Senate investigates two new accusations made against Kavanaugh
Senate Judiciary Committee staffers asked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday about two additional sexual misconduct allegation lodged against him.
The committee released a transcript of the interview Wednesday night. The first allegation involved a letter the office of Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) received Sept. 22 from a woman who wrote that in 1998, her daughter was with Kavanaugh and other friends at a bar in Washington, D.C., and after a night of drinking, Kavanaugh shoved a woman "up against the wall very aggressively and sexually." The letter writer, who did not give her name, said the alleged victim was traumatized by the incident and wants to remain anonymous.
During a phone call with Senate Judiciary Committee staffers, Kavanaugh called the accusation "ridiculous," adding, "no, I've never done anything like that." Kavanaugh was also asked about a complaint received by the office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) "concerning a rape on a boat in August of 1985." He denied this allegation as well.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Three other women have gone on the record to publicly accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and one of them, Christine Blasey Ford, will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. He has denied those allegations.
This is a breaking news article, and has been updated throughout.
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.