Kavanaugh tells committee leaders he 'will not be intimidated into withdrawing' because of 'smears

In a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh strongly defended himself against the sexual misconduct allegations lodged against him.

What did he say?

Kavanaugh explained in the letter to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)  that only after an "exhaustive" nomination process did he learn that the allegation against him made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford had been withheld from him during the hearing process.

He went on to acknowledge a second allegation that sprung up against him on Sunday night, saying "another false and uncorroborated accusation from 35 years ago was published."

"Once again, those alleged to have been witnesses to the event deny it ever happened," he continued. "There is now a frenzy to come up with something — anything — that will block this process and a vote on my confirmation from occurring.

"These are smears, pure and simple. ... they are a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country," the judge wrote.  "Such grotesque and obvious charter assassination — if allowed to succeed — will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service."

Kavanaugh continued, "As I told the Committee during my hearing, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process."

"The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out," he added. "The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed."

In closing, Kavanaugh wrote, "I have devoted my career to serving the public and the cause of injustice, and particularly to promoting the equality and dignity of women. Women from every phase of my life have come forward to attest to my character. I am grateful to them. I owe it to them, and to my family, to defend my integrity and my name."

Kavanaugh's final line was, "I look forward to answering questions from the Senate on Thursday."

BREAKING - Kavanaugh letter to Grassley pic.twitter.com/tKauHUSk6W

— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) September 24, 2018

Anything else?

Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Dr. Ford, are slated to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

The New Yorker reported that the second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, was at first "reluctant to characterize Kavanaugh's role in the alleged incident with certainty," because she had been drinking the night of the alleged incident and memory gaps.

But The New Yorker said that "after six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections to say that she remembers Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away."