The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault in the 1980s, Christine Blasey Ford, is receiving support from her former high school classmates.
Over 200 alumnae of the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Md., have signed onto a letter supporting Ford. The alumnae are also requesting that the Senate conduct a thorough investigation before senators move forward with voting on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“We believe Dr. Blasey Ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story. It demands a thorough and independent investigation before the Senate can reasonably vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the nation’s highest court,” the alumnae wrote. “Dr. Blasey Ford’s experience is all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton. Many of us are survivors ourselves.”
The letter is not connected to the school’s alumnae office and does not publicly list all the signatories.
Ford told the Washington Post on the record Sunday about an alleged incident between herself and Kavanaugh during a high school party in the early 1980s. Ford claimed Kavanaugh held her on her back on a bed during a house party in Maryland. She accused Kavanaugh of groping her and said he tried to undress her. She said she was able to escape only after a friend jumped on them.
The allegations immediately caused Democrats and some Republican senators to call for an investigation, or public testimony from both Ford and Kavanaugh, before having a final vote on his confirmation.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Monday to let both Kavanaugh and Ford testify under oath before the committee before the Senate votes on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh should both testify under oath before the Judiciary Committee,” Collins tweeted Monday.
One of the 11 Republican members of the committee, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., has also said the committee needs to hear Ford out before a vote.
“If they push forward without any attempt with hearing what she’s had to say, I’m not comfortable voting yes,” Flake told Politico. “We need to hear from her. And I don’t think I’m alone in this.”
Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said on live television Monday that her client would testify before the committee. Kavanaugh has said he is willing to testify and answer any questions the senators on the committee might have. Kavanaugh was spotted at the White House Monday morning. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner as to why Kavanaugh was on location.
“I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity,” he said in his statement.
Kavanaugh has denied Ford’s allegations, calling them patently “false.”
“This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said in a statement. “Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday.”
Kavanaugh has reportedly hired Washington trial lawyer Beth Wilkinson to support him in the wake of allegations.
