An unnamed woman approached Democratic lawmakers in July, just after President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, to tell her story about Kavanaugh allegedly attempting to sexually assault her in high school, according to a Friday New Yorker report.
The woman claims that at a party in high school, Kavanaugh held her down to try to force himself on her, even turning up the music in the room to muffle her yells. The woman reportedly twisted free, but says that the incident has haunted her for years, pushing her to seek therapy.
Kavanaugh reportedly denies the allegation. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” he said.
Per the New Yorker, seeing Kavanaugh nominated stirred up old feelings in the woman, and she weighed coming forward with her story. She sent a letter to her representative, Anna Eshoo (D-CA), which was also sent to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ultimately, the woman opted not to come forward and bear the brunt of assuredly vicious partisan attacks that would accompany her testimony, as it became clear that Kavanaugh would face little opposition in his confirmation process.
However, other committee Democrats are angry that Feinstein didn’t brief them on the letter until this week. She reportedly wanted to protect the woman’s privacy, and felt that Democrats would be better off focusing on Kavanaugh’s legal weaknesses than his personal ones.
“We couldn’t understand what their rationale is for not briefing members on this. This is all very weird,” an unnamed congressional source told the New Yorker. Another added, “She’s had the letter since late July. And we all just found out about it.”
