More than 200 women who attended Christine Blasey Ford’s high school, including actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, have signed a letter saying they believe the California professor’s allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her.
Louis-Dreyfus tweeted Monday afternoon that she added her name to the letter, which was signed by alumnae of Holton-Arms, an all-girls college-prep school in Bethesda, Md. Louis-Dreyfus said she graduated from the private school in 1979.
“We believe Dr. Blasey Ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story,” the letter reads. “It demands a thorough and independent investigation before the Senate can reasonably vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the nation’s highest court.”
The letter says the women feel Ford’s story is “all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton. Many of us are survivors ourselves.”
A Holton-Arms alumna, Sarah Burgess, class of 2005, told the Huffington Post that more than 200 women have signed the letter so far. Burgess said she added her name to the letter because she knows Ford’s story “will be scrutinized, and she will be accused of lying. However, I grew up hearing stories like hers, and believe her completely.”
Ford has alleged that Kavanaugh, who attended the all-boys Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Md., attempted to rape her at a party more than 30 years ago, saying that he pinned her down and held his hand over her mouth while trying to remove her clothes. She originally made the accusations in a private letter to Sen. Diane Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, but ultimately went public with her story to The Washington Post on Sunday after her letter leaked.
The head of Holton-Arms, Susanna A. Jones, released a statement on the school’s website Sunday night, writing, “In these cases, it is imperative that all voices are heard. As a school that empowers women to use their voices, we are proud of this alumna for using hers.”
Both Ford and Kavanaugh will testify in a public hearing about the alleged incident on Monday, according to the New York Times.
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