As it happened: Supreme Court nominee and accuser testify

Summary

Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate that he is the victim of an "orchestrated political hit"
President Trump's Supreme Court nominee angrily says his family has been destroyed by the allegations
Earlier, Christine Blasey Ford said Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago
Her voice cracking, she said she thought he was going to rape her, and she is "100%” sure it was him
The balance of power on America's highest court, which makes rulings affecting all American lives, is at stake

Live Reporting

Max Matza and Ritu Prasad

'You are credible'published at 17:00 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
"You have met all the standards of preliminary credibility," says Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
"You've met any condition a prosecutor could possibly expect... and yet there has been no thorough investigation," Whitehouse adds.
"I wish I could be more helpful in providing more details," Ford says.
She tells senators she would have preferred to have an FBI investigation look into her claim.
Whitehouse says it is a "great disservice" to Ford, and apologises for the lack of an investigation, which Republicans have resisted.
Questions over timeframepublished at 16:59 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell asks: "In your 6 July text to the Washington Post you said that this happened in the mid-80s.
"In your letter to Senator Feinstein you said it occurred in the early '80s. In your polygraph statement, you said it was high school summer in '80s and you actually had written in - and this is one of the corrections I referred to - 'early', and then you crossed that out.
"Later in your interview with the Washington Post you were more specific. You believed it occurred in the summer of 1982 and you said the end of your sophomore year. How were you able to narrow down the timeframe?"
Ford: "I can’t give the exact date and I would like to be more helpful about the date."
Trump is watchingpublished at 16:58 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has just told reporters that Trump is watching today's hearing.
Trump is scheduled to return from New York to the White House later today.
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Activists on both sides rally outsidepublished at 16:57 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
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Pro-Ford protesters rally outside the building where Ford has just given her testimony
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Image source, Getty Images
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Kavanaugh supporters are also present outside the room
Image source, Getty Images
Attorneys weigh in on Mitchell’s performance thus farpublished at 16:55 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
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'Heartbreaking'published at 16:43 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
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'A weird dynamic'published at 16:42 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
As the hearing takes a break, many have raised questions over its format, where members are given five minutes to question Ford.
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'I can't imagine how many women are in tears'published at 16:36 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
More women share their views as they watch Ford testify.
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A break beginspublished at 16:31 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
The hearing is now taking a 15 minute break.
Ford has left the room, but several senators are remaining in their seats.
A few Republicans have been seen taking notes as the witness speaks, and several Democrats have been seen whispering to each other in between questions.
It was Kavanaugh '100%'published at 16:30 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Senator Durbin asks Ford to address new claims of mistaken identity from two men who have come forward to say they were the ones who had the disputed sexual encounter with her, not the Supreme Court nominee.
Durbin asks: "Dr Ford, with what degree of certainty do you believe Brett Kavanaugh assaulted you?"
"100 percent," she says.
She also says she bumped into Kavanaugh's friend, Mark Judge, about six weeks after the alleged incident at a local Safeway supermarket where Judge was working.
"I said hello to him and his face was white and very uncomfortable as he said hello back," says Ford.
"I wouldn't characterise him as not friendly. He was just nervous and didn't seem to want to speak to me," she adds.
'FBI should have investigated'published at 16:26 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin begins his questioning by saying: "No one should face disparaging comments from cheap-shot politicians just for telling the truth.
"You had absolutely nothing to gain by bringing these facts to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"The fact that you are testifying today, terrified though you may be, stands in sharp contrast to the obstruction we've seen on the other side.
"The FBI should have investigated your charges as they did in the Anita Hill hearing, but they did not."
The senator added that Kavanaugh should have been "demanding a thorough FBI investigation... but he has not".
Women praying during Ford testimonypublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
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'Have you spoken to anyone at the party?'published at 16:24 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
"I haven't talked with anyone at that party," Ford says, aside from her longtime friend Leland Ingham.
"Have you told us everything that you do remember about it?" the prosecutor Mitchell asks.
"I believe so, but if there are other questions I can try to answer them," Ford responds.
A wall of menpublished at 16:24 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Many have noticed that, as she testifies, Ford is looking at a wall of men, and that there is no Republican woman at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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'How loud was the music?'published at 16:22 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
"I was aware that they were downstairs and I would have to walk past them to get out of the house," Ford says, explaining how the volume seemed to change after she fled the room at the party.
She said she assumed that the music had been turned down, because she could clearly hear Kavanaugh and Judge walking back down the stairs, and she remained locked in the bathroom.
"I had to walk past everyone to leave the house," she continues.
Review of the prosecutor so farpublished at 16:21 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
The BBC's Katty Kay on Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona sex crimes prosecutor asking questions on behalf of Republicans.
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'Uproarious laughter between the two'published at 16:20 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, asks: "You would not mix up someone else with Brett Kavanaugh or Mark Judge?"
"Correct," Ford replies. "Correct."
When asked about what she distinctly remembers from the assault, Ford replies: the laughter.
"The uproarious laughter between the two. They're having fun at my expense," Ford says, voice cracking with emotion.
'Reporters trying to talk to my dog'published at 16:18 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Ford decided to come forward, she says, because after her name leaked, "reporters were sitting outside of my home trying to talk to my dog through the window to calm the dog down".
"And a reporter appeared in my graduate classroom, and I mistook her for a student, and she came up to ask me a question.
"I thought she was a student and it turned out she was a reporter.
"At that point I thought enough was enough."
Ford describes alleged assaultpublished at 16:15 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Media caption,
Christine Blasey Ford describes alleged assault by Brett Kavanaugh
'Extremely inebriated'published at 16:14 British Summer Time 27 September 2018
Ford says she could not recall whether she expected Kavanaugh to be at the party or not.
Kavanaugh and his friend Judge and were extremely inebriated, she says. "They clearly had been drinking prior," she says.
She says she can't recall if she arrived first to the house, or if they did.
She says it was "not really a party, as the news made it sound", but was rather a gathering.
It was "a gathering that I assumed was going to lead to a party later on. Because those boys tended to have parties later on than I was allowed to stay out".