September 27, 2018

Chuck Grassley Is Furious and Full of Interruptions at Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony

Here are some of the worst moments by the Senate Judiciary chairman.

Erin Schaff/ZUMA

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Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) kicked off Thursday’s much-anticipated testimony from Christine Blasey Ford by attacking Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s handling of a confidential letter Ford had sent to the California Democrat detailing her alleged assault, claiming it was Democrats—not Republicans—who were guilty of mistreating Ford.

As Ford waited to begin her testimony, Grassley continued by using his opening remarks to shoot down calls from Ford and Democrats for the FBI to investigate her sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. He then interrupted Feinstein during her opening remarks when she accurately pointed out Grassley had failed to properly introduce Ford.

“I was going to introduce her, but if you want to introduce her, I’d be glad to have you do that,” Grassley shot back, visibly irritated. “But I want you to know I didn’t forget to do that because I would do that just as she was about to speak.”

The interruption was the first of many by Grassley during Ford’s testimony, in which the chairman appeared defensive and highly combative toward his Democratic colleagues. At one point, he angrily rejected Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) charges that Republicans on the committee were blocking an FBI investigation into Ford’s allegations, pointing the finger at Democrats for what he repeatedly claimed was a mishandling of the situation. In another instance, Grassley claimed he was the one being “rudely interrupted” when Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) requested Republicans share documents that were the focus of some questions directed to Ford. 

The moments with Grassley, both tense and shocking, likely further damaged Republicans’ standing as Ford spoke publicly for the first time, in deeply emotional terms, of her sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. 

“What is the strongest memory you have, the strongest memory of the incident, something that you cannot forget?” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) asked during his questioning of Ford. “Take whatever time you need.”

“Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter,” Ford said as her voice broke. “The uproarious laughter between the two and their having fun at my expense.”

Grassley’s aggression aside, many also noted that the five-minute, “female assistant” format the chairman had specifically imposed for Thursday’s hearing was also backfiring.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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