Republicans blink: Sources say GOP is open to moving Friday deadline for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

Republicans are reportedly ready to allow Dr. Christine Blasey Ford more time to decide whether or not she wants to testify about an alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh while both were in high school.

Sources close to the Senate Judiciary Committee told CNN that Republicans are considering moving a Friday deadline they they had set to force Blasey Ford into making a decision.

CNN noted in a report on Thursday:

Two sources familiar with the nomination process said, however, that it may not be a hard deadline after all. When asked whether Ford could respond after the Friday 10 a.m. deadline, both sources said -- in an apparent gesture to show flexibility by Grassley's committee -- that may be possible, noting she could conceivably respond to the committee later in the day and still have the ability to appear at Monday's scheduled hearing.

CNN also reported that Blasey Ford has not "closed the door" on appearing before the committee. It was not immediately clear if Republican leaders would also be open to postponing Monday's scheduled hearing.