What You Need to Know About Rachel Mitchell, the Prosecutor Who Will Question Christine Blasey Ford
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused him of an incident of sexual assault in 1982, are scheduled to testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
At the hearing, they'll both face Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona prosecutor with decades of experience, chosen by Republican lawmakers to assist with the fielding of questions.
The committee's chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced the decision to hire Mitchell in a statement on Tuesday, saying that he was committed to "providing a forum to both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh on Thursday that is safe, comfortable and dignified."
"The majority members have followed the bipartisan recommendation to hire as staff counsel for the committee an experienced career sex-crimes prosecutor to question the witnesses at Thursday’s hearing. The goal is to de-politicize the process and get to the truth, instead of grandstanding and giving senators an opportunity to launch their presidential campaigns," he continued in the statement. "I’m very appreciative that Rachel Mitchell has stepped forward to serve in this important and serious role. Ms. Mitchell has been recognized in the legal community for her experience and objectivity."
Here's what we know so far about Mitchell:
Mitchell is a registered Republican who has served as a prosecutor since 1993. To make the committee hearing, she took a leave from her positions as Deputy County Attorney in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix and the Division Chief of the Special Victims Division, which investigates sex-crimes and family-violence.
She has overseen a number of high-profile cases, including one in which former Catholic priest Paul LeBrun was accused of molesting young boys in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was found guilty.
The New York Times reports that Mitchell has been an advocate of "strengthening sex assault laws in the state and has pushed for changes in the courtroom to comfort victims testifying in abuse cases." She also spent a number of years supervising attorneys who handled sexual assault, child molestation and prostitution, and computer crimes against children, according to Fox.
But the decision to have Mitchell question Ford and Kavanaugh doesn't sit well with Democrats, who have pushed back against the decision to have a prosecutor do the cross-examination, arguing that Ford—who claims Kavanaugh held her down and tried to take off her clothes when they were both in high school—is not on trial.
Senator Kamala Harris, one of the members of the committee, tweeted on Tuesday, "Dr. Blasey Ford isn’t on trial. This hearing is to determine whether Kavanaugh is qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. By hiring a private attorney to cross-examine Dr. Blasey Ford, Republicans are trying to intimidate her and avoid being held accountable by voters."
Ford's lawyer Michael Bromwich also weighed in by sending a note to Grassley, in which he expressed concern over Mitchell.
“This is not a criminal trial for which the involvement of an experienced sex-crimes prosecutor would be appropriate,” he wrote. “Neither Dr. Blasey Ford nor Judge Kavanaugh is on trial. The goal should be to develop the relevant facts, not try a case."
Grassley said in his statement that he "promised Dr. Ford that I would do everything in my power to avoid a repeat of the ‘circus’ atmosphere in the hearing room that we saw the week of September 4." Many have pointed out that Mitchell may be a better option to question Ford than one of the 11 male Republican members on the majority side of the committee.
Kavanaugh, who has denied the allegations, has now been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. It is not clear how the new claims will factor into Thursday's hearing.
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