Trump’s nominee for court vows to fight on
Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for the US Supreme Court, vowed to not be “intimidated” into stepping aside after a second woman made allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Judge Kavanaugh, 53, looked close to tears as he appeared alongside his wife Ashley on US television channel Fox News, declaring: “I’m not going anywhere.” He added: “The truth is, I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone.”
BRETT KAVANAUGH, Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for the US Supreme Court, vowed to not be “intimidated” into stepping aside after a second woman made allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Judge Kavanaugh, 53, looked close to tears as he appeared alongside Ashley, his wife, on US television, declaring: “I’m not going anywhere.”
In an interview with Fox News, the judge said: “I’m not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process.
“I have faith in God, and I have faith in the fairness of the American people. The truth is I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone.”
The judge said he was not questioning that his first accuser Christine Blasey Ford, 51, a university professor, may have been “sexually assaulted by someone in some place”. But he added: “What I know is, I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone.”
Prof Ford has accused him of attacking her at a high school party when they were teenagers. She has agreed to give evidence to the Senate judiciary committee, which is overseeing the Supreme Court confirmation process, on Thursday. Judge Kavanaugh will also testify.
The second allegation was made by Deborah Ramirez, 53, who claimed Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party while they were studying at Yale in the early Eighties. He has denied the incident happened.
According to The New Yorker magazine, which revealed her claim on Sunday night, Ms Ramirez was reluctant to speak publicly at first, partly because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident. The magazine said: “After six days of carefully assessing her memories, and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections.”
Ms Ramirez graduated from Yale in 1987 and now lives in Colorado, where she works with victims of domestic violence.
Judge Kavanaugh told Fox News he had been a virgin throughout high school, and for years after that. He said: “I did not have sexual intercourse, or anything close to sexual intercourse, in high school or for many years after.”
His wife Ashley also said she has never doubted her husband. She said: “I’ve known him for 17 years. It’s really hard to believe. He’s decent, kind, good. This is not consistent with Brett. I know Brett. I know who he is.”
Judge Kavanaugh received strong backing from Mr Trump. Speaking during a break from meetings at the United Nations the US president said: “Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding person. I am with him all the way. People come out of the woodwork, 36 years ago, 30 years ago ... they never mentioned it ... It’s totally political.
“There’s a chance this could be one of the single most unfair, unjust things to happen to a candidate for anything.”
Republicans in Congress vowed to push forward to confirm the judge to America’s highest court. Mitch Mcconnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said there would be a full vote on the confirmation regardless of how Judge Kavanaugh and Prof Ford’s testimony on Thursday was perceived.
He added: “Democrats and their allies are trying to destroy a man’s personal and professional life on the basis of decades-old allegations that are unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.”
In a letter to the judiciary committee yesterday, Judge Kavanaugh said he was the victim of a smear campaign by Democrats. He wrote: “I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The last minute character assassination will not succeed. These are smears pure and simple. And they debase our public discourse.
“Such grotesque and obvious character assassination will – if allowed to succeed – dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.” The judge said there had been “vile threats” of violence against his family, and he would “defend my integrity and my name”.
In her own letter to the committee Prof Ford also said she had faced death threats. Dozens of protesters opposing Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination were arrested inside office buildings at the Senate yesterday, and hundreds of other demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court.
The lifetime appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to a vacant seat on the ninemember bench would secure a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. That could lead to rulings with a generational impact for the country on a wide range of issues, including abortion. Republicans currently hold a 5149 majority in the Senate, meaning they can confirm Judge Kavanaugh if none of their senators break ranks.
So far, no Republican senator has said they would vote against the confirmation. However, with midterm elections looming on Nov 6 there is the possibility of Republicans losing control of the Senate, and with it the opportunity to install Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the leading Democrat on the judiciary committee, called for the “immediate postponement” of the confirmation process following the latest allegation, and an FBI investigation into the matter.