Washington: The US Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has rejected key concessions sought by Brett Kavanaugh's accuser if she is testify about her claim Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, and threatened a Monday vote by his panel on Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination without a quick agreement.
Minutes before a 10pm Friday deadline set by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, a lawyer for Christine Blasey Ford asked for another day to decide.
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, initially wanted her account to remain secret but she has since come forward after it leaked.
Debra Katz said the time limit's "sole purpose is to bully Dr Ford and deprive her of the ability to make a considered decision that has life-altering implications for her and her family".
The late-night brinkmanship left in question whether Ford, a California psychology professor, would appear before the GOP-run committee and tell lawmakers and a captivated nation about her allegation that an inebriated Kavanaugh trapped her on a bed, muffled her cries and tried removing her clothes when both were teenagers in the 1980s.
Grassley turned down Ford's request that only senators, not lawyers, be allowed to ask questions.
The committee's 11 Republicans – all men – have been seeking an outside female lawyer to interrogate Ford, mindful of the election-season impression that could be left by men trying to pick apart a woman's assertion of a sexual attack.
He also rejected her proposal that she testify after Kavanaugh, a position lawyers consider advantageous because it gives them a chance to rebut accusations.
"We are unwilling to accommodate your unreasonable demands," Grassley said in a written statement.
Grassley's stance underscored a desire by President Donald Trump and GOP leaders to usher the 53-year-old Kavanaugh onto the high court by the October 1 start of its new session and before the November elections, when Democrats are mounting a robust drive to grab congressional control.
Friday was the latest in a string of tumultuous days for Kavanaugh, whose ascension to the Supreme Court seemed a sure bet until Ford emerged last weekend and provided details of the alleged assault.
Kavanaugh, a District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals judge, has repeatedly denied the accusation.
Earlier, Trump ended a week of constraint and sarcastically assailed Ford, tweeting that if the episode was "as bad as she says," she or "her loving parents" surely would have reported it to law enforcement.
Trump's searing reproach of the California psychology professor defied the Senate Republican strategy, and the advice of White House aides, of not disparaging her while firmly defending his nominee and the tight timetable for confirming him.
AP
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