The woman who accused U.S. President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual assault wants her allegations to be investigated by the FBI before she appears before a Senate committee considering his nomination, one of her lawyers said on Tuesday.
Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor in California, has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in 1982 when they were both high school students, allegations Kavanaugh has called “completely false.”
“As the judiciary committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations,” reads a letter Ford’s lawyers sent to Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee.
“A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions,” it says.
The letter notes that since Ford’s identity was revealed, she has received “vicious harassment and even death threats,” has been forced to relocate from her home and has had her email hacked.
The judiciary committee had called a hearing for Monday to look into the allegations.
With files from CBC News