Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday it was clear Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser Christine Blasey Ford had never been told by her attorneys he was willing to send staff to California to interview her.

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The California professor testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in D.C. last week about her allegation the federal jurist sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school.

"Clearly, Dr. Ford’s attorneys did not tell her that we could protect her privacy and speak to her in California," Grassley said in a news release, noting that the American Bar Association's code of professional conduct requires a lawyer to consult with a client about the means used to accomplish the client's objectives, including settlement offers.

Grassley said he offered multiple times, both publicly and directly to Ford's attorney, to have Ford interviewed in California. Ford was also offered the opportunity to testify in an open session, a closed session, a public staff interview, and a private staff interview, and investigators were available to meet with her outside of a hearing, he said.

Ford testified that it was not clear to her that the committee had offered to meet with her in California.

"It is deeply unfortunate that Dr. Ford’s Democratic-activist lawyers appear to have used Dr. Ford in order to advance their own political agenda," said Grassley. "A lot of pain and hardship could have been avoided had Dr. Ford’s attorneys informed her or the committee’s offer to meet her in California to receive her testimony."

A source close to Ford's legal team said Ford's attorneys advised her of all options the committee offered her, and she chose to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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