- Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court nominee, is facing at least two allegations of sexual misconduct.
- Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in high school and college, and there are signs of at least one more accuser to come.
- He has categorically denied the allegations and plans to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about them on Thursday.
Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, is facing at least two allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that have surfaced in the past week.
The two accusations are from the 1980s, when Kavanaugh was in high school and college, and there are signs of at least one more to come. He has denied the allegations.
Though the Trump administration has repeatedly waved off the accusations and defended Kavanaugh, congressional lawmakers are split on how to proceed. Republicans want to get Trump's Supreme Court pick confirmed, but Democrats are calling for an FBI investigation into the allegations.
Christine Blasey Ford says Kavanaugh assaulted her in high school
Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, wrote a letter in July to Rep. Anna Eshoo and Sen. Dianne Feinstein that said Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party in Bethesda, Maryland, when the two were in high school.
On September 16, The Washington Post published an article that identified Ford as the accuser and detailed her allegation that a "stumbling drunk" 17-year-old Kavanaugh pinned her down, put his hand over her mouth, and groped her while his friend watched.
"I thought he might inadvertently kill me," Ford told The Post of Kavanaugh. "He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing."
The Post said it corroborated Ford's account with an interview with her husband, a lie-detector test from her lawyer, and notes from therapy sessions that included mentions of a "rape attempt" by students from an "elitist boys' school" who would become "highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington."
Ford has alleged that Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge was in the room and said she was able to get away after Judge jumped on them. Judge, now a conservative writer, has said he didn't doesn't remember "any of that stuff going on with girls."
Deborah Ramirez alleges an incident of sexual misconduct in college
On Sunday, a week after The Post published Ford's account, The New Yorker published an article detailing an allegation from Deborah Ramirez, a former Yale University classmate of Kavanaugh's who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a dorm-room party during the 1983-84 school year, when he was a freshman.
Ramirez said she was reluctant to come forward because she was drinking at the time of the incident and there are gaps in her memory, though she said she could recall key details.
"I remember a penis being in front of my face," she told The New Yorker. "I knew that's not what I wanted, even in that state of mind."
Ramirez also recalled another student nearby yelling, "Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie's face."
The New Yorker said that it contacted several classmates but that many didn't respond, declined to comment, or said they didn't remember or attend the party.
One classmate said he was 100% sure he heard at the time that Kavanaugh had exposed himself to Ramirez, and the magazine said he independently recalled many details Ramirez had outlined, including that a male student egged Kavanaugh on.
The classmate told The New Yorker he remembered the incident as a "big deal" that had "been on my mind all these years when his name came up." He also recalled Kavanaugh as being "relatively shy" but someone who could become "aggressive and even belligerent" when drunk.
As of Monday morning, over 600 Yale alumnae had signed a letter in support of Ramirez.
Kavanaugh denies the allegations
Kavanaugh has categorically denied Ford's and Ramirez's allegations in separate statements.
Of Ford's allegation, he said:
"This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone. Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the Committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity."
In response to Ramirez's allegation, he said:
"This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen. The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth, and defending my good name — and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building — against these last-minute allegations."
After Ford's allegations were published, 65 women who knew Kavanaugh through school or work signed a letter saying he has "always treated women with decency and respect." Five former Yale classmates and the wife of a sixth cast doubt on Ramirez's allegation in a statement to The New Yorker.
In response to a question from Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month whether he had ever "committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature" as a legal adult, Kavanaugh said under oath that he hadn't.
On Monday afternoon, Kavanaugh sent a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the committee, and Feinstein, its ranking Democrat, calling the allegations "smears" that "debase our public discourse."
"They are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country," Kavanaugh wrote. "Such grotesque and obvious character assassination — if allowed to succeed — will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service."
Michael Avenatti says he has a 3rd accuser
The attorney Michael Avenatti said on Sunday that he had evidence that Kavanaugh, Judge, and others would target women at house parties in the early 1980s with alcohol and drugs "in order to allow a 'train' of men to subsequently gang rape them."
He included in the tweet a screenshot of an email to Mike Davis, the chief counsel for nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee, outlining the allegations.
Avenatti also said he was representing "a woman with credible information" about Kavanaugh and Judge.
Avenatti later told Politico he was representing a group of people who could corroborate allegations involving Kavanaugh and Judge; Avenatti described the people as one victim and multiple witnesses. Avenatti clarified that his client was not Ramirez.
Avenatti, who is also representing the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against Trump, said he "will be demanding the opportunity to present testimony" to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He has not made public more information on the identity of a potential accuser or additional allegations against Kavanaugh.
Police say they're not investigating a possible 4th allegation
The Montgomery County Sentinel reported on Monday morning that investigators were looking at what could be a fourth woman's allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh from his senior year in high school.
But the department said in a statement on Monday afternoon that it had not received a request for such an investigation.
Lawmakers are split on next steps
Ford is scheduled to testify with Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
But Senate Democrats are requesting an FBI investigation, and Feinstein on Sunday night called for Thursday's hearing to be canceled and Kavanaugh's confirmation proceedings delayed.
Congressional Republicans have expressed support for having Ford testify but appear skeptical about her account's significance in Kavanaugh's overall chances of confirmation.
The Trump administration has repeatedly defended Kavanaugh. Trump has described him as a "fantastic man," while Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president, has painted the allegations as "a vast left-wing conspiracy."
SEE ALSO: Trump and the White House have come out swinging at the new sexual-assault allegations against Kavanaugh, painting them as a smear campaign
READ MORE: Brett Kavanaugh writes letter calling new accusations 'grotesque and obvious character assassination,' says he 'will not be intimidated into withdrawing'
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory