Accuser's story of attack roils plan for Kavanaugh vote

Brett Kavanaugh. Photo / AP

Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation for the US Supreme Court is taking an uncertain turn as Republican senators express concern over a woman's private-turned-public allegation that a drunken Kavanaugh groped her and tried to take off her clothes at a party when they were teenagers.

The White House and other Kavanaugh supporters had dismissed the allegation of sexual misconduct when it was initially conveyed in a private letter. With a name and disturbing details, the accusation raised the prospect of congressional Republicans defending President Donald Trump's nominee ahead of midterm elections featuring an unprecedented number of female candidates and informed in part by the #MeToo movement.

The GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee appeared nonetheless committed to a vote this week despite Christine Blasey Ford's account in the Washington Post. Kavanaugh, she said, pinned her to a bed at a Maryland party in the early 1980s, clumsily tried to remove her clothing and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. Ford, 51 and a clinical psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, says she was able to get away after a friend of Kavanaugh's who was in the room jumped on top of them and everyone tumbled.

Kavanaugh repeated his denial that such an incident ever took place.

A split seemed to be emerging among the GOP. As Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, called for a delay in the vote, two committee Republicans - all 11 on the GOP side are men - senators Jeff Flake and Lindsey Graham, said they wanted to hear more from Ford. Flake said he was "not comfortable" voting for Kavanaugh for the time being.

A potential "no" vote from Flake would complicate the judge's prospects. A Republican not on the committee, Senator Bob Corker, said the vote should be postponed until the committee heard from Ford.

Some Senate Republicans, along with the White House, see no need to postpone voting over what they consider uncorroborated and unverifiable accusations, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorised to speak publicly.

A committee spokesman said yesterday that its chairman, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, was trying to arrange separate, follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Ford, but just for aides to Grassley and Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein before Friday's scheduled vote. Critics have already accused the GOP of fast-tracking the process to get Kavanaugh on the court.

The allegation against Kavanaugh first came to light late last week in the form of a letter that had been for some time in the possession of Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and one of its four female members. Yesterday, the Washington Post published an interview with Ford, who said after months of soul-searching decided to go public.

"I thought he might inadvertently kill me," said Ford. "He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing."

Through the White House, Kavanaugh, 53, a federal appeals judge in Washington, said yesterday: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time."

Judge under scrutiny

• President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy.

• He is strongly opposed by some Democrats for his views, such as on abortion.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee is due to vote on Friday on whether his nomination should go forward to a full vote in the Senate.

• Committee Democrats want the vote to be delayed after a woman claimed Kavanaugh tried to pin her down and grope her when she was about 15 and he was about 17. Some Republicans want to hear from the woman, Christine Blasey Ford, a clinical psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California.

- AP