Kavanaugh Would Testify Against Sexual Assault Allegation

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said Monday he would testify to give his side of the story of an alleged 1982 incident when a California professor says he sexually assaulted her. “This is a completely false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes—to her or to anyone,” Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House. “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.” Earlier Monday, the accuser’s attorney said she would testify in public about the charges. Christine Blasey Ford, 51, says she thought Kavanaugh might “inadvertently kill” her during a party while they were high school students after he and a friend corralled her in a bedroom and the Supreme Court nominee pinned her to a bed and groped her over a one-piece bathing suit. Kavanaugh denies the allegation. Attorney Debra Katz says Ford would testify in a public hearing but has yet to hear from the Judiciary Committee. That decision would be made by Chairman Charles E. Grassley R-Iowa. On Sunday, after the Washington Post published an article with Ford’s first public description of the alleged incident, Grassley questioned how Democratic members handled a confidential letter from Katz detailing her side of the story but also said he would gather more information. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.