The Senate Hearing and Its Rules

She Said

This flow traces the improvised negotiation over testimony and how the committee’s choices shaped a consequential hearing.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

No Established Process No Established Process from "She Said". No Established Process A difficult precedent Ford’s allegation concerned a Supreme Court nominee and an event decades earlier.

No Established Process from "She Said". No Established Process A difficult precedent Ford’s allegation concerned a Supreme Court nominee and an event decades earlier.

No Established Process A difficult precedent Ford’s allegation concerned a Supreme Court nominee and an event decades earlier. There was no agreed procedure for how the Senate should examine it. Historical warnings Anita Hill’s experience during Clarence Thomas’s confirmation remained a warning about how senators might mishandle an allegation. The absence of a clear protocol left the parties to negotiate basic rules in public.

Negotiating the Hearing Negotiating the Hearing from "She Said". Negotiating the Hearing Competing conditions Ford’s lawyers requested an FBI investigation and wanted Mark Judge to testify.

Negotiating the Hearing from "She Said". Negotiating the Hearing Competing conditions Ford’s lawyers requested an FBI investigation and wanted Mark Judge to testify.

Negotiating the Hearing Competing conditions Ford’s lawyers requested an FBI investigation and wanted Mark Judge to testify. The committee refused to treat subpoenas as a condition for Ford’s appearance and accepted written statements from witnesses. A limited agreement The two sides negotiated a televised hearing while arguing about timing, security, and format. The rules were assembled under intense pressure rather than drawn from an established process.

A Prosecutor Questions Ford A Prosecutor Questions Ford from "She Said". A Prosecutor Questions Ford Questions from Rachel Mitchell Republicans delegated their questioning to prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, in part to avoid the optics…

A Prosecutor Questions Ford from "She Said". A Prosecutor Questions Ford Questions from Rachel Mitchell Republicans delegated their questioning to prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, in part to avoid the optics…

A Prosecutor Questions Ford Questions from Rachel Mitchell Republicans delegated their questioning to prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, in part to avoid the optics of an all-male panel interrogating Ford. She asked about Ford’s memory and the investigation. A changing tone Ford found some questions respectful but became confused by inquiries she considered tangential. The format made her personal account answerable to a process whose purpose and standards remained contested.

Kavanaugh’s Response Kavanaugh’s Response from "She Said". Kavanaugh’s Response A political counterattack Kavanaugh delivered a forceful denial and described the process as an orchestrated political hit.

Kavanaugh’s Response from "She Said". Kavanaugh’s Response A political counterattack Kavanaugh delivered a forceful denial and described the process as an orchestrated political hit.

Kavanaugh’s Response A political counterattack Kavanaugh delivered a forceful denial and described the process as an orchestrated political hit. His anger differed sharply from Ford’s controlled testimony. Senators take sides Republican senators largely set aside the prosecutor’s questioning and expressed support for Kavanaugh. The hearing increasingly resembled a partisan confrontation rather than a structured fact-finding exercise.

The Committee’s Decision The Committee’s Decision from "She Said". The Committee’s Decision A temporary pause Jeff Flake supported a short delay for an FBI investigation before the full Senate vote.

The Committee’s Decision from "She Said". The Committee’s Decision A temporary pause Jeff Flake supported a short delay for an FBI investigation before the full Senate vote.

The Committee’s Decision A temporary pause Jeff Flake supported a short delay for an FBI investigation before the full Senate vote. The pause came after weeks of resistance to a broader inquiry. Confirmation proceeds The FBI reported no corroboration, and the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh. The hearing demonstrated both the influence of testimony and the limits of a process that ended without resolving the central factual dispute.

September 2018

September 27, 2018

September to October 2018