Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Republican Senator Urges Delay On Kavanaugh Vote After Woman Accusing Nominee Of Sexual Assault Goes Public
The Washington Post: California Professor Christine Blasey Ford, Writer Of Confidential Brett Kavanaugh Letter, Speaks Out About Sexual Assault Allegation
Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. Since Wednesday, she has watched as that bare-bones version of her story became public without her name or her consent, drawing a blanket denial from Kavanaugh and roiling a nomination that just days ago seemed all but certain to succeed. Now, Ford has decided that if her story is going to be told, she wants to be the one to tell it. (Brown, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times: Kavanaugh Nomination Faces Delay After Sex Assault Accuser Comes Forward
Kavanaugh, 53, issued a brief statement last week when the allegations came to light, without the accuser’s name attached. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” he said. At about the same time, the White House released a testimonial letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh as a teenager saying that in their experience, he had always treated women with respect. (King, 9/16)
The New York Times: Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation In Turmoil As Accuser Comes Forward
Ms. Ford’s decision to put her name behind accusations that began to circulate late last week — a choice made after weeks of reluctance — appeared to open a door to a delay in a Senate committee vote on the nomination scheduled for Thursday. The disclosure also injected a volatile #MeToo element into the confirmation debate, one that is playing out in the overwhelmingly male Republican-led Senate during a midterm election that has energized Democratic women. (Stolberg, 9/16)
The Washington Post: GOP Senator: Hold Off On Kavanaugh Vote Until Accuser Is Heard
The White House on Sunday stood by Brett M. Kavanaugh after a woman publicly accused him of sexual assault decades ago, an allegation that triggered the most concrete signs yet of Republican resistance to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. With the nomination suddenly in doubt, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) was working to arrange follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who said he assaulted her when the two were in high school. (Sullivan, Kim and Sonmez, 9/16)
Politico: 'I Do Not Know This Woman': Trump Allies Rally To Kavanaugh's Defense
More than half a dozen current and former White House officials or people close to the president said that Trump will continue to stand behind Kavanaugh, even as they were increasingly resigned to the likelihood that the Senate Judiciary Committee will be compelled to examine the allegations in detail. “Of course we’re not going to pull the nomination,” said one White House official involved in the confirmation process after retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told POLITICO that he wasn’t comfortable moving ahead on the original timetable. (Gerstein, Restuccia and Lippman, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Brett Kavanaugh Accuser Comes Forward About Alleged Sexual Assault
Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), who sits on the committee, said he wouldn’t vote for Judge Kavanaugh to advance to the full Senate until the committee had heard from Mrs. Ford. “I would not vote yes until we hear more from the woman who’s come forward,” Mr. Flake said in an interview. With Republicans holding just a one-vote majority on the committee, a defection by Mr. Flake would prevent the panel from favorably advancing Judge Kavanaugh to the full Senate, where the GOP has a 51-49 majority. Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) told Politico he also supported delaying the vote to hear from Mrs. Ford, while Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) told CNN she was discussing the matter with colleagues. (Peterson and Gurman, 9/16)
Politico: Flake Opposes Quick Vote On Kavanaugh, Putting Confirmation In Doubt
Later Sunday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a moderate who had yet to say how she will vote, echoed the notion that the vote might need to be delayed. “If there is real substance to this, it demands a response,” she told CNN. (Everett, 9/16)
