美国国家公共电台 NPR Kavanaugh Accuser Open To Testifying About Sexual Assault Allegations

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Christine Blasey Ford¹, the woman who accused Supreme² Court nominee³ Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, may appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week, just not on Monday as the committee had planned. Her attorneys say they want to make sure they agree with committee staff on terms that are, quote, "fair and which ensure her safety."

Her testimony⁴ has become the subject of political infighting in the days since she first went public with her allegation, an allegation that Kavanaugh denies. Democrats⁶ on the committee say the process has been rushed, and they're calling for an FBI investigation⁷ first. Republicans say they've gone out of their way to make Ford comfortable to testify.

NPR congressional reporter Kelsey Snell has been following the latest developments and joins us now. Hi, Kelsey

KELSEY SNELL, BYLINE⁸: Hey there.

SHAPIRO: What are the conditions that Ford's attorneys say need to be met before she'll appear?

SNELL: They aren't very specific beyond saying that they want to work with the committee to set terms. They were pretty clear, however, that they won't be ready to testify on Monday as the committee has, as you said, already insisted. The email - it was really only about two paragraphs long. And she says she wishes to testify but has serious concerns about her security. And that's something that we've heard from her before, which is that she has been forced out of her home. She lives in California, and she was forced to flee after she became public. And she's received death threats. So they're asking for some consideration about that.

And they also say her strong preference is for the committee to allow a full investigation prior to her agreeing to appear. And in the past, that has meant she has wanted an FBI investigation, which Republicans have repeatedly said they are not willing to pursue.

SHAPIRO: Have Republicans responded to this latest letter?

SNELL: Not yet. The email was made public really late this afternoon. And it's just getting into kind of the committee bloodstream. Grassley has been public about urging her to appear, and he says he wants to do what the committee can to reasonably accommodate her.

SHAPIRO: This is Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

SNELL: Sorry. Yes, the committee chairman - he was saying, you know, that they have been really diligent⁹ about this. He came out and talked to reporters yesterday and listed four different ways that she could appear. And only one of those ways involved a public hearing in Washington on Monday.

And a part of this all is that the committee has been publicly documenting all of the ways that they've reached out to her, reached out to other witnesses. And they're trying to create this opportunity to see that they are really doing things in a methodical way. And that's - I mean, that's been really important to them. And it's been important to the president, who has been very restrained about this. He hasn't weighed in on Twitter. And when he was asked about it yesterday, he said that he personally wanted to hear from her. So...

SHAPIRO: So Monday seems to have been ruled out. But will we see Ford and Brett Kavanaugh in an open hearing next week?

SNELL: We really don't know yet. And that's - it's kind of late in the game for this to be the conversation that we're having. The committee set a deadline of Friday morning at 10 a.m. for Blasey Ford and her attorneys to turn in a biography and written testimony.

Now, we don't really know if that deadline still stands. I mean, in the letter, Ford's attorneys say she appreciates that Grassley has been open to several options for her testimony. But they don't commit to any of them. And presumably, that would be something they'll discuss in the call that her - that the attorneys are asking for.

SHAPIRO: An open hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee would be such a spectacle. It would likely be a very difficult setting for Ford, who would be questioned by 21 senators in a marathon session. And the prospect¹⁰ of a public hearing also has serious political implications for both parties. How are they dealing¹¹ with that?

SNELL: Yeah. All of that public disclosure that I mentioned that Republicans on the committee have been doing are part of the politics here. I mean, they're working to appear as a reasonable and helpful as possible because they want to say that she should be heard while still continuing to pursue getting Kavanaugh confirmed because that is their No. 1 thing. They're under pressure from President Trump¹², from their activist¹³ base. They want to get him on the court before October 1, the beginning of October when the Supreme Court starts. And the longer this is delayed, the less likely it is that that could happen.

SHAPIRO: If that's how Republicans are dealing with it, what about the Democrats? They've been calling for Ford to be heard but supporting her call for an FBI investigation.

SNELL: Yeah. And they continue to insist that they are only asking for things that they believe are fair to Ford. And there is this big fight about whether or not they should have told the FBI sooner, whether it should have been released sooner. The top Democrat⁵ on the committee, Dianne Feinstein, had a letter from Blasey Ford for many weeks before it became public. That's become kind of a fight.

SHAPIRO: So you said the Republicans' No. 1 priority is getting Kavanaugh on the court. Probably their No. 2 priority is the November midterms. How is this playing into the political calculation about the campaign?

SNELL: Republicans so far have not strayed from their support or their seeming support. If anything, it's a big pressure on red state Democrats who, you know, have to answer to Republican voters in their states.

SHAPIRO: NPR's Kelsey Snell, thanks so much.

SNELL: Thank you.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

10 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。