'The first thing that struck me ... was that you're terrified. That's not right.': Independent prosecutor Rachel Mitchell apologizes for Ford's fear as she testifies against Kavanaugh
- When Christine Blasey Ford delivered her opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday describing her allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her, she said she was "terrified."
- Independent prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, who the Republicans hired to question Ford, apologized for Ford's fear.
"The first thing that struck me from your statement this morning was that you're terrified. I just wanted to let you know I am very sorry. That's not right," Mitchell said.
- Watch live updates of Ford's testimony and the entire hearing here.
When Christine Blasey Ford delivered an emotional opening statement accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, she expressed how frightened she was to come forward.
"I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified," she said. "I am here because I believe it is my civic duty."
Before independent counsel Rachel Mitchell began questioning Ford, she first apologized for her "terror" in delivering the remarks.
"Good morning Dr. Ford, we haven't met, but I'm Rachel Mitchell," she said. "The first thing that struck me from your statement this morning was that you're terrified. I just wanted to let you know I am very sorry. That's not right."
Mitchell, an experienced sex crimes prosecutor from the special victims unit in the Maricopa, Arizona district attorney's office, has been hired by the Senate Judiciary Committee as an independent counsel to question Ford. Republican members of the committee are yielding their allotted time to her to ask their questions.
Ford is testifying as part of the process to confirm Kavanaugh as a US Supreme Court justice. She alleges that a drunken 17-year old Kavanaugh pushed her onto a bed and attempted to rape her during a 1982 house party in suburban Maryland when she was 15.