Much of her questioning of Dr. Blasey only served to illustrate the witness’s general ignorance of the machinations of politics. Dr. Blasey reported her claims to the receptionist at Representative Anna Eshoo’s office. A surfer, she sought advice from her “beach friends” about legal counsel. She conducted her polygraph in a Baltimore hotel because her grandmother had just died.

“I am no one’s pawn,” she said. “My motivation in coming forward was to be helpful.”

Even Ms. Mitchell acknowledged, near the end of her questioning of Dr. Blasey, that the hearing was not the ideal way of finding the truth about that alleged 1982 encounter.

“Is there a study that says this setting, in five minute increments, is the best way to do that?” the prosecutor asked.

The answer was obvious.

[Read full coverage of the hearing here.]

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Talk to us

Dr. Blasey’s and Judge Kavanaugh’s testimonies stirred up a lot of strong emotions for many Americans. We want to hear from you.

Did you cry? Yell? Throw things at the television? Did it force you to rethink some of your own memories? And does it change your thinking about how — or whether — you plan to vote in November?

Please tell us how the hearing impacted you: onpolitics@nytimes.com. Include your name and where you live and we may feature your remarks in an upcoming edition of On Politics.

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The scene on the street

Jeremy Peters covers the conservative movement across the country for The Times. He sends us this dispatch from outside the Supreme Court:



Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination has been a galvanizing event for liberals, especially women, who have been outraged by the way that many Republicans have dismissed the accusations of sexual misconduct against him. But for a less visible group, the hearing on Thursday was an opportunity to show that there are plenty of conservative women who think that the judge is being held to a standard they wouldn’t want for their husbands or their sons.