her name is rachel mitchell.hat was a secret being held by republicans all day for reasons we cannot fathom. but now chuck grassley has confirmed that is the person who the republican men of the senate judiciary committee have asked to do their job for them because they know they can't. and they're running scared, all of them are. the republicans are running scared now on the kavanagh nomination tonight. how scared are they? consider this. republican senator jon kyl was actually working, as i said before, as one of brett kavanagh's guides through the united states senate confirmation process before he was appointed to fill john mccain's senate seat. and now senator jon kyl is afraid to even say that he still supports brett kavanagh's nomination. according to politico, jon kyl declined to commit to a yes vote for kavanagh if and when the time comes. when republican senators are running scared, they don't want you to know that. they want you to think that they're confident, and so mitch mcconnell and chuck grassley

that having been said, rachel mitchell is a fine attorney.er prosecutor and is absolutely dedicated to the prosecution of sex crimes. unfortunately, given the environment she's brought into for this hearing, in a lot of ways she in a no-win situation. >> why do you say that? >> well, you have to look at this. we only heard just last night that rachel mitchell would be assigned this task and given this task and already she's getting criticism from the right, she's getting criticism from the left. so one of two things happen, either she ask blasey ford some very, very tough questions, and on the other hand if she softballs dr. ford and the republicans on the committee feel rachel mitchell is not being aggressive enough, people are going to say she wasn't thorough. so either way she's certainly up for the task. she's imminently qualified, a highly ethical attorney but there's just no good answer here. >> i'd be remiss not to ask you, you haven't been to touch with her since the news broke she'd be heading to washington, correct? >> no, i think s

rachel mitchell will question dr. ford. as we heard, president trump is in attack mode after questioning the credibility of the second accuser. this morning, the attorney for her is firing back saying she is willing to testify. >> i found that comment by the president to be pretty disgusting, and pretty hurtful. i think everybody can understand why a politician wants to spin bad information, but to do it in a mocking fax is inappropriate. >> frustrated and is becoming more and more motivated to participate in whatever fashion the judiciary will allow her to. >> garrett is following the latest developments from capitol hill. msnbc contributor barbara is here. on set, nita and jeff mason. garrett, let me start with you. there's a lot of action on the hill at the moment, including from mitch mcconnell talking about having rachel mitchell come in to ask questions on behalf of the men, guys on the other side of the committee. >> reporter: we are hurdling toward the hearing thursday and a vote friday. the committee set things up

seeing where the prosecutor rachel mitchell is going.may regret the format and how this is going about. as smart and surgical as this rachel mitchell has been, democratic senators have been free to in your, which i have, and have asked questions more praised of their own towards the professor. that could come back to boomerang on that. jonathan is joining us on the phone. good to have you back. what do you make of how this is going? >> i'm not too sure the republicans really expected to take down. the questions could not be aggressive without creating bad optics. the pace is obviously gray show from the respect of the republicans. this is a foundation laying approach. they have very limited time. mitchell will run out of time. i think the most interesting questions coming from mitchell, in terms of credibility, focused on her drive back from the party i expect to see more of that now when they come back. she asked, you know, -- after te alleged attempted rape, someone else did. she said that is true. there was just one follow-up question

we didn't hear anything else from rachel mitchell after that. we just heard from republican senators and democratic senators, making their respective cases. >> democrats were coming out guns blazing on kavanaugh, as one would expect. and republicans -- it was abundantly clear to everybody, obviously them as well in the room, that he needed some back-up, and that's exactly what they provided, which is why they clearly shifted strategy. it seemed as though they did it on the fly and they just stuck with it because of that. look, at the end of, what, eight hours ago, almost nine hours ago, that this hearing started. >> 10:00 a.m. eastern. >> and it is pretty remarkable that i think we're kind of where we are where we started. >> that's what i think. >> i think that's right. >> and after a day of dramatic testimony, of must-see tv to the nth degree, we are where we started, which is it is still going to be up to these senators, particularly those few who have not declared how they're going to vote, to make a judgment call. and i thought it was very

the woman doing the question on behalf of the republicans is rachel mitchell. who is she? defense attorney in arizona who has gone up against mitchell nearly three dozen times and in three dozen cases and has been a close friends of hers for more than 20 years. thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me, john. >> what is mitchell like in a courtroom? >> her reputation is she is extreme extremely prepared and methodical and does not engage in courtroom historyonics, and there's never a gotcha moment where there's a big surprise. she will build her case very carefully and in layers. >> one of the things i heard you say is how she treats defendants, and we will get to the distinction here, but from what you have seen and heard in arizona, how does she treat the witnesses on the stand? >> the most recent experience that i had with her, she actually even offered my client a cough drop when he had a coughing fit, so she pays attention and she is at ease, and if she can take somebody apart with the death of 1,000 cuts, that's what she will do as opposed to being a sta

will rachel mitchell question him? how will democrats confront him? stay with us. don't like this whole thing. i think we can do better. change is hard. try to keep an open mind. come on, dad. this is for me, son? principal. we can help you plan for that. are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec®. it's starts working hard at hour one. and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. ♪ ok here we go guys, you ready? hi! cinturones por favor. gracias. opportunity is everywhere. ♪ it's gonna be fine. it's a door... ♪ it's doing a lot of kicking down there. waiting to be opened. ♪ whatever your ambition... ♪ whatever your drive... ♪ whatever you're chasing... driver, are we almost there? we're gonna have a baby! ♪ daddy! daddy! opportunity is everywhere. ♪ all you have to do to find it is get out... here. ♪ chloe. fall in love with iphone xs on t-mobile. right now, get our best offers ever. - at afor the financialt's time world to stop acting the same old way. you need a partner that is

you mentioned rachel mitchell, who will be asking questions. attorney last night who has not cases across the courtroom from her for years. she said she is on the opposite side of these issues, but she is methodical and fair. this may not be as exciting as people think it will be. you may not have your pairing mason-google it -- moment. or "you can't handle the truth." she is going to be very methodical, as any prosecutor would be. it may take some time to get to the answers that people really want. >> martha: let's bring in crystal world and mollie hemingway. in terms of that whole issue alone, that is not supposed to be a part of this hearing, and i wonder what is going to happen if they start pressing him on the details of this unsubstantiated claim by this one woman. the only details in her story are details that were already out there in these other allegations, so how are the democrats going to play this? are they going to go further than just the issue at hand? >> chris: it will be hugely important to how -- to whether or not it is perce

as a fellow lawyer, what would you say about the way that rachel mitchell went about it? trying to salvage your own reputation. and this wasn't a very opportune way to interview christine ford, these five—minute blocks that did not really hold together. it didn't. i didn't understand the strategy to her approach. i found the didn't understand the strategy to her approach. ifound the issues that she spent time on to be fully irrelevant. doctor ford is not on trial here today. you know, she seemed to be focus a bit on credibility and questioning why she wasn't willing to fly into washington, dc when discussions were opened up about getting a statement from her. there seemed to be some focus on the polygraph and whether the fact that she took the polygraph nearer the time to her grandmother's funeral may have impacted the results of the polygraph. none of that speaks to the truthfulness of her account of what happened inside that house at the hands of brett kavanaugh. so i did not think the prosecutor was fully effective today, to the extent that she cares about credibility

i have been confused by some of the questioning from rachel mitchell.en atte m pts to mitchell. there have clearly been attempts to cast doubt on her credibility, the issue of whether she was afraid of flying, was she actually afraid of flying or was she just saying that. to cast doubt on her credibility as a character more broadly, whether she was a democratic partisan, she seems to have handled that questioning pretty well. what else do they need to do withjim thing they can do is cast doubt on her credibility, they have got to be deep dent in her credibility before brett kavanaugh sta rts credibility before brett kavanaugh starts speaking. what can they do regarding that? it is difficult to see. she did not seem to be dissembling, it seems to be a sincere account. i have read the testimonial that she was going to get last night, which is released beforehand. i read it and it was tough to read that it was oaky. when you physically heard it, and her seeing it oaky. when you physically heard it, and herseeing it in oaky. when you physically heard it, an

republicans hired rachel mitchell to ask questions for them. senate democrats asked their own questions. judge kavanaugh guesses or bottle in about an hour and a half. -- gives his rebuttal in about an hour and a half.

it appears rachel mitchell is back at her post.ome a time here where dr. ford is finished. and excused. and it's going to be quite a change of tone, tenor, demeanor. the atmospherics in the room when kavanaugh walks in. >> it is. again, you know, having -- remembering how kavanaugh was when he testified originally, i really do not think he is going to fair well. he's just not a credible speaker, when he speaks. i don't know if that's how he normally is or that's how he is when he isn't telling the truth, which is what it seems to me. i do think her sincerity is going to be very striking when he comes out. you're going to sort of see it even more. again, when he testified originally, when he was being asked questions that he had obviously rehearsed, he sounded good and prepared and, you know, reasonableable. when he was asked questions by senator harris he, you know, pretended to not know the name of of a law firm, cakasowitz, which one of his very good friends worked at. it's just a moment that everyone came back to that this is no

rachel mitchell is the sex crime bureau chief of attorney's office in phoenix.she's the leading candidate to question both kavanaugh and ford at thursday's highly anticipated hear ing in the senate judiciar committee. she's a registered republican and she has worked for the attorney's office of maricopa county for 26 years. rosalind helderman. congratulations on the scoop and thank you for joining us on a short notice. >> thank you for having me. >> so you and your colleagues described her as the leading candidate. has she been chosened and hired to do this job? >> it is auour understanding th she's the choice and the one that they want. there has been negotiations underway with dr. ford's team for days now on this issue of who will do the questioning. our understanding is that she's their choice, she's the republicans' choice. >> she represents maricopa county, attorney's office and as you report, she's been the sex crime burreau chief there and have been there for 26 years. i have a dim recollection in the back of my mind that part of the local controversy abo

rachel mitchell has been a career prosecutor since 1993. she has decades of experience in dealing with sex crimes. she is taking a leave of absence from her current job as the deputy county attorney. there she is the chief of the special victims division which governs sex crimes and family violence. she spent 12 years as the chief of the sex crimes bureau dealing not just with child molestation but adult sexual assault, as well. this is someone who according to chairman grassley is widely recognized as an expert on investigation and prosecution of sex crimes, someone who has instructed on best practices for forensic interviews of victims of sex crimes. this is someone who has had a lot of experience dealing with sex crimes. we saw a tweet from her boss that american people can be confident that rachel mitchell's experience will assist the senate judiciary committee in performing the important task. a little bit more about her background. she has been a prosecutor since 1993. she gave an interview in 2011, published in 2012 to a religious pu

this is not the first high profile situation rachel mitchell has been in.bably the most unusual high pressure or high profile situation she has been in but she is completely up to the job. >> a lot of people think about these, many trials, that there will be a moment of you can't handle the truth but it tends to be more methodical. is that would you expect? people expect fireworks and may not get that. >> that is exactly what i would think what we as lawyers do, thousands cuts, 1000 little cuts, we rarely get the gigantic moment, we don't have perry mason moments very often. >> it would be fun if we have it tomorrow but it is such a serious nature and the way rachel is described as someone who is so methodical after three decades, we will see as she takes center stage with these two key witnesses tomorrow. thank you for giving us some insight. >> thank you for having me. >> donald trump says he has proof china is attempting to middle in the midterm elections with the aim according to him politically and it is all about trade. general jack keane is live to b

the first half of this, what are your thoughts on how successful the groundwork was laid up by rachel mitchellwas any benefit from it from the republicans perspective. >> i think the republicans made a grave error, not necessarily in choosing ms. mitchell, but having her crafter questioning the way that she did. to me, someone who has been living in the world of questions and answers for 45 years, it sounded more like a deposition in a civil case where you are looking for information, and you want the witness to talk, rather than the type of interrogation, which would limit the witness' testimony and undermine her credibility. quite frankly, i think they should have had lindsey graham do the interrogation. you just saw him summarize for peter doocy what he could have done in a couple of hours. >> bret: let me just push back from another perspective. they did not attack this one is. it is a very sensitive thing. towards the end of the questioning, she really went after the other people who were there, who say that they weren't there and i don't remember what christine blasey ford remembers. and

maur copa county sex crimes prosecutor rachel mitchell took over for every republican senator when their turn came to question her about the sexual assault against supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. that has never happened in a senate confirmation hearing in the history of the senate. the senate has never seen a hearing like the ford versus kavanaugh hearing like we saw today. it was the second time inside history the supreme court confirmation has been knocked off course by sexual misconduct allegations. but today's allegations are much worse than what we heard 27 years ago when professor anita hill told the judiciary committee about sexual harassment that she said clarence thomas committed against her. clarence thomas entered those hearings with the likely support of about 90 senators. in the end he was confirm would a vote of 52-48. and it seemed right after dr. ford testified today that the kavanaugh nomination might be a lost cause. there were reports of grim pessimism from the white house, but then brett kavanaugh began his testimony with a mix of loud, sharp anger and tears. a

. >> reporter: republican senators deferred their questions to prosecutor rachel mitchell. some of what she asked was who knew what and when. >> why did you contact "the washington post" on july 6th. >> i was panicking because i knew the timeline was short for the decision, and people were giving me advice. many people told me you need to hire a lawyer. i didn't do that. i didn't understand why i would need a lawyer. somebody said call "the new york times," call "the washington post." put in an anonymous tip, go to your congressperson. when i weighed those options, i felt like the best option was to try to do the civic route, which is to go to my congressperson, who happens to be anna so i called her office and put in an anonymous tip to "the washington post." unfortunately, neither got back to me before the selection of the nominee. >> reporter: after a recess, brett kavanaugh took his place at the table. democratic senator dick durbin questioned whether kavanaugh supports an fbi investigation into the allegations against him. >> i welcome whatever the committee wants to d

her name is rachel mitchell. dr. ford had wanted those republican men to ask her the questions themselves, but tonight, it will be someone else, that veteran female prosecutor, who the republican majority leader, mitch mcconnell, described as their, quote, female assistant, who will do the questioning. abc's mary bruce back up on the hill tonight. >> reporter: with just hours until the high-stakes hearing, tonight, judge brett kavanaugh and christine blasey ford are preparing to be grilled by ten democratic senators and this woman, veteran sex crimes prosecutor rachel mitchell from arizona, hired by the republicans on the committee, all of whom are men, to lead their questioning. an extremely rare move. >> i'm not interested in seeing ms. mitchell go catwoman on anybody. i want her to just -- we hired her because she has an extraordinary reputation for being able to ferret out the truth in allegations of sexual assault. >> reporter: despite the new allegations against kavanaugh, the committee is plowing ahead with to

it's a very controversial decision now that they are watching her to say rachel mitchell take over for republicans. >> in the hallways, orrin hatch said the following. it's too early to say if ford is credible. i don't think she is uncredible. i think these an attractive good witness. we know what he meant. he meant to give her props, but the language he used is exhibit a of why republicans -- he took it away from all the men and gave it. >> hiring rachel mitchell suddenly makes a lot of sense. >> we will take a break. they are in recess. when they come back, we are waiting to hear from senator mazie hirono, cory bookinger and kamala harris and rachel mitchell will continue questioning for the republicans. much more after this. whenshe was pregnant,ter failed, in-laws were coming, a little bit of water, it really- it rocked our world. i had no idea the amount of damage that water could do. we called usaa. and they greeted me as they always do. sergeant baker, how are you? they were on it. it was unbelievable. having insurance is something everyone needs, but having usaa- now that's a p

blasey ford / accuses kavanaugh of sexual assault: "100 percent"long-time sex crimes prosecutor - rachel mitchell --- standing in for the all-male republican committee members--- attempted to poke holes in ford's memory of the events.christine blasey ford / accuses kavanaugh of sexual assault: "i can't give the exact date."kavanaugh insisting the allegations are part of a smear campaign.sen. dianne feinstein / -d- california: "if you are confident of your position, why aren't you also asking fbi?"brett kavanaugh /supreme court nominee: "my family has been destroyed."republican senator lindsey graham blaming democratssen. lindsey graham / -r- south carolina: "this is the most unethical sham since i've been in politics."as senate republicans work to see if they have the votes to confirm their nominee to the supreme court -- kavanaugh emphatic he still wants the job.brett kavanaugh /supreme court nominee: "you'll never get me to quit. never."

again, with the republican questions coming from rachel mitchell. now, deborah ramirez, the other woman who was has accused kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, is not expected to testify. her attorney says they can't even get the republicans in charge of that committee to schedule a phone call. phillip? >> tracie potts live for us in washington. tracie, thank you. >>> president trump is preparing for his final day at the u.n. general assembly. with plans for a press conference this evening to discuss the trip, along with news of the day according to press secretary sarah sanders. but first he'll wield the gavel as he chairs the u.n. security council meeting today after again touting his "america first" agenda in his speech to the general assembly. here's nbc's chris polone. trade and foreign policy, president trump addressed world leaders gathered in new york. >> we are s up for america the american people. and we are also standing up for the world.ute speech the presid highlighted his administration's handling of north korea, syria, and iran while also

republicans brought in rachel mitchell to do the questions. i couldn't understand why they were saying we need to do this for optics. if optics were their priority, they could have said years ago maybe we should elect more women. we're going to get grandstanding. she's there to answer questions. >> well, senator kennedy, louisiana, was on "morning joe" yesterday and decided they made this decision to keep the circus atmosphere down. that's something dr. ford's attorneys encouraged because they didn't want the grandstanding that dominated the first hearing. so while understandably, it's upsetting they are not questioning dr. ford, hopefully it will keep the tem bow down a little bit if that is remotely possible. >> given that she's there, she has a prosecutor's background, doesn't she need more questions answered? wouldn't an investigation help her get her job done today? >> exactly what is needed in this particular instance. she's made some very strong allegations against kavanaugh. what you do in that instance is often opening an investigatio

rachel mitchell is the sex crimes bureau chief there for the county.cent promotion for her or was she in charge of that bureau throughout that longer ra of controversy with sheriff arpaio at the helm? >> so this is very new to us as well, and we are doing reporting around that very issue. we have spoken with another in that area, another prosecutor in that area who had indicated to us that the issue at the sheriff's office was an internal issue, that they were failing to investigate crimes properly to give cases to the prosecutor's office to take into court, and that it was discovered through an internal audit, and that ms. mitchell might have been involved with essentially cleaning up that mess. but i say that as our reporting is just beginning. and so there is a lot more to learn than situation. >> last question for you on this, rosalind. the choice by republicans in the judiciary committee that they will effectively pick a pinch hitter here, that they will outsource their questioning so that the senators themselves do not question either witness, ei

rachel mitchell is a career sex crimes attorney to question both parties separately. they will hold a vote on kavanaugh's nomination friday morning. the president tweeting the democrats are playing a high level con game in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. the politics of destruction. behind the scene the dems are laughing. pray for brett kavanaugh and his family. >> bill: peter doocy begins our coverage. republicans on that committee, will they ask any questions tomorrow? >> bill, it sounds like with very few exceptions the plan is for republican lawmakers when called on to yield their time to the prosecutor rachel mitchell is what we're hearing from lindsey graham and the judiciary committee chuck grassley explains the reason why like this. he says the goal is to depoliticize the process and get to the truth instead of grandstanding and giving senators an opportunity to launch their presidential campaigns. i'm appreciative that rachel mitchell has stepped forward to serve in this important and serious role. mitchell is on leave of the special victims di

. >> reporter: gop committee members brought in sex crimes prosecutor rachel mitchell to question ford but with 5 minutes for each round of questioning critics felt mitchell was limited in her ability to get forced answers to the gaps in her story. instead, democrats went to shore her up. >> can you tell us what you don't forget about that night? >> the laughter, the uproarious laughter, the multiple attempts to escape. >> reporter: even some skeptics conceded her testimony seemed sincere. by the time brett kavanaugh took his term he unleashed emotion the public had yet to see. >> you have replaced advice and consent with search and destroy. >> reporter: matched only by gop committee member lindsey graham who blasted republicans for failing to defend brett kavanaugh and called out democrats for playing politics with the process. >> if you wanted an fbi investigation you could have come to us. what you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. you said that, not me. >> reporter: ford said she has done her civic duty and brett kavanaugh says he

i can think of no one better equipped to question the witnesses than rachel mitchell. she is a career prosecutor, civil servant with decades of experience, investigating a prosecuting sex crimes. she is -- has dedicated her career to seeking justice. most recently, rachel was a division chief of the special victims division maricopa county attorney's office, which prosecutes sex crimes and family violence. then democratic senator -- governor janet napolitano, previously recognized her as the outstanding arizona sexual assault prosecutor of the year. and she has spent years instructing prosecutors, detectives, and child protection workers on how to properly interview victims of sexual assault and abuse. aide, a look for to a fair productive hearing. i understand that there are two other public allegations. inay's hearing was scheduled close consultation with dr. ford's attorneys and her testimony will be the subject of this hearing. we have been trying to investigate other allegations. at this time, we have not had cooperation from attorneys representing other clients. a

having rachel mitchell there asking questions was a smart move on dr. when lindsey graham jumped in exactly why they shouldn't be asking questions of dr. ford. they went in and this became a partisan fight and they turned the tone of that hearing around and they basically were sending a message, we are going to get this confirmation through. >> where does that leave them, the undecideds, that cluster after the hearings? >> there's a lot to weigh. i think it's going to come down to that john mccain moment that we saw on health care. is it going to be thumbs up or thumbs down? we may not know until the very end. i know they don't want to bring it to a vote unless they have to. it's interesting because it's in the republicans' and democrats' best interest to bring this to a vote, i think, today, because i don't think anyone could be any stronger than they are today. >> quickly, if you're advising any of these republican senators, is this a vote your conscious moment? or how would you encourage them to go about analyzing which way to vote? >> i think you're

"senate republican whip john cornyn explains why rachel mitchell stopped asking questions. "i think it was some frustration among the senators that they thought there were arguments that needed to be made that she found it was not equipped to make." this from paul kane of the washington post. "republicans were afraid to look angry and insensitive until they realized they were losing. lindsay let loose and others followed. the core of disappeared and anger and sued. decorumore -- disappeared and anger ensued. betty on the republican line. betty, mute dear television set and go ahead with your comments. that they comment is lady that is accusing mr. --anaugh for all this host: you have got your tv up. mute that and go ahead with your comments. i will put you on hold if i can. hang on, betty. go ahead with your comments now. are you still there? caller: i'm still here. host: you are feeding back a little bit on us. we go to portland, tennessee. in ohio rather. caller: hello. both dr.en watching ford and kavanaugh all day long. contrary to what [indiscernible] not as learned a

republicans plan to cede most of their time to arizona prosecutor and sex crimes expert rachel mitchell who they have hired just for this hearing. >> i'm not interested in seeing miss mitchell go cat woman on anybody. she has an extraordinary reputation for being able to ferret out the truth and sexual allegations of sexual assault. >> reporter: ford's lawyers released photos today of her undergoing a polygraph test in august. a former fbi agent found her responses about the alleged high school groping incident were not indicative of deception. >> yes, people might have had too many beers on occasion. >> reporter: in his prepared testimony, kavanagh was more frank about alcohol than he was on fox news, admitting, i drank beer with my friends usually on weekends, sometimes i had too many. but i never did anything remotely resembling what dr. ford describes. >> there's plenty of reason for people to think that this is a smear campaign. >> but doesn't that imply that the women are lying? >> it doesn't, it doesn't hold them in high esteem, put it that way. >> reporter: ford's attorneys have

we should note, we saw a picture a moment ago of rachel mitchell. she is the prosecutor who will be doing the questioning on behalf of the republican senator. >> before i turn to megyn kelly, a tweet from senator feinstein. republicans didn't learn from the mistakes of the anita hill hearing and are making new ones. blocking an fbi investigation, no outside witnesses, having a prosecutor examine dr. blasey ford and scheduling a vote before her testimony are among their bad decisions. the ranking member of the judiciary committee perhaps previewing the opening marks she'll make in a few minutes but on the subject, megyn, of this prosecutor, this experienced prosecutor. i think a lot of people hear that word and say, boy, is she going to go in there and cross examine this witness but a sex crimes charge is generally on the person on the side of the accuser. so how do you think she plays this? she's been hired by the republicans. >> a word on the feinstein tweet, of course, she had these allegations brought to her weeks ago and sat on them. they remain

wish lindsey graham has been asking the questions. >> mark thinks it was a bad idea to bring rachel mitchellhell repeatedly asked questions. it was hard to follow where it was going because of how everything was set up but she asked repeatedly about motivation, and if anyone had helped blasey ford. let me play this for you. listen. ford. let me play this for you. listen. >> did anybody besides friends and family refer you to any attorneys? >> i think that the staff of dianne feinstein's office suggested the possibility of some attorneys. >> okay. including the two that are sitting along either side of you? >> not both of them, no. >> there was democrats involved in the process, if you will. she said she was is no one's pawn, but do you think that republicans got a point with that? >> i don't think they did, because she was very clear all along about yes, she did go to the democrats. she was -- she happens to live in pal alto represented by democrats. so it's not like she tried to hide it or she secretly got help. she was transparent and said yeah, i think they did recommend a lawyer. you kno

there you see the question of rachel mitchell, also shaking hands with dr. blasey ford. a little over four hours ago smiling in her face, waving after her friends and joined by supporters in that room today. submitted questions from ten democratic members of the committee, 11 republican members of the committee, but all of the questions from that sex crimes prosecutor ritual mitchell. that final round of questioning from ms. mitchell, fascinating to me. she seemed to be simultaneously as she talked about how sex crimes victims are usually interviewed, what kind of process they usually go through. you see dr. shaking hands. question after question after mu like rachel mitchell was doing today in public in that questioning. she seemed to be saying those republicans who hired her, i came in to do this my way but it couldn't be done effectively -- >> i so related to her. i have been saying this for weeks. this is not how assaults, sex crimes are investigating. generally you work with either an fbi agent or work with the victim witness advocate. you work with a trained detect

you can see rachel mitchell, who is doing the questioning for the republicans in the foreground.ld suggest to me that these proceedings are about to start. they are all starting to filter back in, so it looks like they are going to start these proceedings very shortly. ron, before they do, before that gavel is banged on the table, what has to happen now? what do you think is going to happen? it remains to be seen going to happen? it remains to be seen whether the republicans will change their tactics. i do think they will. we still have to hear from some democrats who want to seek a 2020 nomination. do you think that the chances of brett kavanaugh beings confirm to the supreme court on less than they were three hours ago? yes, i do, she came across as believable and credible, and brett kavanaugh is going to have two save himself this afternoon. christine blasey ford faces probably about another one hour of questioning, she then leaves, and brett kavanaugh comes back into the room. he will ta ke comes back into the room. he will take a seat and be questioned. that is her lawyer co

rachel mitchell has an impeccable background.'s been a prosecutor for over 25 years in the city of arizona and not only is she the division chief including outstanding sexual assault prosecutor of the year. here's what's important about her as well. she leaves the education around the country. as you know there was some misinformation been being circulated that she was somehow part of the department when it's actually part of the county attorney department. in 2011 when the doj alleged that they were under prosecutions by the sheriffs. they implement a training and identified those that could still be prosecuted. she really has an impeccable background. and certainly she has a long career of 25 years. the big question in today's wall street journal about rachel mitchell is she tough enough and here's why people say this. she is described as carrying an competent and competent and empathetic. but not. mason. she has not seen as incredibly tough. what i'm wondering today. is that the right thing for this hearing wears at the wrong

if our colleague is an adequate sample of it, it's that she is extremely credible and rachel mitchell not only is not laying a glove on her, but, in my view, is actually helping her credibility by the gentility with which these questions are being asked. and the open-ended answers that the witness is being permitted to give. the president cannot be happy with this. the white house team that has advised judge kavanaugh for two months now cannot be happy with this. judge kavanaugh is an academic jurist. the court room in which he operates is not one like you see on television with lawyers shouting at each other and trying to intimidate witnesses and juries. they engage in academic arguments. he's got to show that mantle. he's got to become a person inflicted with the most righteous examination in order to overcome the extraordinarily credible performance that his accuser has made so far. only that will save him at this point. >> here is christine blasey for blasey ford, describing this attack and what was an opening statement that really everyone in the room was captivated by. >> brett

initially rachel mitchell was tepid at times, kind of hard to follow, and i think that she actually brought with her unfortunately an attachment to longtime experience as a prosecutor in arizona are and didn't work well. it did not bode well in the first half. but as i said judge kavanaugh came out swinging, blazing, extremely credible and carried with it through to his answers for the democratic senators here. he is absolutely strong in his testimony today. extremely credible, and to me what this is illustrating is that both can be right. both can earnestly believe something and ultimately up to the senators determine what, a, the constituents want and b whether the totality of the evidence is such that it rules in favor of him or her. but certainly he absolutely has been excellent in this second half. >> so you are saying both appear credible, is that what you're saying? >> that the overwhelming response to dr. ford's testimony this morning was that she was credible, and to me -- >> wait, wait, did the republicans lay a glove on her? >> the second half, i think they did, by associations.

i can think of no one better equipped to question the witnesses than rachel mitchell. ms. mitchell is a career prosecutor, civil servant with decades of experiences investigating and prosecuting sex crimes. she has dedicated her career to seeking justice for survivors of sex-related felonies. most recently, rachel was a division chief of the special victims division, maricopa county attorney's office which prosecutes sex crimes and family violence. then democratic governor janet napolitano previously recognized her as the outstanding arizona sexual assault prosecutor of the year. and she has spent years instructing prosecutors, detectives and child protection workers on how to properly interview victims of sexual assault and abuse. with her aid, i look forward to a fair and productive hearing. i understand that there are two other public allegations. today's hearing was scheduled to, in close consultation with dr. ford's attorneys and her testimony will be the subject of this hearing. we've been trying to investigate other allegations. at this time, we have not had cooperat

>> that's rachel mitchell, the woman who is sitting down. she will be asking the questions.s asked her as an outside counsel from arizona to come with a lot of experience in sexual harassment crimes, to do the questioning. >> to your point, it's a great point. it's a valid point. why don't the men get out of the way here? however, richard blumenthal is a former state attorney general. he thinks he's perfectly qualified. cory booker is a potential presidential candidate. he wants to use this platform. i don't want to make it about politics. everybody knows into that room or they're in the room now, that hearing starts in seven minutes. everybody has a position and everybody has a plan. but the unpredictability is this woman we have never heard or seen. we don't really know what she looks like, what she sounds like. she goes first. if she's credible, if she is compelling, then when there's a pause, the republicans have their strategy for brett kavanaugh, the democrats have their strategy for brett kavanaugh. all could go out the window depending on what happens with the first

what do you make of rachel mitchell's questioning so far?amount of time allowed to ask questions. this is not the way, this was an fbi investigation which has happened in every other instance, the fbi would not be constrained to ask five minute questions, they would ask questions that are relevant and necessary for long as as necessary to get the truth on the record. thank you very much forjoining us. as we have been saying all along we have been hearing from democratic senators. we have only heard from the chairman of the republican side, who gave an opening statement, and he has interjected a few times, but we have not been hearing at all from his republican colleagues. we have heard from several democratic senators. they will get the chance to question christine blasey ford. they started the top ranking democrat on the senatejudiciary the top ranking democrat on the senate judiciary committee, the top ranking democrat on the senatejudiciary committee, let's listen to the questions about the issue of mistaken identity. you were very clear

rachel mitchell is going to be asking the questions of dr. for dr. ford.t stick to that except when it comes time for the judge to answer, where a number of democratic senators, a good many running for president, could berate him on that and also get into his thoughts on these additional women who we were told were not supposed to come up tomorrow but invariably well. >> i think senator flake is correct and that senators should keep an open mind but i think democrats have made a very easy for republicans to take a "yes" vote on brett kavanaugh because they have totally overreached in this entire episode. the most important part of this entire process is the truth, and democrats have done what they do best which is obscuring what the truth is during this entire process. if they were really interested in getting to the bottom of the matter, they would have released the letter that was sent from the initial allegation prior to the sick leaks than what they waited to release it. they would have the evidence handed over to the committees of both sides could pou

instead, they sat behind rachel mitchell, a prosecutor from arizona, specializing in sex crimes. >> good morning, dr. ford. >> hi. >> she immediately struck a gentle tone with ford. >> the first thing that struck me from your statement this morning was that you were terrified, and i just wanted to let you know i'm very sorry. that's not right. >> reporter: while the republicans sat in silence, the democrats heaped praise on ford. >> you are opening up to open air hurt and pain that goes on across this country. and for that, the word i would use, it's nothing short of heroic. >> bravery is contagious. indeed, that's the driving force behind the me too movement. >> she came in there looking like the girl next door, sat down, you know, with her hair in her face, and then she found her voice. and she just told her story. >> reporter: by the time brett kavanaugh walked down the hall to testify, holding his wife's hand, many were predicting his nomination to the high court was all but dead. >> by the end of her testimony, it seemed like kavanaugh was in really serious trouble. >> totally. the

rachel mitchell will be representing the republican men on the compete.person is coming forward, julie swetnick. she claims in a sworn affidavit she saw him drink excessively and engage in abusive way towards girls. she alleges he was present at a house party in 1982 when swetnick says she herself was a victim of gang rape. judge kavanaugh says this is ridiculous and from the twilight zone. i don't know who this is. president trump says he will be be watching. >> i'm going to see what's said. i will have to see what's said. it's possible they will be convincing. >> reporter: the president talked about women, plural. but only one will testify today. they are tending to take a vote on kavanaugh's nomination tomorrow. reporting live from the capitol, lana zak. ? the hearing starts in less than 30 minutes. it starts at 7:00 a.m. krubg grassley and dianne feinstein will give opening remarks. then blasey ford will give her opening remarks and then questions from senators. blasey ford will leave and kavanaugh will enter to give his statement and answer questions

the committee has selected rachel mitchell to do the questioning tomorrow. she is the chief the special victims division of maricopa maricopa county and has extensive experience dealing with the sexual assault cases. earlier president trump praised their handling of the cases. >> the republicans could not be nicer than the way they are handling this. they could have pushed it through two and a half weeks ago and we wouldn't be talking about it right now which is frankly what i would have preferred. he's been treated very unfairly, and then they laugh at what they are getting away with. >> democrats pulling no punches and going after republicans on their decision to have a prosecutor spearhead tomorrow's hearing and set a vote for friday. here senate minority leader chuck schumer. >> they proposed a vote before the hearing occurs. isn't that prejudgment? and they are acting when they proposed a vote before the hearing as if the conclusion was preordained and the hearing is just a nuisance. this isn't a democratic smear job as the leader so callously and disre

and i'm encouragedco by the committees choice of rachel mitchell, a career prosecutor with decades of experience and sensitive investigations, who was recognized with an award by arizona been a democratic goverr janet napolitano to lead expertise to this important process. it's time, mr. president for senators to from both dr. ford and judge kavanaugh under oath.

rachel mitchell will also question kavanaugh at tomorrow's hearing. tr the jp the jaw dithes scheduled a vote for kavanaugh on friday. meanwhile, in a tweet last night president trump challenged the credibility of kavanaugh's accusers and leveled a broadside to his democratic opponents. the democrats are playing a high-level con game in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. it's called the politics of destruction. behind the scene the dems are laughing. pray for brett kavanaugh and his family. laura podesta has more on this. good morning, laura. >> reporter: good morning. kavanaugh and ford will be questioned separately at tomorrow's hearing. senators will have a limited amount of time to ask them questions, the hope being that each will be given an opportunity to explain or defend their side of the story. the 11 republican men on the senate judiciary committee will have rachel mitchell, a veteran sex crimes prosecutor from arizona interview christine blasey ford and brett kavanaugh at tomorrow's hearing. >> the witness should not be uncomfor