Sen. Orrin Hatch: Ford is a 'good witness' Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told NBC News moments after Thursday's hearing broke for lunch that he felt Ford was a "good witness." “It’s too early to make those kinds of determinations, but she’s a good witness. Articulate," Hatch said after being asked whether he saw Ford as "credible." "She’s an attractive person. But I think it’s a little early to make those kinds of determinations," he added. Hatch said he would not second-guess Mitchell's line of questioning of Ford. Share this -







Good night. Thanks for sticking with us. There were tears, shouting, partisan finger-pointing and a few moments of levity during the tense, all-day hearing that had the nation riveted. If you missed anything, scroll back through our live blog for key moments. An angry, emotional Kavanaugh accused Democrats of 'search and destroy' tactics to destroy his nomination, and in the process, his life. And Ford, her voice breaking, described how "terrified" she was to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee and testify to her allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers and speak of the lasting trauma she experienced from that moment on. The Senate Judiciary Committee is currently scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination Friday morning. Share this -







Analysis: Ford, Kavanaugh, and the difference in tone One of the most striking aspects of the daylong hearing was the night and day contrast in the demeanor of the two witnesses. Ford was calm, direct and willing to distinguish between what she could remember and what she couldn’t. Kavanaugh was combative out of the gate, snippy at times — like when he asked Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar about her drinking habits before later apologizing — and unwilling to cede an inch on any topic. He was also evasive on certain questions, like whether he would ask for an FBI investigation, while Ford didn’t dodge questions. There were no tense exchanges between Ford and senators because Republicans ceded all their time to a professional prosecutor hired to question her on their behalf. Kavanaugh, on the other hand, frequently sought to engage in verbal fights with his Democratic questioners, whom he accused of being part of a coordinated conspiracy against him. Share this -







Mitchell declines to answer questions about the hearing NBC News just walked down the Dirksen hallway with the prosecutor Rachel Mitchell and an aide and tried to ask her several questions about today’s testimony — did she find Ford credible, if she was allowed to speak to reporters, if she was disappointed she didn't get to ask Kavanaugh more questions. She didn’t respond to any of them. Share this -







Trump tweets. He liked Kavanaugh's combative performance. Share this -







Hearing adjourned It’s over, 8 hours and 45 minutes after it began. Share this -







Kavanaugh: I didn't watch Ford testimony Kavanaugh said in response to a question from Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., that he didn't watch the earlier testimony of his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. "I planned to but I was preparing mine," he said, speaking about his opening statement, which was rewritten after he had publicly released his prepared testimony on Thursday. Share this -







Booker to Kavanaugh: Do you wish Ford never came forward? Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., pressed Kavanaugh on whether he believes Ford is a political operative and asked him if he wished his accuser never came forward. "The witnesses who were there said it never happened," Kavanaugh said about Ford's allegations. Kavanaugh testified earlier that he never attended a party like the one Ford described. Booker then asked if he thinks Ford is part of a political ploy to sink his nomination. Kavanaugh then lamented how the Democrats handled Ford's allegations. He said he and his family have "no ill will toward her." Share this -







No sign of Mitchell. Republicans use their time to attack Democrats, defend Kavanaugh. The last several Republicans on the committee — having decided to ask Kavanaugh their own questions, instead of yielding to prosecutor Rachel Mitchell — have largely directed their comments at their Democratic colleagues, attacking them over the timing of the public disclosure of the allegations against the nominee. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, used his allotted time to continue advancing the GOP attacks that Democrats had sat on the allegations, while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., defended Kavanaugh. "I think you have been treated unfairly," he said. Moments earlier, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, implored Democrats to participate in committee investigations of witnesses other than Kavanaugh. “If you have questions for Judge Kavanaugh, ask him, he’s right here,” Lee said. “If you have questions of other witnesses, then for the love of all that is scared and holy, participate in the committee investigations that have been going on, as you have not been participating with the committee staff investigating the outside witnesses.” Share this -







All GOP senators to meet tonight to discuss way forward It’s going to be a late night here at the Capitol. The hearing is still going, and we now learned that all Senate Republicans have been notified of a conference meeting at some point later tonight — the expectation at this time is that this will start an hour or two from now. We should have a much better sense after that meeting about how this is going to proceed. Additional reporting by Leigh Ann Caldwell Share this -





