The FBI has requested an interview with Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to come forward with an allegation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, her attorney said on Saturday.
The bureau is pursuing the matter on the order of President Donald Trump, who on Friday agreed to have the agency open an investigation into “current credible allegations” against the judge. Trump said the investigation would be limited to one week.
“We can confirm the FBI has reached out to interview Ms. Ramirez and she has agreed to cooperate with their investigation,” the lawyer, John Clune, said in a statement given to NBC News. “Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Ramirez’s claim first surfaced in a New Yorker article published on Sunday. She alleged that Kavanaugh drunkenly exposed himself to her at a party at Yale University during the 1983-1984 school year, while the two were both freshmen. In her account, Ramirez said that Kavanaugh caused her to touch his penis without her permission.
Kavanaugh has categorically denied the accusation, calling it “a smear, plain and simple.” In a statement, the White House said the “uncorroborated claim is the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man.”
The push to open an FBI investigation was led by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who was considered to be the lone swing vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Flake’s request for an FBI probe, and a delay of the confirmation vote, followed Thursday’s whirlwind, nine-hour hearing with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. Her se allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school gathering more than three decades ago thrust the confirmation process into chaos.
A third woman, Julie Swetnick, has also come forward with an allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. Her attorney, Michael Avenatti, confirmed to CNBC Saturday that he had not yet heard from the FBI about an interview. Asked if he expected to, Avenatti said “I certainly hope so.”
Kavanaugh has flatly denied each of the allegations.
