Kavanaugh accuser Deborah Ramirez says senators are ‘deliberately ignoring’ his behavior

Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to publicly accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, accused the Senate on Saturday of ignoring evidence during his nomination process.

In a statement issued Saturday ahead of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote, Ramirez said through her lawyers that the Senate’s refusal to take her allegation seriously reminded her of her alleged assault.

{mosads}”Thirty-five years ago, the other students in the room chose to laugh and look the other way as sexual violence was perpetrated on me by Brett Kavanaugh,” the statement reads. “As I watch many of the senators speak and vote on the floor of the Senate I feel like I’m right back at Yale where half the room is laughing and looking the other way. Only this time, instead of drunk college kids, it is U.S. senators who are deliberately ignoring his behavior.”

Ramirez came forward late last month, alleging that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party when the two were students at Yale University. Kavanaugh has denied her allegation, as well as those leveled against him by Christine Blasey Ford and Julie Swetnick.

Ford and Kavanaugh testified last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, with Ford offering a gripping testimony of her alleged assault and Kavanaugh forcefully denying the accusations in his subsequent testimony.

One day later, the Senate panel voted to delay Kavanaugh’s nomination as the FBI conducted a supplemental background investigation into Ford’s and Ramirez’s allegations. 

In the days since the FBI delivered its report to the Senate, Democrats sharply criticized Republicans and the FBI for having a limited scope. Democrats say the bureau did not do due diligence in interviewing corroborating witnesses or Ford herself in its investigation.

The Senate voted along party lines Friday to end debate on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) was the only Republican to say she would not vote to confirm the nominee. 

Kavanaugh’s nomination is expected to pass Saturday afternoon.