WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A woman who had anonymously accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the early 1980s decided to go public with her accusations and provided details of the alleged incident, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/Files
In an interview with the newspaper, Christine Blasey Ford said that as a high school student in suburban Maryland just outside of Washington, a “stumbling drunk” Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and attempted to remove her clothing.
Last week, Kavanaugh said he “categorically and unequivocally” denies the allegations. The White House on Sunday did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in California, told the Washington Post that in July she sent a letter to Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo about the incident but requested confidentiality at the time.
The existence of the letter and some details of its contents became public in recent days, however.
Ford did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has completed its hearings on Kavanaugh and planned to vote this week on his nomination by President Donald Trump to the highest court.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he wants to hold a full Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh by October 1.
Aides to McConnell were not immediately available for comment.
Reporting By Richard Cowan and Joel Schectman; Editing by Mary Milliken and Nick Zieminski