Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser says she will no longer pursue legal action for the sexual misconduct allegations she made in July.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s attorney, Debra Katz, told CNN host Dana Bash on Friday that her client no longer wants a criminal investigation into her allegations.
Ford’s attorney also said her client will not help Senate Democrats in any impeachment proceedings, should Democrats regain control of Congress after the 2018 midterm election.
“Professor Ford has not asked for anything of the sort,” Katz said. “What she did was to come forward and testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and agree to cooperate with any investigation by the FBI, and that’s what she sought to do here.”
“She does not want him to be impeached?” Bash asked later in the segment.
“No,” Katz responded.
But the investigation into criminal conduct may not be over that easily. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding an investigation to find out who illegally leaked Ford’s July letter to Sen. Diane Feinstein.
The leaked letter caused a firestorm of controversy in the last week of Kavanaugh’s hearings and raised doubt on whether he would be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Saturday, Kavanaugh was finally sworn in as the United States’ 114th Supreme Court Justice.
“I think it clearly was, honestly, a despicable thing to do to Dr. Ford,” McConnell told Politico about the leaked letter. “And it kind of underscored the tactics that have been used: It started in committee and then went straight out into the public.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley hasn’t decided whether he’ll launch the investigation.
“I’ve got some people on my committee that feel strongly about following up on the leak and all that stuff. I’ll have a conversation with them,” Grassley said. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
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— The Horn editorial team