Will allegation against Kavanaugh derail his nomination?
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces accusation of sexual misconduct when he was in high school.
Another former classmate of Judge Brett Kavanaugh has denied having any knowledge of a high school party where the future Supreme Court nominee allegedly sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford.
In a letter penned by his attorney, Eric Bruce, and sent to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Patrick Smyth said that he has no knowledge of the party in question nor any knowledge of “the allegations of improper conduct” that Ford has levelled against Kavanaugh.
"I understand that I have been identified by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the person she remembers as 'PJ' who supposedly was present at the party she described in her statements to the Washington Post," Smyth, who graduated the same year as Kavanaugh from Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Maryland, said in the letter that was obtained by CNN. "I am issuing this statement today to make it clear to all involved that I have no knowledge of the party in question; nor do I have any knowledge of the allegations of improper conduct she has leveled against Brett Kavanaugh."
Smyth is quoted in the letter saying: "Personally speaking, I have known Brett Kavanaugh since high school and I know him to be a person of great integrity, a great friend, and I have never witnessed any improper conduct by Brett Kavanaugh towards women.”
A spokesperson for Grassley confirmed to Fox News that the lawmaker had received the letter, but would not discuss its contents.
Ford, a research psychologist at Palo Alto University in California, came forward over the weekend to allege that Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed and tried to take off her clothes during a high school party in Maryland in the 1980s. Kavanaugh denies the allegations, which would be beyond the statute of limitations under Maryland law.
The accusations have thrown the once-formulaic Supreme Court confirmation process into a tailspin as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle try to figure out how to move forward with the hearings for President Trump’s pick.
Lawyers for Ford say that before she testifies on Capitol Hill, she wants the FBI to investigate her allegations. But Grassley says an FBI investigation wouldn't have any bearing on Ford's testimony so "there is no reason for further delay." Other Republicans are suggesting that Ford will have only this one opportunity to testify.
A former classmate of Ford's also came forward on Wednesday to say that she remembers hearing about the alleged assault, but added that she has no first-hand information to corroborate the allegations.
Writing in a Facebook post that has since been deleted, Cristina Miranda King wrote that “This incident did happen. ... Many of us heard about it in school and Christine’s recollection should be more than enough for us to truly, deeply know that the accusation is true.”
That account drew widespread skepticism, primarily because Ford had said the alleged incident happened in the summer -- when school was out of session.
On Twitter, King added that she had removed her statement from Facebook because “it served its purpose and I am now dealing with a slew of requests for interviews.”
King’s Twitter account has since been deleted.
More from Politics
