“The Senate Judiciary Committee will request that the administration instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental background investigation with respect to the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court,” the committee statement read. “I have never engaged in any gang rape of any woman, including Ms. Swetnick.”

Judge said he would “cooperate with any law enforcement agency that is assigned to confidentially investigate these allegations,” and signed the statement “under penalty of felony.”

Another Kavanaugh accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified on Capitol Hill before the committee Thursday, and claimed that Kavanaugh, while at a high school party 36 years ago, pinned her down and tried to remove her clothing. I think we'll have a vote within a week and that that will be their opportunity to say, are we voting for someone who is the most, you know, qualified nominee and respected nominee I think we've had in - of many of our Supreme Court nominees, or are we going to vote for a last-minute really vicious campaign by some of the Senate Democrats, certainly not all of them? I’m struggling, sorry.”

Coons, described as a close friend of Flake, wrote in a 2017 October New York Times opinion-editorial that Flake’s departure from the Senate should “scare Democrats,” describing him as one of the few Republicans “willingness to speak out against his party’s current standard-bearer.”

Earlier, Flake’s office released a statement announcing the Arizona lawmaker’s support for Kavanaugh. It’s not my job to judge her because I don’t know her.”

Kevin Bishop, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham — who gave a fiery defense of Kavanaugh after the judge’s testimony Thursday — said Graham’s office has received as many women calling in support of Kavanaugh as in opposition.
The FBI reaches out to Deborah Ramirez, the second woman to publicly accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, as part of the investigations into allegations against Kavanaugh.