either way, which means that this question will most likely come down to who is the most likable in front of a microphone. Prepare for a war of attrition.