Christine Blasey Ford, the research psychologist who says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, said Saturday she will testify about the incident to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Ford and her lawyers have been locked in a week of tense and heated public negotiation with the committee and its chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley, over the terms of her testimony — which is still apparently ongoing.

“Dr. Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct next week. Although many aspects of the proposal you provided via email, on September 21, 2018, at 2:33 p.m., are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee's promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations, and we are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process, we are hopeful that we can reach an agreement on the details,” Ford's lawyers wrote Saturday, asking to continue negotiations Saturday afternoon.



A White House spokesperson reiterated President Donald Trump's praise of Kavanaugh in a statement Saturday evening, saying that the judge "categorically and unequivocally" denies the allegations and "is eager to testify publicly."

"On Monday, Brett Kavanaugh met with Committee counsels to answer questions subject to criminal penalties and offered to testify publicly Tuesday morning. Since then, we have heard about different dates, conditions, and ever changing schedules, but today we appear no closer to a fair hearing," spokesperson Kerri Kupec said. "But one thing has remained consistent: Brett Kavanaugh remains ready, willing and eager to testify as soon as possible."

Ford's testimony — whenever it is scheduled — is sure to rivet Washington and the nation, a moment where it feels like everyone will be watching. At stake for Kavanaugh is a lifetime appointment to one of the most powerful positions in the country, filling a seat that could lean the Supreme Court in a conservative direction for an unknown number of years.

Ford’s scheduled testimony has drawn parallels to Anita Hill’s in 1991, after President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. After Senate Judiciary hearings were concluded, they were reopened so Hill could testify that Thomas sexually harassed her while they both worked in federal government jobs.

Thomas was confirmed, and for years Hill's credibility was questioned and defended. Joe Biden, the leading Democrat on the committee at the time, is still trying to justify his widely criticized performance at the Hill hearings to this day.