Brett Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge becomes a focal point of Christine Blasey Ford's hearing
- Mark Judge has become a focal point of Christine Blasey Ford's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on an alleged sexual assault involving Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
- Ford, now a professor in California, claims Judge was in the room when Kavanaugh attempted to force himself on her at a high school party when they were teenagers.
- She claims Judge stood by and aided Kavanaugh in the process.
- There are growing calls for Judge to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mark Judge, the friend of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, became a focal point of Christine Blasey Ford's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, leading to growing calls for him to testify before the body.
Ford, now a professor in California, claims Judge was in the room when Kavanaugh attempted to force himself on her at a high school party when they were teenagers. She claims Kavanaugh stood by and aided Kavanaugh in the process.
Asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy to describe a detail she "cannot forget," Ford recalled how she felt she was the object of the boys' laughter.
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and they're having fun at my expense," she said. "I was underneath one of them, while the two laughed. Two friends having a really good time with one another."
In written testimony, Ford said that "both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack."
"They both seemed to be having a good time. ... A couple of times I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me, but he did not," she said.
Ford said the only reason she was able to escape was because Judge eventually jumped on top of her and Kavanaugh, which toppled the group and gave her an opportunity to exit the room.
Kavanaugh and Judge have both fervently denied Ford's allegations.
Senate Democrats want Judge to testify
Since the California professor came forward, there have been ongoing calls from Democrats for Judge to testify alongside Ford and Kavanaugh. Those calls increased Thursday.
"We believe Judge should be subpoenaed so the Committee can hear from him directly," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committee's ranking Democratic member.
Judge has refused to speak publicly on the matter, as well as another allegation of sexual misconduct from a separate woman, Julie Swetnick. He was spotted by a reporter earlier this week at a friend's house in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
"Mark Judge should be subpoenaed from his Bethany Beach hideaway," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said Thursday.
Judge became central to Ford's testimony. Ford said she saw Judge "six to eight weeks" after the alleged result and that he looked "ill" upon seeing her.
"Mark Judge looked like he was working there, arranging the shopping carts," she said. "I said hello to him and his face was white and very uncomfortable saying hello back. We had previously been friendly at the times we saw each other over the previous two years."
Judge wrote a memoir, "Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk," about his struggles with alcoholism and partying days as a student at Georgetown Prep. In the book, Judge wrote that he worked as a "bag boy at a local supermarket" in the summer of 1982 to raise money for football camp.
Ford has struggled to recall the exact time and location of the alleged assault, which makes this revelation regarding her encounter with him at a suburban supermarket potentially significant.
Ford said she would like Judge to be interviewed on the allegations
Later in Thursday's hearing, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal asked Ford if she would like Judge to "be interviewed in connection with the background investigation and the serious, credible allegations" she's made.
Ford, who has called for the FBI to investigate her claims, said it would "be [my] preference. ... I'm not sure it's really up to me."
Judge has not responded to repeated requests for comment from Business Insider.
His attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, on Thursday told Business Insider she's not "commenting while the proceeding is ongoing."