Donald Trump

Women's Groups Speak Out Against Brett Kavanaugh Following Another Allegation

President Donald Trump continues to back Brett Kavanaugh while the Supreme Court nominee faces sexual misconduct allegations, prompting more women's organizations to speak out.

On Sunday, a second woman came forward accusing Kavanaugh of allegedly exposing himself at a drunken dormitory party at Yale University, according to a report from The New Yorker.

The accusation came hours after negotiators had reached an agreement to hold a public hearing Thursday for Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denies the accusation.

Linda Williams, a senior research scientist at Wellesley College, has studied sexual violence for almost 40 years and said victims don't always come forward right away.

She says only one in 10 victims go to the police so it's frustrating for women's groups who feel that people should have learned this already.

"And we really haven’t. That we still see some of the old ideas and misconceptions," Williams said.

A co-director of Wellesley’s Justice and Gender-Based Violence Research Initiative, Williams said she is starting to see fellow researchers not known for voicing their views do just that.

"(They're) now coming forward and saying that we have all this evidence, we’re not surprised to see this story evolving and people have to pay attention to this," Williams said.

Boston University professor Tom Whalen says many Republicans are privately hoping Kavanaugh voluntarily steps down - but keep it to themselves for fear of alienating Trump or his base.

"The political optics are disastrous for the Republican Party here. This is the family values party," Whalen said. "I think most normal presidencies would say, sorry - move onto the next candidate. They’re not doing that, they’re doubling down right now and I think politically it’s foolish."

Kavanaugh and his wife sat down together for an interview expected to air on Fox News Monday night in an effort to defend his candidacy.

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