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Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh vigorously refuted allegations of a suspected high school incident in an undisclosed letter to the FBI by Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
"I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do that in high school or any other time, "Kavanaugh, 53, said in a statement on Friday.
Feinstein on Thursday issued a press release insinuating that Kavanaugh could be guilty of a crime after he reported giving Kavanaugh information to the FBI. She did not detail the charge.
"I have received information from an individual regarding the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," said Feinstein in his surprise statement. "This person strongly requested confidentiality, refused to come forward or pursue the matter, and I honored that decision. I have however referred the case to the federal investigation authorities. "
Fox News confirmed that the letter involved an allegation regarding Kavanaugh while she was studying at the Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, in the 1980s. A woman, who was also in high school at the time, was accused Kavanaugh in his letter of holding her down and trying to force her to a party before she goes away. The details were reported Friday by the New Yorker.
The White House blew up the charge Thursday as a last-minute maneuver.
"Until the eve of his confirmation, Senator Feinstein or anyone raised the specter of new information about him," White House spokesman Kerri Kupec said in a statement.
The charge comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee has already had a party in front of Kavanaugh and other witnesses and is preparing to vote on sending his appointment to the Senate.
A source close to the confirmation process told Fox News that Feinstein had received the letter in July, but that it was not publicly known until Thursday.
The letter was reportedly given to Feinstein by the representative Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., But was not publicly disclosed by the senators who saw the document. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Said the letter in question had been referred to the FBI for investigation.
Feinstein met privately with Kavanaugh on August 20 and repeatedly interrogated him in open court during the Judiciary Committee hearings on his appointment last week. Nothing indicates that the case was raised during the private meeting or the in camera meeting.
The FBI conducts background checks on all key government appointees, including Supreme Court candidates.
"After receiving the information on the night of September 12, we included them in Judge Kavanaugh's briefing package, according to the standard process," the FBI said in a statement. Fox News has learned that the White House should ask the office to follow up on the letter so that the investigation can be continued. It was not clear if the White House had done it Thursday night.
The woman mentioned in the letter has not yet been identified, but she is represented by Debra Katz, a lawyer who works with survivors of #MeToo, according to The Intercept.
Despite the excitement of the letter, a spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley of R-Iowa, said there was no plan to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation. Grassley set the Kavanaugh panel vote for Sept. 20, and Republicans hope to confirm Kavanaugh before the new court session begins Oct. 1.
"Sen. Grassley is aware of Senator Feinstein's dismissal, "said Grassley's director of communications Taylor Foy in a statement. "At that moment, he did not see the letter in question and respects the request for confidentiality. There is no plan to change the consideration of the appointment committee of Judge Kavanaugh. "
Jake Gibson, Mike Emanuel and John Roberts of Fox News contributed to this report.
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