Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee will turn to an outside counsel to question Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during a high-stakes hearing on Thursday, as Blasey Ford is set to testify that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when she was 15 years old. The Washington Post reports Republicans have selected Rachel Mitchell, sex crimes bureau chief for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona—and a longtime registered Republican. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed Tuesday the committee had hired a “female assistant” to “ask these questions in a respectful and professional way.” All 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are men. There has never been a female Republican on the committee. This comes as USA Today reports Christine Blasey Ford has submitted four affidavits to the Senate corroborating her claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. The declarations, from Ford’s husband and three of her friends, say she told them of the assault before Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.