WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her decades ago (all times local):

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is denying a second allegation of sexual misconduct.

The White House released a statement from the nominee Sunday after the allegations in a New Yorker article in which a woman, Deborah Rodriguez, a former Yale classmate, alleged he exposed himself and thrust his penis in her face during a drunken dormitory party.

Kavanaugh says the event “did not happen” and that the allegation is “a smear, plain and simple.”

A White House spokeswoman adds in a second statement that the allegation is “designed to tear down a good man.”

Kavanaugh is slated to testify Thursday about the first allegation of sexual assault, dating back from a high school party more than 35 years ago. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, is also set to testify.

The New Yorker magazine is reporting that Senate Democrats are investigating a second woman’s accusation of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh from his teenage years.

In a story posted Sunday night on its website, The New Yorker reports that the claim dates to the 1983-84 academic year, Kavanaugh’s freshman year at Yale University.

The New Yorker identifies the woman as 53-year-old Deborah Ramirez. The magazine says she described the incident in an interview after being contacted by the magazine.

The magazine says Ramirez remembers that Kavanaugh 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.

In a statement provided by the White House, Kavanaugh denies the event ever happened.

After days of negotiations, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who says he sexually assaulted her as a teenager.

The two have agreed to a date and time after nearly a week of uncertainty over whether Ford would appear at all. The agreement sets the stage for a dramatic showdown as Kavanaugh and Ford each tell their side of the story.

The hearing will also determine the fate of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, which hangs on the votes of a handful of senators. It had seemed assured before the 51-year-old California college professor went public a week ago with her allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when they were in high school.

Top Democrats are asking President Donald Trump again to direct the FBI to investigate Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when both were teenagers.

Trump and Senate Republicans have repeatedly said an investigation is not necessary. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, sent a letter to Trump on Sunday saying the FBI has more than enough time before Ford and Kavanaugh testify on Thursday.

Schumer and Feinstein write that Trump’s comments this past week about getting to the bottom of the charges is “is merely lip service unless you are willing to direct the FBI to investigate.”

Senate Judiciary Committee staff have written lawyers for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, and said they would do everything they could to “provide a safe, comfortable, and dignified forum” for her testimony Thursday. But they also say the committee will decide who testifies, in what order and how they will be questioned.

In an email exchange between the committee and Ford’s lawyers obtained by The Associated Press, a counsel for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote that the terms over which witnesses to call and questioning are “non-negotiable.” Ford’s lawyers asked for several conditions surrounding her testimony.

Davis wrote that they would hold the hearing in the Judiciary panel’s regular hearing room, which is small. He said that was to avoid a “circus” atmosphere.

A spokesman for the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is confirming that the committee will hold a public hearing Thursday on the sexual assault allegation that’s been made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

That word comes from Taylor Foy, an aide to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, soon after lawyers for Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford said in a statement that they were “committed to moving forward with an open hearing” on that day.

The Ford lawyers’ statement also said further details about the upcoming hearing are still to be worked out.

At issue is Ford’s accusation stemming from an incident she says took place when she and Kavanaugh were teenagers.

Attorneys for Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, are citing “important progress” on a high-stakes public hearing to air out her decades-old sexual assault claim against the Supreme Court nominee.

Her attorneys say they have committed to a 10 a.m. hearing on Thursday and accept the committee’s decision not to subpoena Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend who Ford asserts was present when the incident occurred.

But they say the Republican-controlled Senate panel hasn’t said who will be asking questions of her and Kavanaugh. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s 11 Republicans — all men — have been seeking an outside female attorney to interrogate Ford.

Ford’s attorneys say the committee has not indicated when they will respond, but said the remaining “procedural and logistical issues” will “not impede the hearing taking place.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser will be treated “respectfully” by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but both witnesses “will be challenged” over the sexual assault allegation from decades ago she’s made against the Supreme Court nominee.

Talks continue between the GOP-run committee and Christine Blasey Ford’s lawyer over details of a tentative agreement for a hearing Thursday.

Graham says Ford’s lawyers are contesting two conditions for her testimony — that Ford and Kavanaugh will be the only witnesses and that an independent counsel will ask the questions.

The South Carolina Republican tells “Fox News Sunday” that “I hope she comes. I will listen if she does.”

But he adds that “unless there’s something more” to back up her accusation, he’s “not going to ruin Judge Kavanaugh’s life over this.”

A Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee says Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser deserves a fair hearing to determine whether her allegations of sexual assault are “serious” enough to vote down his Supreme Court nomination.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, acknowledged that lawmakers will “probably not” be able to know the truth of Christine Blasey Ford’s decades-old allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a house party when they were teenagers.

Durbin indicated that Democrats are likely to ask about Kavanaugh’s drinking history because Ford has alleged Kavanaugh was “stumbling drunk” when it happened.

Durbin told ABC’s “This Week” that some Republicans “reached out to Democratic senators and assured them that they are looking to this as kind of a determination as to how their final vote” on Kavanaugh is cast.

Talks are set to continue on tentative agreement for a Thursday hearing for Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegation that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her decades ago.

Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford and representatives of the committee came to the tentative agreement late Saturday. Kavanaugh also is set to appear at the hearing.

Some details, such as the order of their testimony, are being negotiated, and talks are expected to continue Sunday. </s> President Trump had said he would be paying close attention to the testimony of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexual assault decades ago. </s> Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 5, 2018, for the second day of his confirmation hearing to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.

WASHINGTON - An examination taken by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was released Wednesday, showing she passed a polygraph test over the sexual assault allegations she's lodged against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The August 7 examination, held in a Maryland Hilton Hotel, consisted of a one-page, handwritten statement by Ford, an interview and two questions: Is any part of your statement false? And, Did you make up any part of your statement?

She answered both with a no. The Virginia-based examiner, Jeremiah Hanafin, noted both answers were deemed "not indicative of deception," according to the report obtained by USA TODAY.

The report was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday ahead of Ford's planned testimony on Thursday. In a letter to the committee's leadership, Ford's attorneys said they would not provide any of Ford's medical records of the alleged assault.

"Any request that she expose her private medical records for public inspection represents an unacceptable invasion of privacy to which no reasonable person would consent," her attorneys wrote. "Under no circumstances will we grant any such request."

More: Brett Kavanaugh's 1982 calendar being used as evidence against sexual assault allegations

More: Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford offers Senate four people she told about assault claims

Ford's attorneys have repeatedly noted Ford's medical records as a way to corroborate her story. She is said to have talked about the assault during a 2012 couple's therapy session, well before Kavanaugh was a nominee for the nation's highest court.

Hanafin, who lists online that he provides polygraph services in Arlington, Va., wrote in his report that two other analysis' was conducted, both concluding Ford's answers showed no signs she was lying. One concluded the probability of deception was less than .02.

Wolf's signed handwritten note reiterated her claims of a sexual assault at a house party when she and Kavanaugh were teens.

"I was pushed into a bedroom and was locked in the room and rush onto a bed," she wrote. "Brett laid on top of me and tried to remove my clothes while groping me. He held me down and put his hand on my mouth to stop me from screaming for help."

Along with the polygraph examination, Ford and her attorneys sent over four signed declarations late Tuesday from people she told about the alleged sexual assault over the years in hopes to support her claims.

Kavanaugh also sent in a 1982 calendar, attempting to show he wasn't present at the party where the alleged assault happened. Ford has noted she did not remember the exact date of the party but the calendar is filled with social gatherings and other gatherings. </s> Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is expected to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday to address one of two allegations of sexual assault leveled against him.

His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, agreed to appear before the committee the same day to testify about the alleged assault, which she said took place during a high school party. A second person stepped forward to accuse Kavanaugh of an assault while in college.

Here's a breakdown of the key figures in the allegations against Kavanaugh.

In this file photo taken on Sept. 4, 2018, Judge Brett Kavanaugh looks on during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Christine Blasey Ford. The psychology researcher and professor at Palo Alto University in California said that during a party in 1982, while both were in high school, Kavanaugh held her down and forcibly tried to remove her clothing. Kavanaugh denied the accusation. Ford agreed to testify before the Senate on Thursday.

Deborah Ramirez. A former classmate of Kavanaugh's when both attended Yale University alleged in an article published by The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party. Ramirez said the incident left her "embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated." Kavanaugh denied the allegation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 21, 2018. Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford are scheduled to testify about Ford's sexual assault allegation in the room on Sept. 27, 2018.

Mark Judge. A classmate of Kavanaugh's at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, was accused by Ford of being in the room, watching and laughing during the alleged assault. Ford said Judge inadvertently helped her escape by jumping on top of her and Kavanaugh, knocking them off the bed. Judge's writings during high school – including a yearbook quote that read, "Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs" – have been scrutinized.

Michael Avenatti. The attorney representing Stormy Daniels in her case against President Donald Trump over alleged "hush money" said in a series of tweets that he represents a third woman with "information" on Kavanaugh. He specified the woman was not Ramirez.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein. California's senior senator, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, received a letter July 30 from Ford detailing the accusations against Kavanaugh. Feinstein waited until Kavanaugh's initial Supreme Court confirmation hearings ended before handing the letter over to authorities and Congress. Feinstein said she wanted to honor Ford's request for confidentiality. In an interview with The Washington Post, Ford said she did not want to identify herself over fears of what the revelation would do to her and her family.

Sen. Chuck Grassley. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has the final word on how the nomination process is handled.Over the past week, the Iowa Republican's team and Ford's attorneys negotiated the details of Ford's testimony before Congress.

More: What we know about Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual assault

More: Analysis: Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation sets up a high-stakes trade-off for the GOP </s> Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday about the allegations she made that he sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in high school.Kavanaugh released the text of his opening statement ahead of the hearing. In it, he again strongly denied the allegations."I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many," the statement reads. "In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that's not why we are here today. What I've been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes."The statement submitted Wednesday differs from what Kavanaugh actually read before the committee Thursday. </s> DONALD TRUMP’S EMBATTLED Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been hit by a second accusation of sexual misconduct, leaving Republicans scrambling to save a confirmation that until recently had seemed all but certain.

The latest claims of impropriety during Kavanaugh’s youth came as he was already facing a dramatic hearing where his testimony was to be weighed against that of a university professor who has separately accused him of assault.

Senate Democrats are now investigating a bombshell claim by Deborah Ramirez, 53, who says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a 1980s college party at Yale University, thrust his genitals in her face and caused her to touch them without her consent, according to The New Yorker.

Kavanaugh denied the story, calling it “a smear, plain and simple.”

“The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so,” the conservative judge said in a statement.

Like Christine Blasey Ford, the professor accusing him of assaulting her when they were teenagers, Ramirez wants the FBI to investigate the incident, and Democratic lawmakers are backing their demands.

Ford agreed to testify on Thursday after an increasingly ugly weeklong standoff that saw her forced to leave her California home as she faced death threats and the president openly attacked her credibility.

Kavanaugh, who strongly denies the allegation, said he wishes to testify as soon as possible to clear his name following Ford’s claims that he attacked her at a 1980s high school party.

According to The New York Times, the federal judge has calendars from the summer of 1982 he plans to share with senators showing he was out of town most of that time with no indication of the party of concern.

The two parties will testify separately — first Ford, followed by Kavanaugh’s response — the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed.

On Sunday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the judiciary committee, urged the panel to halt proceedings in light of the latest allegation.

“I am writing to request an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh,” she said in a statement.

“I also ask that the newest allegations of sexual misconduct be referred to the FBI for investigation, and that you join our request for the White House to direct the FBI to investigate the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford as well as these new claims.”

Separately, lawyer Michael Avenatti — who represents adult film star Stormy Daniels in the dispute over her claim she was paid to remain silent about an alleged tryst with Trump — shared an email exchange on Twitter in which he promised the committee evidence of further misconduct by Kavanaugh at 1980s house parties.

Avenatti also confirmed he was not representing Ramirez.

At stake is not only the fate of Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court nominee, but also Republican chances in November’s midterm elections that face increased risk if the polarizing confirmation battle drags on.

White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec dismissed Ramirez’s allegation as “the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man.”

Meanwhile, Lindsey Graham — a member of the panel that must approve Kavanaugh’s nomination before it goes to the full chamber — summed up the position of many Republicans by saying he did not expect Ford’s testimony to change his mind.

“What am I supposed to do? Go ahead and ruin this guy’s life based on an accusation?” he told Fox News Sunday.

“Unless there’s something more, no, I’m not going to ruin Judge Kavanaugh’s life over this.”

According to a YouGov poll conducted for CBS, more than half of Americans want an FBI investigation before a vote on Kavanaugh, but more than two-thirds of Republicans want a vote within days.

Republicans, who hold a paper-thin majority in the Senate, can ill afford defections if Kavanaugh is to be approved.

“If one Republican senator should decide that Dr Ford’s allegations, assertions, are true, and that they are serious, it could make a big difference in the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh,” Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said on ABC’s “This Week.”

After days of relative restraint, Trump lashed out at Ford on Friday, and in doing so may already have hurt his nominee’s chances with a senator from his own party.

Trump contended that Ford’s decision to wait so late before going public shows the incident probably was not “as bad as she says” — even if this runs counter to what experts say is the typical reaction of sexual assault victims afraid or embarrassed to report.

But Susan Collins — a Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee — said she was “appalled” by Trump’s tweet, stressing that incidents of sexual assault were known to be chronically under-reported.

Trump’s outburst saw an outpouring of sympathy for Ford — and outrage at the president — as thousands of women, and men too, shared why they had kept silent after being assaulted, under the Twitter hashtag #WhyIDidntReport. </s> Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she is trying to watch as much as she can of the Senate Judiciary Committee questioning of the woman who accuses the Supreme Court nominee of sexually abusing her. Ernst says she can’t watch all of the proceedings, but did get to see Christine Blasey-Ford’s opening statement.

But the Republican from Red Oak Ernst says the other information does not support the alleged involvement of nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Ernst says Senators needed to hear personally from Ford.

Ernst says her staff will watch all the testimony and she will watch what she can as she prepares to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Iowa’s other Senator, Chuck Grassley is the chair of the committee that’s conducting the hearings. </s> Days before Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to address Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault, a second woman has come forward alleging sexual misconduct.

Deborah Ramirez, who attended Yale University with Kavanaugh, told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh pulled down his pants and exposed himself to her while they were classmates there.

“I remember a penis being in front of my face,” said Ramirez, who says she had been drinking. “I knew that's not what I wanted, even in that state of mind.”

In the last week, three sources familiar with the accusation told NBC about Ramirez's accusation. Ramirez, 53, is the same age as Kavanaugh and they both graduated from the university in 1987. Her sister Denise Ramirez was a year behind them at Yale.

Kavanaugh denied the allegation and the White House called it a "smear campaign" in a statement. </s> WASHINGTON — A second woman has come forward alleging sexual misconduct by embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, days before his scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to a previous allegation of sexual assault.

Deborah Ramirez, who attended Yale University with Kavanaugh, told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh pulled down his pants and exposed himself to her while they were classmates there.

“I remember a penis being in front of my face,” said Ramirez, who says she had been drinking. “I knew that's not what I wanted, even in that state of mind.”

She told the magazine that she pushed the person away.

“I was embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated,” she said. She added that she recalled Kavanaugh next to her, pulling up his pants. “Brett was laughing,” she said. “I can still see his face, and his hips coming forward, like when you pull up your pants.... Somebody yelled down the hall, ‘Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie’s face,’” she said. “It was his full name. I don’t think it was just ‘Brett.’ And I remember hearing and being mortified that this was out there.”

In the last week, three sources familiar with the accusation told NBC about Ramirez's accusation. Ramirez, 53, is the same age as Kavanaugh and they both graduated from the university in 1987. Her sister Denise Ramirez was a year behind them at Yale.

Ramirez, who is now married and lives in Boulder, Colorado, is a volunteer and board member at a nonprofit group that helps victims of domestic violence, Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence. Ramirez referred NBC on Saturday to her lawyer, Stanley Garnett, who did not respond to requests for comment through the weekend.

The latest accusation comes as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to hear on Thursday from Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when both were in high school. Earlier Saturday, Ford conditionally agreed to testify before the committee next week, though her attorneys indicated that several details surrounding her appearance were still being negotiated. Kavanaugh has already agreed to testify at the hearing, which had originally been scheduled for Monday.

Minutes after the release of The New Yorker's report, the White House released a pair of statements denying the claim.

“This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen," said Kavanaugh. "The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth, and defending my good name — and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building — against these last-minute allegations.”

“This 35-year-old, uncorroborated claim is the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man," said White House spokesperson Kerri Kupec. "This claim is denied by all who were said to be present and is wholly inconsistent with what many women and men who knew Judge Kavanaugh at the time in college say. The White House stands firmly behind Judge Kavanaugh.”

The news comes at a critical moment for Kavanaugh's already-troubled nomination. Most Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have stood by Kavanaugh, but a handful of GOP senators — including several who have not yet pledged public support for his nomination — have expressed concern over Ford's allegations, and said her allegations could affect their support.

Trump, who has also faced accusations of sexual assault, stepped up his defense of Kavanaugh on Friday, questioning the legitimacy of Ford’s account in a series of tweets.

The president's comments have complicated Republican messaging as lawmakers look to avoid attacking Ford, an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Anita Hill hearings — the image of a panel of men aggressively questioning a woman's allegations against a high court nominee.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a potential swing vote on Kavanaugh, said Friday she was “appalled” by Trump’s tweets. Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., are also critical votes. For Kavanaugh to be confirmed, Republicans can only afford to lose the support of two GOP members, if all Democrats oppose the nomination. Flake tweeted on Saturday that it was “good” that Ford had agreed to testify next week.

Kavanaugh’s troubled confirmation bid complicates midterm campaigning, with Election Day just six weeks away. Instead of focusing on an improving economy, Republicans, especially those running in competitive suburban House districts, have grappled with the fallout of ongoing chaos in Washington, with Kavanaugh's stalled nomination just the latest exhibit.

For the handful of Democratic senators running for re-election in red states, the impact of the Kavanaugh confirmation process has been unclear, with the nominee equally likely to serve as a motivating factor for voters on both the right and the left. Kavanaugh is the most unpopular Supreme Court nominee since 2005, according to NBC News polling — more unpopular than Harriet Miers, who was nominated by President George W. Bush but ultimately withdrew under criticism over her qualifications.

In an NBC News poll released on Thursday, Kavanaugh was supported by fewer people than opposed him, the first time a nominee has registered less support than opposition in that survey. While 34 percent of respondents support his nomination, 38 percent oppose it.
Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, testifies before the Senate.