Two Men Tell Judiciary Committee They Assaulted Christine Ford, Not Kavanaugh

The Senate Judiciary Committee interviewed two men who said they, not Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, attacked Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused the judge of sexual assaulting her when they were in high school, according to a timeline released Wednesday that covers how the committee responded to the allegations of sexual misconduct.

The timeline, released the night before public testimony from Ford and Kavanaugh in front of the committee, reveals that between Sept. 24 and Sept. 26, two men claimed to be responsible for “the encounter” with Ford “that is the basis of her allegation.” Ford said Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, covered her mouth and tried to remove her clothes at a house party in 1982. Two other women have also come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh. The judge has denied claims by all three women.

According to the timeline, committee staff interviewed the first man who said he believes he attacked Ford on Sept. 24. They spoke to him again on Sept. 25 and said in the timeline that he “described his recollection of their interaction in some detail.”

The man on Sept. 26 sent a “more in-depth written statement” to the committee. That same day, the committee’s investigative staff spoke on the phone with another man who said he had attacked Ford in 1982.

“He explained his recollection of the details of the encounter,” the timeline says.

Ford appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday to testify about the allegations. Asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein if it could be a case of mistaken identity, Ford said, “absolutely not.”

Ford’s testimony described being at a house party in the summer of 1982. She says she was pushed into a bedroom and onto a bed where Kavanaugh got on top of her when she went upstairs to use the bathroom.

“Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes,” she said in the statement, noting that Kavanaugh covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. “This was what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe and I thought Brett was accidentally going to kill me.”

Kavanaugh will also appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. In a prepared testimony, Kavanuagh strongly denies Ford’s accusation and says, “I have never sexually assaulted anyone — not in high school, not in college, not ever.”