Brett Kavanaugh: will sexual misconduct claims derail his appointment?
The confirmation of the supreme court nominee is in doubt after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexual assault. A second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, has accused him of sexual misconduct
The confirmation process for Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been thrown into turmoil by accusations he committed sexual assault decades ago. Here’s what we know so far about the allegations, and their possible ramifications.
What is Kavanaugh accused of?
Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University, says that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the 1980s when they were both teenagers. She said in an interview with the Washington Post that at a party in Montgomery county, Maryland, Kavanaugh led her into a bedroom, pinned her to the bed and groped her, attempting to remove the bathing suit she was wearing and putting his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming before she was able to escape. Kavanaugh has denied the accusation.
A second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, came forward on 23 September and alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party at Yale University. Ramirez, 53, told the New Yorker that the incident took place during the 1983-84 academic school year, when both she and Kavanaugh were freshmen.
Ramirez claimed that she and Kavanaugh attended the same dormitory party, where they both grew inebriated with a group of other students. She then recalled Kavanaugh thrusting his genitals in her face and laughing. Kavanaugh also denied the second allegation, stating: “This is a smear, plain and simple.”
Why have the allegations come up now?
Ford said she sought to tell her story in confidence to give senators a “fuller understanding” of Kavanaugh’s character and history as they vetted him for the supreme court.
Ford contacted the Washington Post’s tip line in early July, when Kavanaugh was shortlisted as a possible nominee but before he was selected by the president. Around the same time she wrote a letter describing the alleged incident to her California congresswoman, Democrat Anna Eshoo, who relayed it to the California senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee.
Feinstein said she did not disclose the allegation to the committee out of respect for Ford’s request to remain anonymous. But last week, she provided the letter to the FBI after the Intercept reported that she was withholding a document related to the nominee.
Last week, Feinstein released a cryptic statement saying she had “received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court” and referred it to the FBI, without specifying the nature of the allegation. Ford then came forward in the interview with the Post on Sunday.
Ramirez said she was reluctant to share her story, in part because her memory of the incident was not entirely clear. But she said she was motivated to come forward in the wake of Ford’s allegation and hoped her story would support that of Ford’s and describe a pattern of behavior in Kavanaugh’s past.
According to the New Yorker, the offices of at least two Democratic senators have begun investigating Ramirez’s allegation; senior Republican staffers were also made aware of the information last week.
Is Kavanaugh’s nomination in trouble?
The allegation has roiled the confirmation process in its final stage, unexpectedly imperilling his nomination.
Under pressure from a bipartisan group of senators, GOP leaders delayed a judiciary committee vote on the nomination, originally scheduled for Thursday, in order to allow for a hearing on the assault allegations.
But Kavanaugh’s unwavering denial amid demands that the hearing be delayed have helped consolidate GOP support for the embattled nominee. And since the hearing was scheduled, Republicans and Trump have increasingly rallied around Kavanaugh, insisting they will move forward with the confirmation process despite calls to delay Thursday’s hearing.
The White House dismissed Ramirez’s account as part of “a coordinated smear campaign” by Democrats designed to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination. Republicans on the judiciary committee said they were looking into Ramirez’s allegation but said they would push forward with Thursday’s hearing.
Will Ford testify before the Senate?
Lawyers for Ford said she has agreed to testify at a public hearing before the judiciary committee on Thursday.
“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,” a statement from her attorneys read.
Kavanaugh is expected to testify immediately after Ford.
The committee is not, however, expected to subpoena Mark Judge, who Ford said was in the room when her encounter with Kavanaugh took place. Ford’s legal team expressed dissatisfaction at the exclusion of those “who are essential for a fair hearing that arrives at the truth about the sexual assault”. Judge has denied having memory of the incident and said he does not wish to testify.
Where does Trump stand?
Trump rushed to the defense of his supreme court nominee on Tuesday, saying he felt “terribly” for the judge. “I feel so badly for him. This is not a man who deserves this,” he said at a news conference at the White House. He said Ford should have the opportunity to “state her case”, but predicted that hearings would establish Kavanaugh’s innocence.
On Wednesday, he reiterated that defense, saying it would be “very hard” to imagine anything happened between Kavanaugh and Ford.
