CNN publishes text of letter Kavanaugh accuser wrote to Feinstein
by Morgan Gstalter, Emily Birnbaum
CNN on Sunday published the contents of the letter Christine Blasey Ford wrote to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) detailing the accusations of sexual misconduct she made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
CNN reported that it was not provided a physical copy of the letter sent to Feinstein. A source who had the letter read the contents of a redacted version to the network.
The letter is dated July 30 and includes a “confidential” header.
Ford addresses Feinstein, her senator in California, to provide “information relevant in evaluating the current nominee to the Supreme Court.”{mosads}
In the letter, the 51-year-old professor at Palo Alto University in California describes an incident between her and Kavanaugh when the pair were in high school.
She says Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed one summer in the 1980s and groped her over her clothes.
“Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room,” she writes. “They locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help.”
She writes that Kavanaugh and another boy, whose name is redacted, laughed as Kavanaugh drunkenly tried to take off her clothes.
“With Kavanaugh’s hand over my mouth I feared he may inadvertently kill me,” she writes, echoing a statement she made to the Post.
“I have received medical treatment regarding the assault,” she writes at the end. “On July 6 I notified my local government representative to ask them how to proceed with sharing this information.”
“It is upsetting to discuss sexual assault and its repercussions, yet I felt guilty and compelled as a citizen about the idea of not saying anything,” she writes.
Reports of the letter have circulated for the past week, but it has not been public until now.
Kavanaugh denied the allegation “categorically and unequivocally”on Friday. The White House in response to the Post report on Sunday sent the newspaper Kavanaugh’s statement from last week.
Lawmakers, including GOP Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.), on Sunday said they believe the Senate Judiciary Committee should meet with Ford to hear her story.
Flake, one of the 11 Republicans on the panel, said that he is “not comfortable” voting “yes” on Kavanaugh’s confirmation until he hears more from Ford.
The vote on Kavanaugh is currently scheduled for Thursday. Democrats, including Feinstein, are calling for it to be postponed until there is a chance to investigate Ford’s claims more thoroughly.