Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh
Republican committee members have scrambled in recent days to try and accommodate Kavanaugh's accuser - Palo Alto University professor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford - so that her story can be heard and taken into account, but obstructionist Democrats are refusing to cooperate with those efforts and have continuously shifted the goal posts to make new demands.
As such, it is unclear if Ford will be in attendance on Monday for a hearing to delve into her own allegations against Kavanaugh. But it has been made crystal clear that Kavanaugh himself will be there to mount his own defense against the accusations that he has vigorously denied.
In fact, a letter from Kavanaugh to committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley was publicly released Thursday in which the nominee accepted the invitation to come before the committee again to answer any questions they may have with regard to the last-minute allegations lodged against him.
Kavanaugh thanked Grassley for the invitation to defend himself on Monday and wrote, "I will be there. I look forward to the opportunity to testify before the Committee.
"I also appreciate the time that Committee staff took to interview me on Monday, September 17. During that interview, I twice requested a Committee hearing for the following day, Tuesday, September 18. I continue to want a hearing as soon as possible, so that I can clear my name."
As an aside, it is worth noting that, according to Grassley, Democrat committee members and their staffs took no part whatsoever in the interview of Kavanaugh about the allegations on Monday, despite their incessant demands over the weekend that he answer their many accusatory questions about his alleged wrongdoing.
"Since the moment I first heard this allegation, I have categorically and unequivocally denied it. I remain committed to defending my integrity," Kavanaugh said in his letter.
There is no question that Kavanaugh is ready and willing to sit down with the committee and answer all of its questions in a straightforward manner, as his integrity and unfairly besmirched reputation are on the line.
Further, it must be noted that he has asked for no special terms or conditions or extraneous considerations on his behalf, instead displaying a fearlessness of whatever else Democrats may attempt to throw at him in such a hearing that proves he isn't about to back down anytime soon.
Contrast Kavanaugh's apparent eagerness to testify before the committee with the on-again, off-again commitment to an appearance - or lack thereof - displayed by Ford, her attorneys and the Democrats who have backed her unquestioningly.
Committee Republicans have offered Ford a number of different options for how she'd like to share her story with the committee, including an open or closed hearing, as well as public or private interviews.
They've even offered to travel to California to meet with her privately so she can share her account ... all of which have been rejected by Democrats, sometimes in rather absurd ways, such as suggesting Republicans are "bullying" her or being "sexist" by graciously asking her to speak with them of her own volition about her own allegations of sexual misconduct.
Meanwhile, Ford's attorneys and the Democrat committee members have remained non-committal with regard to bringing some sort of resolution to this dispute, and it has become increasingly obvious that, whether there is any legitimacy to Ford's claims or not, Democrats are fully exploiting the allegations as a political weapon against Kavanaugh, Republicans and President Donald Trump.
Whether Ford and her attorneys, or even the Democrats who support her, decide to show up Monday for the scheduled hearing about Ford's allegations is a question that will likely linger until that day. But one thing we know with certainty is that Kavanaugh will be there.
Ben Marquis is a writer and researcher. Constitutional conservatarian with a strong focus on protecting the Second and First Amendments.
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