A Second Sexual Misconduct Allegation and a Possible Delay: The Latest in Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination
If you're finding it difficult to keep up with the fast-moving news cycle around Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, you are not alone. Sunday night brought a new allegation of sexual misconduct from a second woman via a piece by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer in The New Yorker. And now Thursday's scheduled hearings—which were to feature testimony by Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford—may be in jeopardy of being canceled.
So let's break down the latest updates in Kavanaugh's nomination hearings.
A second woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.
Ramirez claims that the incident occurred during her and Kavanaugh's freshman year at Yale University. She told The New Yorker that she was initially hesitant to speak publicly (partly because of gaps in her recollection due to the consumption of alcohol) but later told Farrow and Mayer that "she remembers Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away."
Like Ford before her, she is asking the FBI to investigate the incident and Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh denied the allegations in a statement to the magazine. “This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen. The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so," it reads. "This is a smear, plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth, and defending my good name—and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building—against these last-minute allegations.”
But according to an unnamed former classmate, who told The New Yorker he is "one-hundred-per-cent sure," Kavanaugh was the student who exposed himself to Ramirez. “I’ve known this all along,” he told the magazine. “It’s been on my mind all these years when his name came up. It was a big deal.”
Others, including the wife of one of the male students Ramirez says was involved in the incident, disputes Ramirez's claims.
“We were the people closest to Brett Kavanaugh during his first year at Yale. He was a roommate to some of us, and we spent a great deal of time with him, including in the dorm where this incident allegedly took place," a statement given to The New Yorker from the wife and three other classmates—identified as Dino Ewing, Louisa Garry, and Dan Murphy—reads. "Some of us were also friends with Debbie Ramirez during and after her time at Yale. We can say with confidence that if the incident Debbie alleges ever occurred, we would have seen or heard about it—and we did not."
Christine Blasey Ford agreed to publicly testify about her allegations.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that Ford had reached an agreement with the Senate Judiciary Committee to appear before them on Thursday. This was after much back and forth that saw Republican leadership pushing for a quick date while Ford and her legal team worked to ensure she was treated fairly.
“Despite actual threats to her safety and her life, Dr. Ford believes it is important for senators to hear directly from her about the sexual assault committed against her," her lawyers said in a statement, adding that although logistical difficulties are still being ironed out, "they will not impede the hearing taking place."
However, Sen. Dianne Fienstein (D-Calif.) is calling for Thursday's hearings to be canceled.
In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Feinstein cited the second allegation against Kavanaugh as reason to postpone the hearings. She called for both Ramirez's and Blasey Ford's claims to be investigated by the FBI.
"We need a fair, independent process that will gather all the facts, interview all the relevant witnesses, and ensure the Committee receives a full and impartial report," she writes. "Should the White House continue to refuse to direct the FBI to do its job, the Committee must subpoena all relevant witnesses."
"It's time to set politics aside," she continues. "We must ensure that a thorough and fair investigation is conducted moving forward."
The White House and leading Republicans are standing by Kavanaugh—for now.
White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement to CNN, "This 35-year-old, uncorroborated claim is the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man. This claim is denied by all who were said to be present and is wholly inconsistent with what many women and men who knew Judge Kavanaugh at the time in college say. The White House stands firmly behind Judge Kavanaugh."
Just this morning President Donald Trump called the allegations "totally political" and says "I am with him [Kavanaugh] all the way."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, went on Fox News Sunday to deride Ford's claims. “What am I supposed to do? Go ahead and ruin this guy’s life based on an accusation?” he said. “I don’t know when it happened, I don’t know where it happened, and everybody named in regard to being there said it didn’t happen.”
Women are mobilizing in support of Blasey Ford and Ramirez.
A number of women's groups have organized a walkout scheduled for 1:00 P.M. ET Monday. The National #BelieveSurvivors Walkout will call attention to the plight of survivors of sexual assault and misconduct everywhere, while also asking the Senate to vote against Kavanaugh's nomination.
“The groundswell of support for Dr. Ford is exactly what the Me Too movement is about," says #MeToo founder, Tarana Burke. "So often, survivors struggle to disclose their assault or abuse, and when they do, the response is similar to what we’re seeing now. It’s been almost 30 years since Anita Hill’s testimony, and we want to ensure that the Senate Judiciary Committee does the right thing this time.”
We will continue to update this story as it evolves.
