A first-time university professor has publicly accused US President Donald Trump's candidate, Supreme Court Brett Cavanaugh, of sexually harassing her in the 1980s, delaying the vote on his confirmation.
Christine Plessy Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, gave details of her claim against Cavanaugh in secret letters to her congressional representative and then to California Senator Diane Feinstein, a member of the Judicial Committee that will vote for her.
The 51-year-old told the Washington Post that she had decided to reveal her identity because she felt it was "her civic duty" to "overcome anxiety and fear of retaliation" after the media had outlined her story.
Cavanaugh denied the incident in a statement Friday, saying «I strongly and without any ambiguity these allegations. I did not do that either in high school or at any other stage. "
Ford, a registered Democratic voter for the Washington Post, said Cavanaugh and a friend were playing him in a bedroom during a junior high school party in Montgomery on the outskirts of Washington in the 1980s.
She added that Cavanaugh had her on a bed while his friend was watching, and he was touching her as he tried to strip her clothes and her one-piece navy dress.
She went on to say that Cavanaugh was in her mouth when she tried to scream for help. "He imagined that he might kill me by mistake. He was trying to assault me and take off my clothes. " She eventually managed to escape when a third friend rushed towards them and closed the door to herself in the bathroom before leaving the house.
She said she did not tell anyone until 2012 when she was following couples' psychotherapy sessions. The Judicial Committee is scheduled to vote on the installation of Cavanaugh on September 20, followed by a vote in the Senate in the presence of all members if the Committee approved the appointment.