Despite second sexual harassment allegation, Brett Kavanaugh to stay put
What's the story
US President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court has come under fire of late after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him. Notably, on Sunday, another woman accused Kavanaugh of sexual harassment. However, Kavanaugh, having already denied the allegations, has said that he will not be pulled out of the nomination because of "false allegations". Here are the details.
First allegation
A week back, Kavanaugh's accuser broke her silence
A week and a half back, a woman who had alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her, broke her silence. 51-year-old Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of clinical psychology at the Palo Alto University in California, had alleged that a drunk Kavanaugh had pinned her to a bed and had tried undressing her when they were in high school.
Second allegation
Kavanaugh's Yale classmate accuses him of sexual harassment
On Sunday, another woman, Deborah Ramirez, came forward. Ramirez had been Kavanaugh's classmate when they were in Yale, and alleged that Kavanaugh had, without her consent, exposed himself to her and had thrust his genitals in her face during a drinking game. Reportedly, the incident had been a topic of discussion among Kavanaugh's Yale University friends for a while now.
Kavanaugh's reply
Kavanaugh denies having sexually assaulted anyone in his life
Speaking to Fox News on Monday night, Kavanaugh denied both allegations, saying that he had "never sexually assaulted anyone, in high school or otherwise". With Republicans fighting to keep Kavanaugh's nomination on track, the Supreme Court nominee said that he was looking for a "fair process" where he could defend his "integrity" and his "lifelong record of promoting dignity and equality for women".
Twitter Post
WATCH: Kavanaugh denies all allegations
"I'm not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process." —Brett Kavanaugh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 24, 2018
Watch @MarthaMacCallum's full interview with Judge Kavanaugh and his wife Ashley tonight on Fox News Channel at 7p ET. https://t.co/QFmLfIwW4R pic.twitter.com/r8J2TUYQDj
White House
Trump and Conway jump to Kavanaugh's defence
US President Donald Trump also came to Kavanaugh's defence. Speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, Trump played down the accusations, saying that Kavanaugh's accusers had come out of the blue to make "highly unsubstantiated" and "totally political" allegations. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway also defended Kavanaugh, calling the allegations a "vast left-wing conspiracy".
What now?
Kavanaugh and Ford are set to testify publicly on Thursday
Meanwhile, both Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Ford, are slated to testify publicly on Thursday. The hearing, if it happens, will inevitably influence whether Kavanaugh's nomination goes through. Notably, Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, if approved, could tilt the balance of America's apex court in favour of conservatives for an entire generation, and would mark a major victory for President Trump.