New Sexual Assault Allegation Reignites Calls For Brett Kavanaugh’s Impeachment

    Sarah Midkiff
    Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (9919779e) Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh listens as President Trump makes remarks as he hosts a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Kavanaugh in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh formally took the oath on Saturday, hours after he was confirmed by the US Senate. Brett Kavanaugh sworn in as Supreme Court Justice, Washington DC, USA – 08 Oct 2018 RESTRICTION: NO New York or New Jersey Newspapers or newspapers within a 75 mile radius of New York City.

    A new sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has emerged, and once again ignited the call for his impeachment. President Donald Trump is refuting the allegations, sitting staunchly opposed and even suggesting that Kavanaugh should “start suing people.”

    Like the allegations that made headlines during his confirmation hearings last year, Kavanaugh is being accused of sexual misconduct during his time as an undergraduate student at Yale University. The new accusation claims that Kavanaugh forced his penis into the hands of a female classmate. This new story mirrors a lot of the details shared by a classmate who came forward last year. 

    The other allegation that first emerged leading up to Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings was from Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of pulling down his pants and thrusting his penis at her at a party during their first year at the university. Ramirez gave the FBI the names of 25 witnesses, according to the New York Times. They reportedly did not follow up on any of them, but the story was recently corroborated by a fellow classmate, Max Stier.

    Stier reportedly notified senators and the FBI that he had witnessed the event Ramirez recounted while the hearings were ongoing; however, it was not looked into. The investigation into Ramirez’s statements revealed that at least seven other people knew about the event long before Kavanaugh would ever become a federal judge. While Ramirez was reportedly interviewed by the FBI and deemed credible, Ramirez’s lawyer said the allegations were not looked into further and Kavanaugh was confirmed in a vote of 50-48 on October 6, 2018.

    Kavanaugh has not made a statement regarding this new allegation and declined interviews with journalists who initially investigated these claims. He has denied other sexual assault accusations, including Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s claims that he held her down and attempted to remove her clothes as he groped her and covered her mouth at a party when they were in high school.

    Trump is standing by Kavanaugh, as he has since the beginning, and insisting that all of the allegations against the Supreme Court justice are false.

    These new allegations have reignited the conversation of whether or not Kavanaugh should be impeached. At the time of his confirmation, Democrats questioned Kavanaugh’s honesty in his answers and were concerned that Kavanaugh likely perjured himself several times during the proceedings. These concerns, though dismissed at the time, have been raised again in light of this new information.

    In the history of the Supreme Court, no justice has ever been successfully impeached, reports Vox. The process is similar to impeaching a president and requires significant political support, something that seems unlikely in such a divided environment.

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