White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said "we would be open" to Deborah Ramirez, a second woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, to testify before the Senate Judiciary panel this week.
Sanders said that "process could take place on Thursday," when Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has separately accused the Supreme Court nominee of assaulting her in high school, are scheduled to testify.
She said President Donald Trump "has said a number of times these individuals should be heard." At the same time, she noted that Kavanaugh has been "unequivocal in his denial" of sexual assault allegations. She added "This is a country where you're innocent until proven guilty except when you're a conservative Republican."
The second claim against Kavanaugh dates to his first year at Yale. Ramirez, a Boulder, Colorado resident, told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when he was in college.
- Colorado Matters: As Another Kavanaugh Accuser Emerges, So Do Old Misconceptions About Sexual Assault
President Donald Trump leapt to his Supreme Court pick’s defense on Monday while the Senate's top Republican accused Democrats of a "smear campaign" and an emotional Kavanaugh declared, "I'm not going anywhere."
Trump called the accusations "totally political" and among "the single most unfair, unjust things to happen to a candidate for anything."
Colorado’s Democratic Senator, Michael Bennett, called for an FBI investigation of the new allegations against Kavanaugh, and for the hearings should be halted while the FBI investigates.
“Both Dr. Ford & Ms. Ramirez have said they are willing to provide their accounts to the FBI under oath,” the state’s senior senator tweeted Monday afternoon. “Anyone who is disputing their accounts should also be willing to do so under oath.”
Republican Sen. Cory Gardner has said the judiciary committee should investigate, he has not said whether he supports an FBI investigation.
Read More: Friends Describe Deborah Ramirez As A ‘Woman Of Great Integrity And Honor’ (via DenverPost.com)
