Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said on Monday that a new sexual misconduct allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is “phony.”
“You’re going to have these phony accusations,” Hatch told reporters when asked if Deborah Ramirez, a woman accusing Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her while at Yale, should be forced to testify before senators.
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Asked how he knew the allegation was “phony,” Hatch said, “because I know it is, that’s why.”
The New Yorker reported on Sunday night that Senate Democrats are investigating a second sexual misconduct allegation dating back to Kavanaugh’s freshman year at Yale University.
Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself in front of her during a gathering at Yale. She told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face, causing her to touch it without her consent.
Kavanaugh denies wrongdoing.
Hatch’s comments come after he called the latest allegation against Kavanaugh a “smear” in a statement earlier Monday.
“No innuendo has been too low, no insinuation too dirty. Everything is an excuse for delay, no matter how unsubstantiated,” said Hatch, a former chairman and current member of the Judiciary Committee.