Brett Kavanaugh sitting beside wife Ashley tells Fox News: 'I'm not going anywhere' over sexual misconduct allegations

Judge denies accusations by saying he was a virgin until 'many years' after college - amid reports of possible third accuser

Donald Trump‘s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has said he is “not going anywhere” as he looks to defend himself over mounting sexual assault and misconduct allegations that have called his confirmation into question.

Allegations made by two women over the last week have threatened to end Mr Kavanaugh’s likely ascension to the highest court in America. Firstly, Dr Christine Blasey Ford accused Mr Kavanaugh of trying to force himself upon her during a party while the two were in high school. Then over the weekend Deborah Ramirez accused Mr Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while both were students at Yale University.

Amid calls for both accusations to be investigation, Mr Kavanaugh launched a counter-attack in an interview with Fox News broadcast on Monday night - claiming that he has “never sexually assaulted anyone in high school or otherwise.”

“We’re looking for a fair process where I can be heard defending my integrity, my lifelong record of promoting dignity and equality for women – starting with the women who knew me when I was 14-years-old,” in an appearance with his wife, Ashley. “I’m not going anywhere,”

Given that it is the president’s favourite news network, Mr Kavanaugh was always likely to see Fox News as a secure environment, and so it proved. He was staunch in his denial of Dr Ford's allegation in particular: “I was never at any such party, I was not anywhere resembling that in 1982. I have never had any sexual or physical activity with Dr Ford.”

Earlier in the day in a letter to Congress, Mr Kavanaugh called the latest allegations against him “smears, pure and simple”.

The confirmation has been the subject of a political dogfight between the two parties in Congress. Democrats have accused the the White House and Republican leadership of trying to downplay the allegations as they look for a quick Senate confirmation for Mr Kavanaugh, while Republicans have said that the Democrats are trying to “delay” a vote by “withholding information” over the accusations.

Senator Diane Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee which deals with Mr Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, has called for his nomination to be halted so that the FBI can investigate the claims.

It comes as it was reported that a third woman could make an accusation of sexual misconduct against Mr Kavanaugh. According to lawyer – and frequent Trump critic – Michael Avenatti, he was approached by a woman with an allegation relating to Mr Kavanaugh’s time at high school.

“She reached out to me. We vetted her claim and she satisfactorily passed that vetting,” Mr Avenatti, who also represents Stormy Daniels, told The Guardian.

“I’m going to be representing her and I may be representing some corroborating witnesses, and we plan on releasing additional information,” Mr Avenatti added.

The lawyer said that the women he represents also asked to be allowed to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, where Mr Kavanaugh and Dr Ford are due to appear to address her allegation. The committee’s leadership spent days negotiating for Dr Ford’s testimony, as they look to push through Mr Kavanaugh’s nomination. Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to “bully” Dr Ford in order to see a quick confirmation for Mr Kavanaugh.

Mr Kavanaugh has denied all the allegations against him, and seated with his wife Ashley, he defended himself by stating that he was a virgin until “many years” after college.

“I did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter ... The girls from the schools I went to, and I, were friends.”

“Through all these years that were in question, you were a virgin?” Ms MacCallum asked.

“That’s correct,” Mr Kavanaugh replied.

The choice of Martha MacCallum as interviewer was also notable. She was a vociferous supporter of the late Roger Ailes in 2016 when the then Fox News chief was being sued for sexual harassment by anchor Gretchen Carlson.