Amid new allegations of sexual misconduct, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday that the claims were false and said that he would not withdraw from consideration.
“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed.”
He denied a New Yorker report on Sunday night in which Deborah Ramirez, formerly a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale, said that Kavanaugh drunkenly exposed himself to her at a party during the 1983-84 school year.
“All of the witnesses identified by Dr. Ford as being present at the party she describes are on the record to the Committee saying they have no recollection of any such party happening,” Kavanaugh wrote in his letter. “Last night, another false and uncorroborated accusation from 35 years ago was published. Once again, those alleged to have been witnesses to the event deny it ever happened.”
“These are smears, pure and simple,” Kavanaugh added. “And they debase our public discourse. But they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.”
He will testify during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday to address allegations of sexual assault by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who says that a drunk, 17-year-old Kavanaugh forced her onto a bed and attempted to remove her clothes while they were at a house party during the early 1980s, when he was attending high school at Georgetown Preparatory School.
Kavanaugh vehemently denies Ford’s allegations.
Ford will also appear before the committee on Thursday. In a newly released letter sent to Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley over the weekend, Ford said she welcomed the opportunity to meet with senators to share her account.
“While I am frightened, please know, my fear will not hold me back from testifying and you will be provided with answers to all of your questions. I ask for fair and respectful treatment,” she wrote.
Even as the Senate prepares to hear from both sides during Thursday’s hearing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has shown no signs of slowing down on the nomination. “Judge Kavanaugh will be voted on here on the Senate floor,” he said during his floor remarks on Monday afternoon. “Up or down on the Senate floor, this fine nominee to the Supreme Court will receive a vote in this Senate in the near future.”
