Democrats believe Ramirez but stiff-arm Avenatti

Kavanaugh confirmation

Senators in the minority demand more time to look into another sexual assault claim against Brett Kavanaugh.

Democratic senators who have rallied behind Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh are doing the same for a second woman who accused the Supreme Court nominee — though they acknowledge she came forward with doubts about her memory.

Multiple Democrats told POLITICO on Monday that they see Deborah Ramirez’s account in The New Yorker as credible — if not airtight — evidence for a case that President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has a pattern of untoward behavior toward women. They want the Judiciary Committee to postpone Thursday’s planned hearing where Ford and Kavanaugh are set to testify to allow more time to look into Ramirez as well as Ford’s claims.

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Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) called for an FBI investigation of Ramirez’s allegation, which dates to when she and Kavanaugh attended Yale. Coons said he’s concerned more accusers will come forward.

“By pushing forward with this Thursday’s hearing, we’re at real risk of not hearing all of the relevant allegations against Judge Kavanaugh,” Coons said. “Any senator who don’t have real concerns about Judge Kavanaugh’s reputation, his integrity, ought to take a step back and reconsider at this point.”

If the FBI doesn’t investigate the new allegations, the Judiciary panel should, Coons added. Ramirez should be “given an opportunity to testify in front of the committee,” he said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) leadership team, sounded a similar note in calling for a delay of any committee vote on Kavanaugh “until there is a thorough investigation of Dr. Ford’s statements, and I think the same for Ms. Ramirez.”

Democrats’ move to largely unify behind Ramirez comes as the GOP has tried to undercut her allegation that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a dormitory party. Republicans highlighted that she needed six days and a legal consultation about her recollection of the alcohol-fueled gathering before coming forward in the New Yorker, trying to heighten the political risk for Democrats in going all in on Ramirez’s allegation.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former Judiciary chairman, swatted away Ramirez’s claims: “I don’t think we need to look into that. You’re going to have these phony allegations.”

But for even some moderate Democrats, the relatively murky corroboration of Ramirez’s allegation bolsters the case for a further investigation into claims that one of the authors of The New Yorker story said initially came from Yale alumni chatter, not from Ramirez herself.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Democratic caucus who came out against Kavanaugh only after his first confirmation hearing ended, said the Judiciary panel should “try to get the facts.”

Asked whether he was concerned about the credibility of Ramirez’s recollection, given her delay in coming forward and the New York Times’ decision not to report on her claim, King said, “I’m not going to try to game that out. … A hearing is not worthy of the name if it doesn’t examine what facts are available on a given topic.”

While most Democrats are taking Ramirez’s allegation seriously — if not to the extent they’re publicly backed Ford — they’re stopping far short of giving the same treatment to a third, unknown woman tied to the nominee and represented by celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti.

Avenatti has tweeted that his client is a “woman with credible information” concerning “the targeting of women with alcohol/drugs” by Kavanaugh and his longtime friend Mark Judge, whom Ford has identified as the third person in the room during her alleged assault. But Democratic senators are treading lightly on the claims from Avenatti, who also represents Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels and is weighing a presidential run.

“You know I never have no comment, but I have no comment about Michael Avenatti,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said.

“Until we have more information, there’s not much that anyone can do with that,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), like Sanders a member of Schumer’s leadership team and leading 2020 presidential contender, said of Avenatti’s client.

“But since there are two women who have come forward – they have made credible claims, they have made their names public – it now means that the FBI should be conducting a full investigation” into both Ford and Ramirez’s allegations, Warren added.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who’s become one of the Judiciary panel’s most vocal Democrats on sexual misconduct issues, delivered blunt advice to Avenatti: “If he has something to introduce, he should do it now. I haven’t had any contact with him.”

A spokesman for Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Sunday night that the committee would reach out to Ramirez, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday that the panel had done so. Ramirez’s attorneys did not return a request for comment on Monday on to what extent she has communicated with the committee.

Avenatti has tweeted screenshots of his communications with Grassley’s staff about his still-anonymous client, which the GOP initiated minutes after the lawyer posted his first declaration that he represents “a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge.”

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.