Brett Kavanaugh Plans Calendar Defense; Time’s Up Calls For Walk-Out

UPDATE 3:30 PM Sept. 23:  Brett Kavanaugh plans to contest Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations by using calendars from the summer of 1982. Kavanaugh’s calendars do not show a party consistent with Ford’s contentions,  according to the New York Times, quoting an anonymous source working for his confirmation.

The Kavanaugh defense will argue that the calendars provide no corroboration for Ford’s account. The calenders, the Times said, will show he was out of town much of the summer, either at the beach or away with his parents. While at home, the calendars list his basketball games, movie outings, football workouts and college interviews. While a few parties are mentioned, none those friends other than those identified by Ford.  

Meanwhile, the Time’s Up organization has sent out a tweet calling for a nationwide walkout on Monday in support of Blasey Ford’s accusations.

UPDATE 11:30 AM, Sept. 23: Christine Blasey Ford is set to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, Sept. 27. Ford has committed to the public hearing next week where she and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will be questioned about claims that he sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.

According to the Washington Post, Ford’s legal team said that they committed to the hearing, which will take place at 10 AM on Thursday. The decision came after lengthy negotiations in the past week.

PREVIOUS Sept. 22: Christine Blasey Ford lawyers and the Senate Judiciary Committee reached a tentative agreement Saturday for her to testify on Thursday, Sept. 27.

According to the New York Times, the date has not been set in stone as Ford’s lawyers and aides to Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, are planning to talk Sunday about the testimony.

However, as of Saturday, the testimony has been penciled in for Thursday. If no deal is solidified, Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination could move ahead on Monday as scheduled.

PREVIOUS:  Several news reports indicate Ford has accepted the offer to testify next week. However, the acceptance is conditional and no date or time has been set, leaving open the question on whether Ford will continue to stall the appearance.

Reports have indicated Ford intends to drive cross-country from her California home to Washington, DC, a journey that will take a minimum of three days at best.

The Senate had given her a 2:30 PM EST deadline to respond with a definitive answer. The Kavanaugh confirmation vote would be three days after Ford testifies,

Christine Blasey Ford has until today at 2:30 PM Eastern time to respond to the Senate’s request for an answer on whether she will testify about her experience with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Late last night, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, granted one final request for an extension.

“Dr. Ford if u changed ur mind say so so we can move on,” Grassley tweeted. He also joked that Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) seems to be running the show.

“With all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and Schumer is the conductor.”

This is the fifth extension of a deadline for Ford to respond with a definitive answer. Previous reasons for delaying include a request for an FBI investigation and time to drive to Washington, DC from California.

Grassley has indicated that a vote to support Kavanaugh’s nomination will happen on Monday if Ford refuses to testify.

President Trump tweeted on Friday that Ford or “her loving parents” would surely have filed a police report if the experience was as traumatic as she described.

“I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents,” Trump tweeted. “I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!

EARLIER:  A Friday night deadline has passed with no word on whether the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct will testify on Monday against him.

Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday night for an additional day to make her decision to testify. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley extended the deadline for a definitive response to 10 PM. If there’s no response or a rejection of the offer, Grassley said, the committee may set a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination for Monday.

“I’m extending the deadline for response yet again to 10 o’clock this evening,” Grassley said. “I’m providing a notice of a vote to occur Monday in the event that Dr. Ford’s attorneys don’t respond or Dr. Ford decides not to testify. In the event that we can come to a reasonable resolution as I’ve been seeking all week, then I will postpone the committee vote to accommodate her testimony.”

Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said the 10 PM deadline was “arbitrary.”  Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that Ford wanted to drive from California to Washington, DC to testify, among other alleged demands.

“Its sole purpose is to bully Dr. Ford and deprive her of the ability to make a considered decision that has life-altering implications for her and her family,” Katz said in a statement. “She has already been forced out of her home and continues to be subjected to harassment, hate mail, and death threats. Our modest request is that she be given an additional day to make her decision.”

“The imposition of aggressive and artificial deadlines regarding the date and conditions of any hearing has created tremendous and unwarranted anxiety and stress on Dr. Ford,” Katz said. “Your cavalier treatment of a sexual assault survivor who has been doing her best to cooperate with the Committee is completely inappropriate.”

The Grassley statement:

Related stories

Ronan Farrow Defends Report On New Kavanaugh Accuser In Testy 'GMA' Interview

John Oliver Blasts Brett Kavanaugh Supporters Trying To Assassinate Character Of Accusers

White House Press Office Hits Back At New Yorker Story On Brett Kavanaugh

Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter