WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Following news a woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has been invited to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Monday, Democrats on the committee have accused Republicans of rushing forward with the hearing.
Ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the other Democratic members of the committee sent a letter to Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Tuesday claiming the GOP is seeking to push through Kavanaugh's nomination without thorough vetting.
'This nomination should not be railroaded through the Committee in an effort to meet an artificial, outcome based deadline,' the Democratic Senators wrote.
They added, 'The American people must have confidence in the integrity of the process and the willingness of the Senate to hold Supreme Court nominees to the highest standards of character and fitness.'
The Democrats urged Grassley to join their demand for an FBI investigation of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against Kavanaugh and to allow the committee to perform its due diligence.
The letter was sent a day after Grassley announced the committee will hold a public hearing regarding Ford's claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her when they were in high school decades ago.
Grassley said Ford and Kavanaugh have been both been invited to testify at the hearing but told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday that Ford has not yet agreed to appear.
'We have reached out to her in the last 36 hours three of four times by email, and we've not heard from them,' Grassley said. 'So it kind of raises the question do they want to, do they want to come to the public hearing or not?'
In their letter, the Democrats criticized Grassley for announcing the hearing without confirming whether Ford would be available.
Ford's attorney Debra Katz told NBC's 'Today' show on Monday her client is 'willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth.'
Feinstein also criticized Grassley for only inviting two witnesses to testify at the hearing, noting the committee heard from twenty-two witnesses during the hearings on Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment against current Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991.
'What about other witnesses like Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge? What about individuals who were previously told about this incident? What about experts who can speak to the effects of this kind of trauma on a victim?' Feinstein said.
She added, 'This is another attempt by Republicans to rush this nomination and not fully vet Judge Kavanaugh.'
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and other Republicans have accused Feinstein of obstruction after it was revealed she received a letter from Ford detailing the accusations against Kavanaugh in July.
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