In a letter sent Monday to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh categorically and unequivocally rejected a pair of accusations of sexual misconduct.
“[Sunday] night, another false and uncorroborated accusation from 35 years ago was published,” Kavanaugh wrote in response to the newest allegation, by a Colorado woman. “Once again, those alleged to have been witnesses to the event deny it ever happened. There is now a frenzy to come up with something—anything—that will block this process and a vote on my confirmation from occurring.”
“These are smears, pure and simple,” he 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.”
On Sunday, The New Yorker magazine published an article quoting a Colorado woman, Deborah Ramirez, 53, who attended Yale at the same time as Kavanaugh. She accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her at a party.
According to The New Yorker, Ramirez said 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. “Ramirez is now calling for the FBI to investigate Kavanaugh’s role in the incident,” wrote the article’s co-authors, Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer.
Kavanaugh quickly and categorically denied the allegation, along with a previous accusation of sexual assault from a Northern California woman, Christine Blasey Ford.
Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist, told The Washington Post that Kavanaugh held her down, groped her, and tried to remove her clothes in a bedroom during a house party in the early 1980s in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear testimony from Ford Thursday, followed by testimony from Kavanaugh.
In his letter to Grassley, R-Iowa, and Feinstein, D-Calif., Kavanaugh said the allegations of sexual misconduct have not changed his desire to serve on the Supreme Court.
“As I told the committee during my hearing, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure,” Kavanaugh said. “That is the kind of judge I will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process.
“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 said.
Kavanaugh also thanked the many women who have supported him and vouched for his character.
On Sept. 14, 65 women who knew Kavanaugh when he attended the all-boys Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, signed a letter praising his character.
Former female law clerks of Kavanaugh have also praised his treatment of women and his willingness to accommodate their specific needs, whether it be taking off time for maternity leave or planning a wedding.
“I have devoted my career to serving the public and the cause of justice, and particularly to promoting the equality and dignity of women,” Kavanaugh wrote. “Women from every phase of my life have come forward to attest to my character. I am grateful to them. I owe it to them, and to my family, to defend my integrity and my name.
“I look forward to answering questions from the Senate on Thursday,” he said.
