Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, revealed Thursday that she hired her attorney at the recommendation of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.).
Ford made the disclosure at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which she testified about her allegation against Kavanaugh.
Rachel Mitchell, a prosecutor in the Maricopa County, Arizona Attorney's Office who the committee selected to assist Republican lawmakers in questioning Ford, asked Ford in what she described as a "clean-up question" about her attorneys representing her through the process.
"Which of your two lawyers did Senator Feinstein's office recommend," Mitchell asked.
"The Katz firm," Ford responded.
Ford is represented by Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich. Of the two, Katz, has been the public face of Ford's team. She is the one who appeared on television to announce that Ford would testify publicly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHiEGeK0bHY
Katz is a Democrat with close ties to the #MeToo movement and many Democratic politicians.
Ford's revelation appears to indicate that Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the judiciary committee, was not only aware of Ford's allegation before it became public, but also that the senator was in strategic communication with her through Kavanaugh's confirmation process.
During her testimony, Ford doubled down on her allegation that, at a high school party in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh pinned her down to a bed, groped her, and tried to take off her clothes before she escaped.
Kavanaugh has adamantly denied the allegation. He also testified before the committee on Thursday, defending himself with an emotional opening statement.
Ford first detailed her allegation to Feinstein in a letter in July. Feinstein has received criticism for not acting on the information until after Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing and just before the Senate was set to vote on his nomination. The senator says that she respected Ford's wishes to have her allegation remain confidential. Ford went public after details of her allegation leaked to the press.