Here's what Grassley told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday.
"We have reached out to her in the last 36 hours three or four times by email, and we've not heard from them," he said. "So, it kind of raises the question do they want to, do they want to come to the public hearing or not?"
If there was any doubt that Ford didn't want to testify in public, Katz soon erased it.
In the letter to Grassley sent on Tuesday, Katz complained that Ford would have to sit at a table with Kavanaugh. (That was false.) She worried that Ford would unfairly face "interrogation by Senators." (What else did Ford think that testifying before the Judiciary Committee entailed?)
Then Katz informed Grassley that Ford wouldn't appear under any circumstances until after "an FBI investigation of the incident."
But Katz knew this demand wouldn't be met when she made it. The Justice Department had already said that the FBI wouldn't investigate Ford's claim, because it "does not involve any potential federal crime."
"The purpose of a background investigation is to determine whether the nominee could pose a risk to the national security of the United States," the Justice statement said. "The allegation does not involve any potential federal crime. The FBI's role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers."
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/ford-kavanaugh-accusations-fbi-investigation/
"We have reached out to her in the last 36 hours three or four times by email, and we've not heard from them," he said. "So, it kind of raises the question do they want to, do they want to come to the public hearing or not?"
If there was any doubt that Ford didn't want to testify in public, Katz soon erased it.
In the letter to Grassley sent on Tuesday, Katz complained that Ford would have to sit at a table with Kavanaugh. (That was false.) She worried that Ford would unfairly face "interrogation by Senators." (What else did Ford think that testifying before the Judiciary Committee entailed?)
Then Katz informed Grassley that Ford wouldn't appear under any circumstances until after "an FBI investigation of the incident."
But Katz knew this demand wouldn't be met when she made it. The Justice Department had already said that the FBI wouldn't investigate Ford's claim, because it "does not involve any potential federal crime."
"The purpose of a background investigation is to determine whether the nominee could pose a risk to the national security of the United States," the Justice statement said. "The allegation does not involve any potential federal crime. The FBI's role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers."
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/ford-kavanaugh-accusations-fbi-investigation/