Chuck Grassley has again asked Dr. Ford and her lawyers to “turn over the therapy notes, polygraph materials, and communications with the Washington Post that Dr. Ford has relied upon as evidence.” And he is right to do so. For an accuser to rely upon evidence that is not made available to the accused is extraordinary. For that accuser to refuse to comply with a request from the person in charge of a process that she herself initiated is even more so.
Process issues aside, Ford’s refusal is beginning to look odd. One can just about understand why she might have wanted to avoid going public in the first instance, and one can comprehend why she wanted to avoid testifying before the whole country (although one cannot ever agree that she should have been able to keep her accusations anonymous, but demand that they be accepted at face value). But, having done both those things in the name of “civic duty,” it is peculiar that she is now stonewalling when asked for additional evidence that she insists corroborates her charges — especially as we barrel toward a vote. Could it be that the documents in question do not in fact show what Dr. Ford says they do?