Ford Says Journalists Caused Her to Publicize Her Kavanaugh Charge

(Bloomberg) -- Christine Blasey Ford said that she went public with her allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after journalists approached her at her home and classroom.

Ford first made her allegation confidentially to her congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, and then to Senator Dianne Feinstein, both California Democrats. Journalists learned of the allegation and some identified Ford before she went public in an interview with the Washington Post published Sept. 16.

“Reporters were sitting outside of my home trying to talk to my dog through the window,” Ford told the Senate Judiciary Committee. A reporter “appeared in my graduate classroom. I mistook her for a student,” Ford said.

“At that point I felt like, enough was enough,” she said.

Messages Ford exchanged with a Washington Post reporter using the WhatsApp text messaging app became part of the hearing record on Thursday when the lawyer hired by Republicans to question Ford, Rachel Mitchell, asked Ford to verify them. The messages have not been made public.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington at awayne3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.