One thing that people often don’t consider when it comes to testifying at a Senate hearing is the expense. There is the cost of hiring an attorney, traveling to and from Washington, D.C., and, in the case of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a polygraph test. That test was paid for by Ford’s lawyers, but Ford acknowledged that she wasn’t sure if she would ultimately bear the cost.
What we do know is that should she have to pay for it, she has a lot of help.
During her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ford mentioned that there was a GoFundMe campaign to help her with her expenses. Since then, the money has come pouring in.
At the time, the campaign had raised approximately $179,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Instantly, that amount began to climb. At the time of this publication, that total had skyrocketed to $363,233, and continues to go up with every passing minute.
As for the aforementioned attorneys’ fees, Ford won’t even have to pay any, as her lawyers Debra Katz and Michael Bromwich said they are representing her pro bono.
That being said, Ford said she’s had to pay for security expenses. Both she and Kavanaugh have faced threats in light of the allegations that the Supreme Court nominee tried to sexually assault her when they were in high school. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) denounced threats faced by both sides at the beginning of Thursday’s hearing.
[Image via via SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images]
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