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| Brett Kavanaugh 'sexual assault victim' speaks out | Brett Kavanaugh 'sexual assault victim' speaks out |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has identified herself in an interview with the Washington Post. | A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has identified herself in an interview with the Washington Post. |
| Christine Blasey Ford says Mr Kavanaugh was drunk when he pinned her to a bed and tried to remove her clothing when they were both teenagers. | Christine Blasey Ford says Mr Kavanaugh was drunk when he pinned her to a bed and tried to remove her clothing when they were both teenagers. |
| Mr Kavanaugh denied the allegations when they first surfaced last week. | Mr Kavanaugh denied the allegations when they first surfaced last week. |
| Top Democrat Dianne Feinstein called for his nomination to be put on hold. | Top Democrat Dianne Feinstein called for his nomination to be put on hold. |
| When did the alleged assault take place? | When did the alleged assault take place? |
| Mrs Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, told the Post she had decided to go public as her privacy was "being chipped away". | |
| She believed the incident happened in 1982, when she was 15 and Mr Kavanaugh was 17. | She believed the incident happened in 1982, when she was 15 and Mr Kavanaugh was 17. |
| He was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and she was studying at a nearby high school. | He was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and she was studying at a nearby high school. |
| The incident allegedly happened at a gathering of teenagers at a house, when Mr Kavanaugh and a friend allegedly "corralled" her into a bedroom. Mr Kavanaugh and his friend were both drunk, she says. | The incident allegedly happened at a gathering of teenagers at a house, when Mr Kavanaugh and a friend allegedly "corralled" her into a bedroom. Mr Kavanaugh and his friend were both drunk, she says. |
| In the words of the Washington Post, "While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. | In the words of the Washington Post, "While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. |
| "When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth." | "When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth." |
| Mrs Ford, 51, is further quoted as saying that she managed to break free. | Mrs Ford, 51, is further quoted as saying that she managed to break free. |
| "I thought he [Mr Kavanaugh] might inadvertently kill me," she told the Post. | "I thought he [Mr Kavanaugh] might inadvertently kill me," she told the Post. |
| Mr Kavanaugh issued his denial last week: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time". | Mr Kavanaugh issued his denial last week: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time". |
| The stakes couldn't be higher | |
| By Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter | |
| Brett Kavanaugh's glide path to the Supreme Court has been interrupted. That doesn't mean, however, his nomination is destined to crash and burn. | |
| The allegations about an incident that happened when the judge was a teenager, more than 30 years ago, will be difficult to prove with any degree of certainty. While Christine Blasey Ford offers corroborating evidence for her claims, the accusations won't be adjudicated in a court of law or even the court of public opinion. | |
| The only thing that matters when it comes to Mr Kavanaugh's professional fate is whether there are at least two Republicans in the Senate willing to side with Democrats and block the judge's confirmation. | |
| All eyes will be on Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, the two considered most likely to break ranks. | |
| This episode recalls another high-stakes confirmation battle more than 25 years ago, when then-judge Clarence Thomas faced sexual harassment allegations during his Supreme Court hearings. Mr Thomas prevailed, but the ordeal left both sides bruised and bitter, and may have contributed to the surge in women elected to Congress in 1992. | |
| Now history seemingly repeats itself, this time in the shadow of the #MeToo movement. With the disposition of the Supreme Court for a generation in the balance, and mid-term congressional elections less than two months away, the stakes couldn't be higher. | |
| How did Mrs Ford's account first emerge? | How did Mrs Ford's account first emerge? |
| She first approached Democratic lawmakers in July, shortly after Mr Trump's nomination of Mr Kavanaugh revived the pain of the memory. | She first approached Democratic lawmakers in July, shortly after Mr Trump's nomination of Mr Kavanaugh revived the pain of the memory. |
| She says she sent a letter to her local congresswoman, Democrat Anna Eshoo, and Senator Feinstein, the Senate Judiciary Committee's senior Democrat. | She says she sent a letter to her local congresswoman, Democrat Anna Eshoo, and Senator Feinstein, the Senate Judiciary Committee's senior Democrat. |
| Mrs Ford says she believes Ms Feinstein honoured her request to keep the letter confidential but "others did not". | Mrs Ford says she believes Ms Feinstein honoured her request to keep the letter confidential but "others did not". |
| Ms Feinstein said in a statement after seeing the Washington Post article: "I support Mrs Ford's decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee." | Ms Feinstein said in a statement after seeing the Washington Post article: "I support Mrs Ford's decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee." |
| The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, issued a statement defending Mr Kavanaugh. | The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, issued a statement defending Mr Kavanaugh. |
| "Judge Kavanaugh has undergone six FBI full-field investigations from 1993 to 2018. No such allegation resembling the anonymous claims ever surfaced." | "Judge Kavanaugh has undergone six FBI full-field investigations from 1993 to 2018. No such allegation resembling the anonymous claims ever surfaced." |
| Who is Judge Kavanaugh? | Who is Judge Kavanaugh? |
| The 53-year-old was questioned during four days of hearings at the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. | The 53-year-old was questioned during four days of hearings at the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. |
| It had planned to vote this week on whether his nomination should go forward to a full vote in the Senate. | It had planned to vote this week on whether his nomination should go forward to a full vote in the Senate. |
| Mr Kavanaugh is President Trump's choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy and he is strongly opposed by some Democrats for his views, such as on abortion. | Mr Kavanaugh is President Trump's choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy and he is strongly opposed by some Democrats for his views, such as on abortion. |
| If chosen for the lifetime appointment, the conservative appeals court judge would be expected to tilt the Supreme Court's balance to the right. | If chosen for the lifetime appointment, the conservative appeals court judge would be expected to tilt the Supreme Court's balance to the right. |