Trump says allegations about Kavanaugh are 'totally political' after second accuser comes forward

White House pushes back hard at claims contained in New Yorker magazine

Donald Trump is standing by his nominee for the Supreme Court, claiming the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh are “totally political” after a second accuser stepped forward

Speaking on his way into the United Nations where was talking about the crisis of opioid abuse, the president brushed off the accusations levelled at Mr Kavanaugh, and said reporters should investigate the background of the accusers’ lawyers.

“Judge Kavanaugh is an outstanding person. I am with him all the way,” said Mr Trump. “These are unsubstantiated statements.”

“For people to come out of the woodwork from 36 years ago, and 30 years ago and never mention it - all of a sudden it happens, In my opinion it's totally political. It's totally political.”

The president’s comments came after the New Yorker on Sunday published allegations from a woman, Deborah Ramirez, who alleged the 53-year-old judge had exposed himself to her at a drunken dormitory party at Yale University.

Ms Ramirez, 53, who studied sociology and psychology at the Ivy League college, said Mr Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away. She believes the FBI should investigate the judge’s alleged behaviour. “I would think an FBI investigation would be warranted,” she said.

Mr Kavanugh has denied the accusation, has he has the claim from another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who said Mr Trump’s nominee tried to forcibly remove her clothes at a drunken high school in Maryland three decades ago.

In response to the allegations from Ms Ramirez, he said: “This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen. 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.”

He later issued a subsequent statement saying he would not be intimidated by a "grotesque and obvious character assassination".

“There is now a frenzy to come up with something - anything - that will block this process and a vote on my confirmation from occurring,” Mr Kavanaugh wrote in a letter to the committee.

“The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed.”

The claims from Ms Ramirez add to the problems of Mr Trump and Republicans who want to ensure Mr Kavanaugh confirmed as quickly as possible and use it as something to campaign on ahead of the midterm elections. They are already facing the prospect of Mr Kavanaugh’s first accuser, Ms Ford, 51, a university professor from California, testify before members the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Mr Kavanaugh will also appear before the committee, that will then vote on whether to pass his nomination to the full senate for confirmation.

On Monday morning, the White House went into attack mode, emailing reporters what it termed “damning” reporting in the New York Times it claimed undermined the claims of Ms Ramirez. Raj Shah, the deputy White House press secretary reportedly circulated the Times article stating it had interviewed several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate Ms Ramirez’s story, but could find none firsthand knowledge.

It said Ms Ramirez had a hazy recollection about Mr Kavanaugh’s actions years ago. “Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself,” the newspaper reported.

The New Yorker admitted in its article that Ms Ramirez acknowledged there were significant gaps in her memories of the evening. It also quoted a classmate of Ms Ramirez’s, who declined to be identified, who said another student told him about the incident either on the night of the party or in the next day or two. The classmate said that he is “one-hundred-per-cent sure” that he was told at the time that Mr Kavanaugh was the student who exposed himself.

Mark Krasberg, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico who was also a member of Mr Kavanaugh and Ms Ramirez’s class at Yale, said the judge’s college behaviour had become a topic of discussion among former Yale students soon his nomination for the court.

Meanwhile, on Monday survivors of sexual assault were rallying outside the home district offices of Republican senators Susan Collins, Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz, Jeff Flake, Dean Heller and Cory Gardner, to share their stories, support Ms Ford and Mr Ramirez, and call for Mr Kavanaugh to withdraw his nomination.

“Ramirez’s story is yet more proof that Kavanaugh should have already withdrawn his nomination and his wholly disqualified from holding any office in government, let alone one on the highest court in the country,” said protest organiser Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet Action, a national women’s group.