Senators heard emotional testimony Thursday during hearings focusing on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, telling her story of a high school gathering where she claims she was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh.
“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,” Ford said.
Ford says Kavanaugh drunkenly attacked her while a friend watched, a moment she says is etched into her memory.
“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. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me,” Ford said.
Kavanaugh vehemently denies the allegations against him.
“I was not at the party described by Dr. Ford. This confirmation process has become a national disgrace,” Kavanaugh said during his testimony.
The hearing lasted more than eight hours.
Shortly after the hearing concluded, President Donald Trump defended his nominee on Twitter, calling the judge’s testimony “powerful, honest, and riveting.” Trump is declaring, “The Senate must vote!”
GOP senators said late Thursday that the Judiciary Committee would vote Friday morning on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
