Powerful women in California politics speak out about upcoming Kavanaugh hearing

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As events unfold in Washington, prominent women in politics and the #MeToo movement here in the Bay Area spoke out about what's at stake in a potential hearing with testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Professor Christine Blasey over a sexual assault allegation.

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The lawyers for Professor Christine Blasey Ford now say she wants to wait for an FBI investigation to be conducted before she herself testifies against Kavanaugh.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said there will be four women on the judiciary committee -- a big change from 27 years ago during the Anita Hill hearings. But she emphasized this will be another "where you were moment."

Pelosi said, "In terms of the arc of history, I think it's very important to have the truth because when a woman comes forward, that takes great courage."

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Congresswoman Pelosi spoke along the San Francisco waterfront Tuesday as her daughter, the chair of the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus, emphasized how this is a replay of the Anita Hill hearings back in 1991.

Cbristine Pelosi said, "My phone has always been the informal hotline. It has been blowing up over the last two days with women saying 'I remember Anita Hill and now I feel like history is repeating itself.' Women are going to look and say unless Republicans do something radically different from what they are doing today, unless they do something radically respectful of Christine Blasey Ford, you're going to sweep in females and feminists aren't going to put up with this."

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Adama Iwu, the activist is who exposed sexual harassment in California government last year and founded "We Said Enough," says it's all about respect. "Depending on if they do a perfunctory hearing, this woman is torn up, they decide she has no credibility and they do a quick vote and this guy ends up on the Supreme Court, I think women may not forget that."

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