Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to publicly accuse Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, is willing to testify if the FBI investigates her allegation, her lawyer said Tuesday night.
Speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, attorney John Clune said his client’s claim must be investigated, but not necessarily by Congress. A hearing for senators, he insisted, would not replace the need for a law enforcement inquiry into her claim that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a college party.
“This has to be investigated by meaningful law enforcement. This is not something that can be done by either the Senate or some hired gun prosecutor,” he said.
“This has to be done by the FBI who can investigate the matter with the threat of perjury. Our client would be willing to do that,” he added.
Asked whether Ramirez would testify without an FBI probe, Clune said he “wouldn’t recommend she do that, no.”
Prior to the interview, Clune accused the Senate Judiciary Committee of refusing to meet with his client and discuss her allegation.
Clune said on Twitter that Ramirez only came forward after being contacted by Ronan Farrow and carefully working through her memories to ensure her accuracy.
“We reached out to the Senate Judiciary Committee to schedule a call,” he wrote, but added they “have refused to meet all scheduled appointments.”
Senate Republicans announced they are planning to move forward with plans to confirm Kavanaugh after Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where he and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify.
Ford says that in the 1980s, Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in a bedroom during a party. Kavanaugh has denied both Ford and Ramirez’s allegations. The Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation for Friday morning.