- Feinstein considered starting an internal investigation and other ways to prove Ford's allegations without identifying her over the course of the intervening months.
- Republicans, including President Trump, have accused Feinstein of keeping the allegations secret until the last minute to torpedo Kavanaugh's nomination.
- Other Democrats are also upset that the allegations were kept quiet, but Feinstein felt she had no choice, according to the Associated Press.
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Why Democrats brought up the Kavanaugh accusations at the last minute when they've known since July
Dianne Feinstein has had a letter from Professor Christine Blasey Ford that accuses Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault since July. She said did not make it public for fear of identifying Ford. Republicans, including Trump, accuse Feinstein of timing the information to torpedo Kavanaugh's nomination.
The Democratic senator who has known about the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh since July said that she held off on making the allegations public because the accuser had asked her to keep them confidential.
Feinstein then felt that she faced a dilemma, AP reported. Telling other Democrats on the Senate could risk outing Ford, who had asked that her identity be protected. But withholding the allegations would prevent Kavanaugh from having to answer to significant allegations.
Feinstein's team considered hiring their own investigator to look at the allegations, but Senate rules mean that both parties on a committee have to consult with each other, AP reported.
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Ford had decided in August that she would not go public. She later told the Washington Post that she did not believe her story would affect Kavanaugh's confirmation and telling the story would be personally painful.
But, even though Feinstein said she kept quiet, details of the allegation began to leak.
Senator Feinstein and the D... @ Donald J. Trump
Ford, who now has gone public with the accusations that seem likely to impact Kavanaugh's confirmation, is expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
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