[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] What does that tell us about the status of the Russia investigation? And Paul's conversion. Now that Paul Manafort flipped, there's intense speculation about what the former Trump campaign chairman is telling the special counsel. The Russia probe is clearly in a crucial new phase tonight. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in
[The Situation Room. Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] Breaking news tonight, a Republican senator now says there will be a full opportunity for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser to be heard in public. We're learning more about that as Kavanaugh is talking by phone tonight with staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, is offering to talk to committee members under oath about her claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. I will get reaction from Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. First, let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the president, he is standing by Kavanaugh.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. The White House has just released a statement about this late-breaking development that there should be a hearing next week for Brett Kavanaugh to address these allegations of sexual assault dating back to his high school days. The White House just issuing this statement a few moments ago. We can put it up on screen. This from White House spokesman Raj Shah, saying that: "Judge Kavanaugh looks forward to a hearing where he can clear his name of this false allegation. He stands ready to testify tomorrow if the Senate is ready to hear him." Wolf, the last part of the statement is interesting, that he is ready to testify tomorrow. It sounds like it may have to wait until next week, delaying the nomination process, as the president said he would allow earlier today, but the White House is showing no signs of abandoning Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court at this point, Wolf. President Trump dismissed the notion earlier today that Kavanaugh would even step aside.
[Acosta:] President Trump is sticking with his Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, brushing off the notion the embattled judge would withdraw from consideration.
[Question:] He has offered to withdraw?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Next question. What a ridiculous question.
[Acosta:] Asked about the accusation of assault facing Kavanaugh, the president didn't hesitate to defend the judge.
[Trump:] He is somebody very special. At the same time we want to go through a process, we want to make sure everything is perfect, everything is just right. I wish the Democrats could have done this a lot sooner, because they had this information for many months and they shouldn't have waited until literally the last days. They should have done it a lot sooner, but with all of that being said, we want to go through the process.
[Acosta:] Still, the president did not push back on the possibility of a delay in the confirmation battle.
[Trump:] If it takes a little delay, it will take a little delay. Oh, I think he's on track, yes. I mean, I think he's very much on track.
[Acosta:] Kavanaugh made an appearance at the White House earlier in the day, as sources tell CNN the president is fuming over the allegation rocking his selection for the high court. But top aides, including the normally combative White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, were keeping their powder dry.
[Kellyanne Conway, Trump Senior Adviser:] Let me make clear, on behalf to the president, whom I have spoken at length about this, put aside all the nonsense that's on TV and in print from people who couldn't possibly be a source familiar his thinking. She should not be ignored or insulted. She should be hear.
[Acosta:] The accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, says Kavanaugh and a friend were drunk when they assaulted her while in high school more than 35 years ago. In a letter detailing her ordeal, she writes: "They both laughed as Kavanaugh tried to disrobe me in their highly inebriated state. With Kavanaugh's hand over my mouth, I feared he may inadvertently kill me." Her attorney insists this was an assault.
[Debra Katz, Attorney For Christine Blasey Ford:] He was ignoring the fact she was attempting to scream and having a difficult time breathing. And she believes that, but for his inebriation and his inability to take her clothes off, he would have raped her.
[Acosta:] Both Ford and Kavanaugh are willing to testify. Kavanaugh maintains he's innocent, saying in a statement: "This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes to her or anyone. Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday." The friend, alleged to have played a part in the assault, Mark Judge, said in a statement: 'I never saw Brett act that way." A sign of just how poisonous the debate over Kavanaugh has come, just look at this Instagram post from the president's son Donald Trump Jr. It mocks the words in crayon, with the words: "Will you be my girlfriend? Yes, no? Love, Brett." The Kavanaugh saga presents the president with a familiar challenge.
[Trump:] Hello. How are you? Hi.
[Acosta:] Mr. Trump, who once bragged to "Access Hollywood" that he could grope women and get away with it, has sided with men accused of this conduct in the past, whether it was his ex-aide Rob Porter.
[Trump:] He says he's innocent and I think you have to remember that.
[Acosta:] Or Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore.
[Trump:] He says it didn't happen and, you know, you have to listen to him also.
[Acosta:] The president may have learned to show some restraint. He has so far not tweeted about the allegations facing Kavanaugh. As we heard earlier today, he was tempered in his remarks. With the midterms just 50 days away, Wolf, and women voters critical to whether the GOP maintains control over Congress, the president may have temporarily found his own mute button. And, Wolf, I should point out I talked to a source close to the White House earlier this afternoon who is in touch with a lot of the conservative groups that are watching this nomination process very closely. This source said the president could not afford to botch this nomination by making some kind of comment that would derail the process, saying the president with many Christian conservatives has quote "run out of Mulligans" Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right. Important point, indeed. Jim Acosta, thank you. Let's go to Capitol Hill right now for the latest on the Kavanaugh nomination and what happens next. Our congressional correspondent, Phil Mattingly, is working the story for us. Phil, what do we know about how this is about to play out?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, it is still developing at this moment, Wolf. Just a few hours just about an hour ago Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee met behind closed doors with Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, the chairman, Chuck Grassley, to map out the process forward. And basically what's been going on behind the scenes for the last four or five days has been a pure scramble, trying to address the allegations, trying to figure out what the allegations are, and then trying to figure out those steps. And we now know one of those next steps will be a public hearing. As to why? That goes to how do they get the votes. One of the key outstanding votes, moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins, who spoke to reporters earlier. She had a private phone call with Brett Kavanaugh on Friday and she wants to hear more. Take a listen.
[Sen. Susan Collins , Maine:] There are an awful lot of questions, inconsistencies, gaps. And that's why, to be fair to both, we need to know what happened. If Judge Kavanaugh has lied about what happened, that would be disqualifying.
[Mattingly:] So, Wolf, any public hearing would obviously have enormous stakes right now, but the reality on the ground right now is this. For Majority Leader McConnell and for Chuck Grassley, it is a matter of how do they best figure a way to get the votes, votes that they assumed they would very much in line by the planned committee vote on Thursday of this week. That at this point looks like it is certainly going to be pushed out. There's still a lot of work both behind the scenes and a public hearing to see if they can get the votes back to that place by the time Kavanaugh reaches the Senate floor, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, he also spoke out about this just a little while ago. What did he say?
[Mattingly:] Well, Wolf, if you want to know kind of how deep the divide between Republicans and Democrats have gotten, not just over the nomination, but over this issue specifically, Senator Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, her spokesman just put out a statement saying this is all news to us. The hearing, they aren't even aware of. They decided not to participate in a staff call with Brett Kavanaugh earlier today. McConnell believes there are a lot of real questions about how the allegation came to light. Take a listen.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell , Majority Leader:] An accusation of 36- year-old misconduct, dating back to high school, has been brought forward at the last minute in an irregular manner. It is an accusation which Judge Kavanaugh has completely and unequivocally denied. It is an accusation which the ranking member of the committee of jurisdiction has known about for at least six weeks. Known about for six weeks. Yet chose to keep secret until the 11th hour.
[Mattingly:] So, Wolf, really reflecting where Republican leadership is on this right now. They understand the allegation is serious, but a lot of questions on their end as to why it came out now and what the genesis was of it from the beginning. For the Democrats' purposes right now, Wolf, they want a renewed FBI investigation into things. They're not even willing to consider the public hearing at this point. What we know for sure, this divide is very real. There's no bridge to it any time soon, and right now it looks like the best observation anybody is going to get to see some type of clarity in this is a public hearing next week, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We will see when that happens. Phil, thank you very much. Let's bring in our CNN Supreme Court reporter, Ariane de Vogue. Ariane, you have some new information about Kavanaugh's reaction to the allegations.
[Ariane De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] Wolf, I have been talking to a lot of his friends through the week. And one person told me he was absolutely flabbergasted by the allegations. And then finally when the woman did come forward, Christine Blasey Ford, he vaguely remembered the name. She went by Chrissy at the time. Keep in mind, it was about 30 years ago. It was when they were in high school, but he's absolutely adamant in his denial. We saw it again this morning. He said it is absolutely false. He said, "Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself." One thing that's interesting, Wolf, is this morning there was some reporting that there would be sort of a scorched-earth policy going after the woman. We have not seen that at all. We have seen the focus on Kavanaugh, on his judicial record, on his church, on his public service. We even heard the president say, he never even had a little blemish on his record. So they're going after they're talking about Kavanaugh's record. They're talking about the Democrats and how they really don't like what the Democrats have done, but they're not saying anything about Ford. That's an interesting issue.
[Blitzer:] And Christine Blasey Ford, she is adamant in her allegations.
[De Vogue:] Absolutely. And she what is interesting about that is that she said now she's willing to come forward, but she didn't in the beginning. Remember, that letter to Dianne Feinstein was dated in July, and one of the reasons Dianne Feinstein couldn't do anything about it is that she said she didn't want to come forward. And then things changed. It started to seep out a little bit and she was really clear with "The Washington Post," she said, "Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and temporary about retaliation." So now she is ready to come forward, and that's a change from the early weeks there.
[Blitzer:] And they're both apparently ready to testify in open session before the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath, and if one of them is lying, that's perjury.
[De Vogue:] That's where we are, and they're eager to do it.
[Blitzer:] All right. Let's see what happens. Ariane de Vogue, thank you very much. Joining us now, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. Are you encouraged to hear Senator Kennedy say that Kavanaugh's accuser will be heard in a public hearing?
[Sen. Tammy Duckworth , Illinois:] Well, I am encouraged to hear that. I hope that she gets a fair hearing and that we give her a chance to really talk about and tell her story. You know, I have dealt with victims of military sexual trauma, and one of the things that I learned doing that work is that we must, first and foremost, protect and support the alleged victim as they come forward. This is a very difficult thing that she is doing, and I applaud her for her courage.
[Blitzer:] Kavanaugh will also have this chance to respond publicly to this allegation, but Senator Hatch already said that Kavanaugh denies being at the party to begin with and says his accuser might have mistaken him for someone else. What is your reaction to that?
[Duckworth:] Well, I have heard, you know, many, many predators say and refute allegations against them. I think what we need to do is, we need to hear from both sides, and this is why it is so important for the FBI to investigate these allegations so that it doesn't become a he saidshe said kind of issue. Again, I learned about this through my work with military sexual trauma. This is why we must have an independent investigation into it and trust the victim as they come forward, and we must take it with all seriousness and not let partisanship get in the way of really finding out the truth. This is, after all, somebody that's being nominated to the highest court in the land for the rest of his life.
[Blitzer:] Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator, say they still haven't received a response from the FBI on whether it is investigating this allegation. And President Trump says he trusts the process. So should he request that the FBI follow through on this investigation?
[Duckworth:] Well, I will be perfectly honest with you. I don't have much trust in what the president says he will and won't do when it comes to our intelligence agencies. He has spent most of his time in office so far bashing our intelligence experts. I will say this. I have the utmost trust in the FBI. I hope that they handle this justly and that they stick to the facts and do this investigation. The American people deserve to know what is happening here.
[Blitzer:] Christine Blasey Ford was extremely reluctant, as you know, to publicly identify herself. Do you have how concerns about how she would be treated in an open hearing?
[Duckworth:] Well, of course I have grave concerns of how she would be testified how she would be treated if she testified, not just by my fellow senators, but by folks out there in the public. I'm hearing of people staking out her home. She can't go home already. This is very, very touchy in terms of her personal safety. And I don't blame her for wanting to remain private as long as possible. Again, this is normal behavior from victims of sexual trauma who wait until the last minute, if possible. They you know, in fact, being brought before the press, being criticized is almost like being victimized all over again. We must trust and allow the victims to speak out, allow her to have her day. Lord knows Judge Kavanaugh has had many days in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Let's let her have her chance to speak and tell her story.
[Blitzer:] And he will have his chance as well. Did Senator Feinstein make a mistake by not alerting her fellow committee members to this allegation? She's known about it since July. Was there a way to address the serious charges while still protecting the accuser's identity?
[Duckworth:] Well, I don't know what she could have done. I think she did everything that she could in terms of being you know, her legality, her legally required she did contact the FBI and she stuck with what the accuser asked her to do. If you read the letter from the victim, she said that, please, please keep this confidential. And I think, again, I have to reiterate, this is what a lot of victims of sexual trauma want. They want complete privacy. And in the military, it wasn't until just a few years ago, when the military installed completely anonymous reporting processes, that more and more victims of sexual trauma came forward, many times decades after the incident happened, to say, you know what? When I was a young 20-year- old ensign, when I was a young 20-year-old private, this happened to me, and I didn't feel safe to do this until now, 20, 30 years later. So, her Dr. Ford's actions are very consistent with many, many victims of sexual trauma.
[Blitzer:] Senator Duckworth, thanks so much for joining us.
[Duckworth:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Just ahead: President Trump is ordering a declassification of documents related to the Russia investigation. We are going to have that breaking story. Stick around. Also, we will have a report from the disaster in the Carolinas as the rivers and death toll keep rising.