Trump's SC pick's sexual assault accuser comes forward

A woman accusing Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct more than 30 years ago has come forward publicly, detailing her allegations about President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee.

In an exclusive Washington Post interview on Sunday, Christine Blasey Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend - both "stumbling drunk" corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County.

While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and groped her over her clothes. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.

"I thought he might inadvertently kill me," said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. "He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing."

Ford said she was able to escape when Kavanaugh's friend and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them. She said she ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house.

"Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation," Ford told The Post.

Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband.

The therapist's notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh's name but say she reported that she was attacked by students "from an elitist boys' school" who went on to become "highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington".

On Sunday, the White House sent The Post a statement Kavanaugh issued last week, when the outlines of Ford's account became public.

"I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time," he said in the statement.

Ford in a letter in July described the incident and said she expected her story to be kept confidential.

--IANS

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