If you’re not expecting to get any work done this morning, you’re likely not alone. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and professor Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault, will testify at a much-anticipated Senate Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Nearly six in 10 Americans will be following the Kavanaugh hearing closely, a new poll from NPR, PBS News Hour and Marist found. The poll also found that 32% believe Ford, 26% believe Kavanaugh and 42% are unsure who to believe. Since Ford came forward, two more women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Kavanaugh has denied all three allegations.
After Ford and Kavanaugh have read their statements, the 21 senators on the committee will each have five minutes to ask questions of each of them. The hearing is likely to take hours. In addition to being broadcast on most cable news stations, the hearing will be shown live online with C-Span, PBS News Hour and the Senate Judiciary website.
President Donald Trump will also be watching the hearing. He said yesterday at the U.N. he wished the Senate Republicans had pushed the vote ahead for the lifetime appointment to the highest court weeks ago. Trump maintains the accusations against Kavanaugh are baseless.
Depending on how the hearing goes, the Senate committee could vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination as early as Friday, but it could be delayed.