Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has informed lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago, that if she wishes to testify Monday before the panel about her claim, she must turn in prepared testimony to the committee by Friday morning.

Grassley outlined the requirement, citing committee rules, in a new letter sent to Ford's lawyers, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, on Wednesday. The Iowa senator also continued to encourage Ford to testify before the panel.

“The Constitution assigns the Senate, and only the Senate, with the task of advising the president on his nominee and consenting to the nomination if the circumstances merit. We have no power to commandeer an executive branch agency into conducting our due diligence,” Grassley wrote in a letter. “The job of assessing and investigating a nominee’s qualifications in order to decide whether to consent to the nomination is ours, and ours alone.”

Grassley scheduled a hearing for Sept. 24 after Ford spoke publicly about her allegation of sexual assault. Ford accused Kavanaugh of pinning to her a bed and attempting to take off her clothing during a party at a Maryland house in the early 1980s, when the two were in high school.

Kavanaugh has categorically denied the allegation, and the Senate Judiciary Committee invited both Kavanaugh and Ford to testify publicly under oath about the alleged incident.

But while Kavanaugh said he is prepared to testify, Ford’s lawyers told Grassley in a letter Tuesday they want the FBI to conduct an investigation into the claim before she testifies.

Grassley, however, said the Senate Judiciary Committee, per its standard procedure, has a responsibility to investigate Ford’s claim. He noted in his letter that inquiries from committee staff to Ford’s lawyers to schedule an interview with Ford have gone unanswered.

“I certainly understand and respect Dr. Ford’s desire for an investigation of her allegations. That is precisely what the Senate is doing,” Grassley wrote. “That is why our investigators have asked to speak with your client. That is why I have invited Dr. Ford to tell her story to the Senate and, if she so chooses, to the American people. It is not the FBI’s role to investigate a matter such as this.”

The Iowa Republican further stressed that Ford could speak about the allegation publicly or privately Monday and noted that Senate Judiciary Committee staff would be willing to speak with Ford “at a time and place convenient to her.”

“By hearing out both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, the committee will endeavor to discover the truth of the matter, and will be better able to make an informed judgment about Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination,” he wrote.

Ford’s allegation of sexual assault has sent Kavanaugh’s confirmation battle into turmoil, as she came forward with her claim just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee was set to vote on his nomination.

The committee formally canceled the vote, originally set for Thursday, and instead scheduled the Sept. 24 hearing to further review Ford’s allegation.

Multiple Republicans urged Grassley to hold the hearing to ensure Ford is given the opportunity to speak out, and GOP senators have reiterated that opportunity would come Monday.

But now that Ford’s testimony is uncertain, some Republicans are encouraging the Senate to press forward with a vote in the event she declines to appear.