ramirez. kavanaugh told the judiciary committee under oath that the first time he heard about ramirez's allegation was in the september 23 article in "the new yorker." and joining us now is nbc news political reporter leigh ann caldwell, one of the reporters on this brand new story. leigh ann, thank you so much for join us. >> thank you, joy. >> so, just walk us through. how early do these text messages go back? do they go back to july? >> sure, joy. so, what we've seen -- we've not seen all of the text messages. we've only seen the text messages that were outlined in this memo that kerry bercham wants to submit to the fbi. and this is, again, one more instance of someone who wants to talk to the fbi but hasn't been able to. she is part of a group of friends who went to yale undergrad with kavanaugh and ramirez. they're in the same group of people, and she says that she has reached out to the fbi three times and has not heard back. now that the fbi says that they're going to expand this invest

ramirez's allegations against you? >> in the last -- in the period since then, in "the new yorker" story. >> joining us now ron klain, and barbara mcquade, a professor at law, and msnbc legal contributor. and heidi, it's your reporting tonight about these texts that preceded "the new yorker" article, and these texts seem to contradict brett kavanaugh's under oath testimony that he first heard of the ramirez accusations by reading "the new yorker" article. >> correct, lawrence. so we obtained these texts from a third party, essentially. a woman who had been texting with another fellow classmate of brett kavanaughs who had all gone onto yale together. she said to me, look, she never really wanted to go public on this, but she can't get the attention of the fbi. she's tried several times to get these text messages through to the fbi, and she believes that they prove potentially two things that need to be looked in further. one, that brett was fully aware of the reporting that was about to come down despite what his testim

she is a mutual friend of debbie ramirez and brett kavanaugh who knew them from yale law school. of a series of text messages she says she has not drawn any conclusions about, but that suggest that they definitely need to investigate further, what was going on in the lead-up to this new yorker piece exposing debbie ramirez's story. specifically, she wanted to get out these texts that showed that kavanaugh may have been trying to discredit debbie ramirez in the run-up to "the new yorker" story, even though he told the senate judiciary committee he wasn't aware of "the new yorker" story until it ran. so that needs to be looked into. whether he was pushing other classmates who were part of this tight knit circle that includes debbie ramirez and the lady that crafted her memo, he is 51 years old, former classmate who has been concerned for quite a while, trying to bring this information forward. the white house says this is normal. that kavanaugh would the this in the run-up to this story, that it's "pr 101," but we talked with experts who have been through this confirmation process

ramirez was a classmate of kavanaugh's at yale. she claims he put his genitals in her face and he denies the allegation. during the interview, kavanaugh was asked since you graduated from college but before the "new yorker" article publication on september 23rd, have you ever discussed or heard discussions about the incident matching the description given pie ms. ramirez to the "new yorker." to which kavanaugh replied no. brett kavanaugh's friend sent a text message before the "new yorker" article was published saying kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defense. the same report says two other messages show communication between kavanaugh's team and former classmates ahead of the story's publication. nbc news national political correspondent heidi przybyla co-wrote the report. put this into context for us, please. >> the question is whether the fbi is going to look at this additional information at a time when so many feel that they are not being heard by the fbi. these are text messages from fellow classmates, between tw

ford or miss ramirez, or miss swetnick. and further, it's a disservice to the survivors anywhere in this country. dr. ford's testimony captivated the nation and inspired across the country. in a moment i'll never forget, when i asked her hadder strongest memory something from the incident she couldn't re-- forget. in the hippo campus the up ro roarious laughter, and kavanaugh pinned her to the bed -- i believe her and the reason it's critical is not the additional before that judge kavanaugh was not telling the truth about his high school drinking or the obvious misogyny in his yearbook, or kavanaugh who passed out from drunkenness, all of us here know he wasn't telling the truth in his testimony about that. the reason we need a thorough investigation is that these women have offered credible accusations, they've identified potential corroborating witnesses into evidence and the senate needs to know all the facts before placing to the highest court for a lifetime appointment. a thorough investigation is essential for anothe

ramirez's allegations? >> today. "the this comes as washington post" reports the slightly expanded investigation will look into allegations by a third kavanaugh accuser, julie swetnick, who said she observed kavanaugh at high school parties in the 1980's joining efforts to inebriate girls so they could be gang raped. recently resurfaced 1983 yearbooks from georgetown prep show students bragging about the use of "killer q's" during beach week -- a possible reference to quaaludes, the sedative bill cosby used to drug women in order to rape them. amy: now a group of alumni from brett kavanaugh's all-male school high school has issued a call for fellow graduates to come forward if they have information about any sexual assaults possibly committed by the supreme court nominee, saying in a petition -- "please do not remain silent, even if speaking out comes at some personal cost." in a minute, we will be joined by one of those alumni, but first i want to turn to comments of judge kavanaugh made about georgetown prep. he wa

let's watch. >> when did you first hear of miss ramirez's allegations against you?in the last -- in the period since then, the new yorker story. >> well, there he is saying something that may have covered his tracks because he didn't want to admit he was out there scurrying around getting people to say nice things about him, refute this story that was coming. he knew ramirez was about to make the allegation about what he did with his private parts in her face, the whole thing. and yet he denied knowing about it. why would he do that, glenn? >> you know, because he didn't want -- >> under oath. >> he didn't want to be caught sort of knowing something he shouldn't know in advance of that story breaking, but heidi said people have said that it's high highly imprudent for somebody in his situation to reach out and communicate with witnesses. it is beyond that. it is downright reckless. every attorney will tell his client do not communicate with witnesses regardless of whether your intentions are pure. because if you say something to a witness like, remember, i didn't do

ramirez and mrs. swetnick are false? >> doi. >> i want to point out the democrats in this committee have acted like cowards. now, if you'll excuse me, i'd like to hide behind the female prosecutor we hired as a human shield. >> judge kavanaugh, would you say in high school that you were a frequent drinker? >> look, i like beer, okay? [ laughter ] >> i like beer. boys like beer. girls like beer. i like beer. i like beer. >> shake my finger at a tomato 15 minutes. >> if you think i'm angry now, you just wait until i get on that supreme court because then you're all going to pay. give me a can of water. it's saturday night! >>> what can i do. i can't see the use in me crying, if i'm not trying to make the change i want to see singer/songwriter john legend performing at our global citizens festival, is crusading on an issue that in the words of the "new york times" magazine that could enfranchise more people. florida's amendment 4 would restore voting rights for people with prior felony convictions, more than 1.5 million peo

teresa: ramírez afirma que se sintió impotente.llamarlo. sin embargo, lo que siguió fue una propuesta que no se esperaba. carlos: que si entregamos otra vez a mi papá, nos entrega a mi mamá. y que la deja salir por detrás de la cárcel. como que si nada hubiera pasado. teresa: pero ramírez no tenía la respuesta que el agente buscaba. el 11 de abril, mientras su esposa berenice resendis, estaba en casa con los niños. berenice: yo estaba acostada viendo la tele, tenía mis hijos ahí acostados conmigo. entonces en ese momento escuché voces y luego vi-- ahí nomás vi que estaban alumbrando con esas lamparitas flashlights a la ventana. teresa: lo primero que hizo resendis fue llamar a su esposon y aduanas y los alguaciles federales otra vez. berenice: tocaron la puerta. no se anunciaron ni nada, nomás dijeron abre la puerta, tenemos una orden de arresto. y yo no quise abrir la puerta. entonces ellos empezaron a golpear bien feo la puerta. teresa: hasta que la forzaron y entraron. berenice: apuntándome con pistolas, con armas grandes. y yo

ramirez's story. when asked by senator hatch when he first heard of ramirez's allegations, he answered, quote, in "the new yorker" story. based on the nbc reports, if they're correct, that was not truthful. and it would be one thing if thatat were one isolated incide. habut again, there are far too many misstatements, far too many inaccuracies, far too many misexacterrizations. he pled ignorance to many bush era controversies only for e-mails to be released showing he was aware of them all and played a role in many. he offered explanation for high school yearbook quotes. and it's not the quotes themselves or what they indicated, it's his explanations sort of defy belief. and, of course, based on the accounts by his high school and college classmates, he has grossly mischaracterized his relationship withri alcohol. the common thread? judge kavanaugh repeatedly tiptoes around the truth. doesn't tell the truth in many instances, it seems, to the paint his nomination in a favorable light. we want a suprem

ford, miss ramirez, the third person who came forward, miss swetnick, revenge on behalf the clintons. frankly, judge kavanaugh's testimony was more for fox news than the august of the supreme court. that's for the history of judge kavanaugh's work, ken starr, the controversies of the bush era. and it was once if he -- donned the robes of the bench. his bitter partisan resentments still lurk right below the surface. it should give us all pause to consider what it means to elevate such a partisan world view to the supreme court, whether it be a democratic or a republican partisan view. where rulings must be made on the legal merits, not, not on the side of the aisle which most benefits. and then the greatest issue against judge kavanaugh, the one that really bothers most people, his credibility. is he telling the truth? that issue supersedes the others. there may be some who say, well, what happens in high school shouldn't count, it's many years later, people grow, people change. now, i think what happened to dr. ford, she seems credible to me, is something you can't forget. it's not wh

ramirez and mrs. swetnick are false?i. >> i want to point out the democrats in this committee have acted like kourdcowards. now, if you'll excuse me, i'd like to hide behind the female prosecutor we hired as a human shield. >> judge kavanaugh, would you say in high school that you were a frequent drinker? >> look, i like beer, okay? [ laughter ] >> i like beer. boys like beer. girls like beer. i like beer. i like beer. >> shake my finger at a tomato 15 minutes. >> if you think i'm angry now, you just wait until i get on that supreme court because then you're all going to pay. give me a can of water. it's saturday night! n really ge. but mania, such as unusual changes in your mood, activity or energy levels, can leave you on shaky ground. help take control by asking your healthcare provider about vraylar. vraylar treats acute mania of bipolar i disorder. vraylar significantly reduces overall manic symptoms,... and was proven in adults with mixed episodes who have both mania and depression. vraylar should not be used in el

among the people interviewed so far, deborah ramirez, who says kavanaugh exposed himself to her wheey w at yale, which he denies. kavanaugh spoke with republicans in the senateudiciary committee just two days after ramirez went public. according to a transcugpt, kava claims ramirez was, quote, calling around to classmates to see if they remembered the incident, adding, it sounds like an orchestrated hit to take mt. and this morning, we're hearing more from kavanaugr,s third accuho sat down with nbc news. our own peter alexander has the details. >> reporter: the white house has authorized the fbi to expd its limited background investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against brett kavanaugh, giving the t fbi green light to interview anyone it deems necessary as long as the review is wrapped up by the end of the week.ac rding to a senior u.s. official and another source briefed on the matter. >> i think the fbi should interview anybody that theywi wt in reason. but you have to say within reason. they should interview, b should also be guided, and i'm eing guided by what the sen

ramirez was credible. >> i think it's credible.need an investigation and i think what's being called an investigation is not. it's a con job. i say that. i don't say that lightly, but i will say that because in fact people i provided names, i know other names were provided by debby ramirez's lawyer. i know and you mentioned this on the program, one of my old friends, can corroborate debby ramirez talked about this back in 83, '84 with him. he approached the fbi and the fbi did not contact him. there seems to be a pattern of not just the usual sort of bureaucratic neglect, but of a conscious effort to make sure that some of these stories don't get out there. that of course is extremely problematic. we need an investigation before we can reach a final judgment on this whole thing. we did not get that. >> what does that say to you because one of the key ways that you can corroborate claims against people, prominent people. claims people because there can be reasons people may come forward falsely is whether there was earlier corrobora

la cadena nbc obtuvo esta foto donde se ve a ramÍrez y kavanaugh en una boda, la seÑora ramÍrez que es>>> la seÑora ramÍrez tambiÉn entregÓ al fbi una lista de personas pueden corroborar su historia, que el juez kavanaugh ha dicho es totalmente falsa. regreso contigo. >>> hay gente que hace falta entrevistar. gracias a lori montenegro. el departamento de seguridad nacional reconoce el que gobierno no estaba preparado para llevar a cabo separaciones familiares en la son tera. la polÍtica de tolerancia 0 o tampoco para lidiar con algunos efectos secundarios. los problemas mÁs graves surgieron al este ner a los niÑos separados de sus padres por perÍodos prolongados y rastrear y reunificar a las familias separadas. salen detalles del controversial campamento de texas, donde han trasladado a un nÚmero indeterminado menores de edad. adelante cristina te escuchamos. >>> desde el paso estamos a 40 minutos de la ciudad de carpas de tornillo donde siguen llegando menores que cruzaron solos la frontera. organizaciones iÑ y se los sig negando. tu dimos hablar con una religiosa que trabajÓ anterior

ramirez allegations. or two women that contacted authorities with evidence that judge kavanaugh tried to head-off ms. ramirez story before it became public. that was an apparent contradiction. total contradiction. with his testimony before the judiciary committee. in fact, i search for the truth we've allowed the fbi t to at least speak with jue swetnick, a third accuser. or a search for the truth would have thallowed the fbi to speak with mark judge's ex-girlfriend. edcall that mr. judge told her ashamedly about his sexual incident. both dr. ford's and allegations. there's no mistaking, this investigation was rigged by the white house and senate republicans. instead of calling on the fbi to take these basic investigatatory steps inexpolicably the republican judiciary committee has slowly tried to discredit these women. the committee released this statement from a former acquaintance of mrs. swetnick. this individual had no knowledge of the alleged incident, but described the alleged sexual interest of mr

and depubra ramirez. how does the white house feel this is going?of all, granted an fbi investigation at the end of last week and now have agreed to expand it. it feels like they're trying to cover all their bases here and concede some of the points made against them. >> they kind of have to. it's not like the president has a ton of choice here, especially because of the corner he put himself in starting over the weekend. when he says, yes, i want the fbi to be free rein. did that trickle down to the fbi? we've learned that it did. they're not giving the fbi total carte blanche here. it still has to be wrapped up by the end of the week, but the white house is saying, yes, you could go ahead and talk to whoever you want to, interview whoever you want to, follow up on the leads that you need to follow up on. there have been some developments here with these four people that have been interviewed. but when it comes to these accusations, you heard the president address this a bit. dr. christine blasey ford is one thing. she came, she spoke at that heari

ford and the mistreatment of debbie ramirez. and across this land it's caused women to relive the experiences that they have gone through. many of them writing to our offices. and i encourage every senator to read every one of the letters they're getting before voting this afternoon -- late this afternoon on the question of whether kavanaugh should serve on the court. i read five letters earlier, but i've received a lot of letters. i'm going to read more of them now. so this individual writes, please do what you can do -- please do what you can to block the kavanaugh vote. -- to the supreme court. i am also a victim of sexual assault when i was in graduate in the early 1970's. i never pursued that due to fear of consequences and feeling that this was my fault. this has to stop. she concludes the letter. do you think that she got my encouragement from the completely unjust way that this body treated these two women? no. it's exactly the classic setup and rigged response that so often women have met when they had the courage to co

ramirez's allegation was already out there by this past weekend. she, in fact, has been interviewed, that already compromises the scope. >> our reporting has changed a little bit since friday. here is the scope as we understand it. overall drinking history will not be part of this. i find that interesting, gentlemen. it's part and parcel of what all the witnesses testified to, that brett kavanaugh was wildly intoxicated during these things. the fbi only taking direction from the white house. fbi agents will make no conclusion about what witnesses say. the white house will get results and decide how to proceed. josh, i have a question. how can it be that the person who is the most ardent supporter of brett kavanaugh in the white house, don mcgan inform, the person who groomed brett kavanaugh for the white house selection, is overseeing this? does that give you any pause? >> it's within the purview of the white house to conduct this investigation the way they see fit. at the end of the day this is not an investigation criminally into this person. thi

ford or by miss ramirez. fbi has reported that back to us. >> joining me now is natasha ber trands, a staff writer for the atlantic and greg brower, senior fbi official. greg, first of all, to you. everybody's throwing a hot potato around. i watched the republican senators today say, we had nothing to do with restricting it. the president said in the rose garden the other day, on the canadian trade deal, he said, i told them to go wherever they want to lead. and then we find out all they talked to is a few people. they didn't go after the drunk and belligerence thing that everybody was trying to figure out about or really going after the ramirez case. they didn't follow up all the leads that have been given to them. they won't even talk to the people coming forward. >> yeah, so i obviously don't know who said what to who, but i will tell you -- >> who tells the fbi to do? >> the white house duds. >> but my experience at the fbi and as a former federal prosecutor, i just can't imagine this investigation being

she is a mutual friend of debby ramirez and was familiar with brett kavanaugh. but the information that she has, she says, should be looked at by the fbi and at this hour is not. she's made several attempts to reach the fbi, to send them her memo, to get some kind of a response and she's not. >> and her claim is what? >> so she has text messages with the wife of one of the men who was allegedly a witness to the incident, who may have been egging on brett company during the incident, and these text messages show, she says that brett kavanaugh or his team -- she called him by his name, brett, was doing things behind the scenes in the advance of the new yorker article. now, it's important to say, stef, we don't know specifically when brett kavanaugh became aware of the new yorker article and if this was just like a last-minute effort to try and quash the article. or if his knowledge of debby ramirez's allegations well predates the new yorker article. that is why carrie bircham, who is the woman whose memo i obtained, wants the fbi to look into. secondly, her text m

>> debby ramirez was really striking to me in college.was full of people very well educated, sharp and sophisticated and smart but from a very often a common background. you know, there were a lot of people like brett. there were a lot of people like me. we had a lot in common, brett and i. east coast people from wealthy backgrounds who went to boarding school and who knew the language and the social codes of the place and debby was really smart, funny, but she was from a different background. she was bright eyed and a little bit naive and i just found her to be -- to be just a terrific person to be around, and i enjoyed my time with her very much. what struck me about debby -- >> finish. what struck you about debby was what? >> she was very -- i use the word guileless. he was not the kind of person -- it wouldn't occur to her to make things up or to lie. you know, she was an open and honest person. >> but she never told you when you were in college that this happened, correct? >> you know, i have been thinking about this a lot. and my re

and -- >> debbie ramirez. >> debbie ramirez. and i know from my experience with her that at least from my perspective, there is zero chance that she's making up this story, and i heard dr. blasey ford's testimony. i read some of it later. i believe she's telling the truth. when brett started saying things about his drinking and use of certain words, sexually-oriented words. i knew he was lying because he was my roommate. you know, we were in a room together. our beds were 10 feet apart for a couple of months. and what struck me as interesting in speaking out about it is not only did i know he wasn't telling the truth is i know he knew he wasn't telling the truth. >> you say he was a heavy drinker even for the time. since this is knowledge you say you specifically have, can you describe what you mean when you say he was a notably heavy drinker? >> sure. this is a time not long after "animal house" was shown, and people drank a lot. he went to parties and drank beer. many, many people did. but there were even within that environme

the attorney for deborah ramirez, accuser from yale says that they, the ramirez team, gave the fbi at of 20 names to also interview. her legal team said, quote, there may be additional witnesses that can afore further corroboration, but we likely will never know given that your agents were barred from investigating. these were potential witnesses never interviewed although there weren't eyewitnesses. they were corroborating witnesses, people that heard about it, not people who saw it. does that matter? people are not saying yes i saw this, they were hearsay witnesses or others that deborah ramirez may have told this happened or this happened? >> i think it does matter. either you conduct a thorough investigation or you don't. we mentioned that the fbi was under a deadline here. one thing we don't yet know is what was the parameter? what parameters were set on the fbi from the white house in order to conduct this background investigation? we reported it was limited in scope. the white house was saying, no, the fbi had free rein. that's a major question, what was that scope? what were

nbc news has confirmed that the fbi has spoken to ramirez. and the lawyer for kavanaugh's high school friend mark judge says he has spoken with the fbi but that his interview has not been completed as of yet. last thursday the first accuser dr. christine blasey ford testified judge was the one in the room during the alleged assault. ford's friend leyland kaiser has taken part in an fbi interview. there has been much debate over the scope of this investigation and democrats say they worry republicans may try to rein in the agents on this. today the white house signed off on the bureau expanding its inquiry beyond the set set of witnesses urging the agency to follow any leads they wish while maintaining the same friday deadline. >> i think the fbi should do what they have to do to get to the answer. i want them the do a very comprehensive investigation, whatever that means according to the senators and the republicans and the republican majority. i want them to do that. with that being said, i would like it to go quickly. >> today senate majori

ramirez is story. when asked by senator hatch when you first heard of her allegations he answered, , thou, in the new yorker story. first heard, based on nbc report if they are correct, that was not truthful. and it would be one thing if ever oneou isolated incident. but again, there are far too many statements, far too many inaccuracies, far too many mischaracterizations. he put it much too many bush era controversies, only through emails released it surely he was aware of a them all and played a role in many. he offered explanation for high school yearbook quotes, and it's not the courts themselves what the indicated. it's his explanation sort of defy belief. and, of course, based on the accounts by its high school and college classmates he has grossly mischaracterized his with alcohol. the common thread, judge kavanaugh repeatedly tiptoes around the truth, doesn't tell the truth in many instances it seems, to paint his nomination in a favorable light. we want a supreme court nominee, whatever their

and deborah ramirez. all allegedly at the party. ram ra ramirez alleges a second incident of misconduct. we have learned that judge, smyth, koois irand ramirez have been interviewed by the fbi at least once. judge's attorney says his client's interview has not been completed. the president said the fbi should talk to whomever they want. >> what i said is let the senate decide. whatever they want to do is okay with me. and also the fbi. i think the fbi should do what they have to do to get to the answer. i don't know all three of the accusers. certainly i imagine they're going to interview two. the third one, i don't know much about, but it wouldn't bother me at all. >> now that third accuser is julie swetnik. she has alleged that he attended parties where rapes took place, an allegation that kavanaugh has denied. senate democrats have drawn up a list of more than 2 dozen people they want contacted. "new york times" says deborah ramirez has given the fbi more than 20 names and we know the fbi has already spoken to people like a forme

ramirez and dr. ford have testified contrary to the way ms. ramirez and dr. ford have alleged. and so the witnesses they have identified saying they were present at the event have all refuted their allegations. so i think that ought to settle it. >> on a slightly different note, would one thing when dr. blasey ford said that it was not clear that the committee would go to california to interview her, i'm curious, chairman grassley, you've alreadycorroborated alle. i'm wondering where the committee take any action against the attorneys for blasey ford. >> we don't prosecute -- >> or will you refer them. >> right now i don't know and i don't know that there is any reason to. i think that -- what i'd like to do when we get all done, because this is almost rock bottom, i would like to have the future mending things so we can do things in a collegial way that the united states senate ought to do and particularly when it comes to the supreme court nominations. and you folks can have something to do with this. i would never use the word fake news. i consider you folks policemen for ou

ramirez. i think the message sent by this vote to people, especially those who suffered or are suffering sexual assault is extremely negative. and the only way we're going to overcome that is we have to be energized and insist that we want something different out of the senate and we want something different out of the supreme court. >> were you or others in your caucus in conversation with joe manchin and heidi heitkamp? heidi height camp announcing she was a no, joe manchin saying he was a yes today about this vote? and what were those conversations like? >> chris, i'm going to be a little -- you know, when you have one on one conversations you don't necessarily just go out and spill them all. but yes, look -- >> you can tell me. no one will hear. >> i've talked to heidi and i've talked to joe. i talked to susan collins. i talked to jeff flake over the course of the last few weeks. talked to all of them. these are people i work carefully with, traded texts or e-mails, handed them court opini

four people have been interviewed, including deborah ramirez. someone the fbi hasn't talked with with is talking with us. julie swetnick on what she saw, heard and cannot forget and the questions surrounding her claims. through it all, mitch mcconnell is signaling, hey, he wants a vote. he is set to speak. he is accusing democrats of moving the goalposts. also this morning, the first lady landing in africa, her first major solo trip abroad. we are with her in ghana. we are set up and ready to go this morning. we are going to start with with new details about the fbi's reopened background check on brett kavanaugh. we know four people have been interviewed so far, at least. two high school friends of kavanaugh's, including mark judge. a friend of christine blasey ford and the second woman who accused kavanaugh of misconduct, deborah ramirez. the post says the fbi will not conduct and unfettered review of his youthful drinking or examine statements he made about alcohol consumption during a hearing to see if those answers are accurate or misleading

ramirez and dr. ford have testified contrary to the way ms. ramirez and dr. ford have alleged. and so the witnesses they have identified, saying they were present at the event, have all refuted their allegations. so i think that ought to settle it. reporter: on a slightly different note. one thing that was noticeable at the committee hearing was when christine blasey ford said it was not clear the committee would go to california to interview her. i'm curious, you've already referred to charges to the d.o.j. regarding uncould be rated allegations. i'm wondering, will the committee take any kind of action against the attorneys or dr. ford? will you refer them to the a.d.a.? mr. grassley: right now i'd say i don't know and don't know there's any reason to. i think that -- what i'd like to do when we get all done, because this is almost rock bottom, i would like to have the future mending things so we can do things in a collegial way, that the united states senate ought to do. and particularly when it comes to supreme court nominations. and you folks can have something to do with

the yale roommates of debbie ramirez, the woman claiming brett kavanaugh exposed himself at a party,d this about kavanaugh at yale.liz swisher/yal roommate of debbie ramirez/cuomo tonight:"he was a sloppy drunk. he was more interested in impressing the boys than he was in impressing the girls. i never saw him be sexually aggressive, but he definitely was a sloppy drunk."lynn brookes/yale roommate of debbie ramirez, via telephone: "i was witness to the night that he got tapped into that fraternity, and he was stumbling drunk in a ridiculous costume saying really dumb things... and i can almost guarantee that there's no way that he remembers that night."no one cnn has contacted claims to be a witness to aggressive sexual behavior or even unwanted sexual advances by kavanaugh. (pam) arizona senator jeff flake made an appearance today in new hampshire - days after he delayed brett kavanaugh's supreme court nomination. last friday.. the arizona republican said, he would not support kavanaugh unless there was an f-b-i investigation... thrusting himself into the national spotlight. "what is

ford and debby ramirez, there's not enough there. that's a very difficult place for them to be. >> is there also possibility, ashley, there could just be too much weight? i mean, say kavanaugh nomination is a backpack, has it just become too heavy for collins, murkowski, maybe even flake who is having indisputably a moment? >> sam's right in that at least initially, there was just this one issue which people privately would sort of say for something that happened that long ago, it really is a he said/she said and even if there is a full investigation, it's going to be hard to get at an objective truth. that's the way a lot of people felt. they felt it was unfortunate. that's how they felt. but there is now this other issue of just pure credibility. let's remember, there was a time you could not be a nominee and go and potentially lie before congress and then get voted into a supreme court seat and if people do believe that he is lying, not about the sexual misconduct at all, but about, quote/unquote, smaller things, like was he actua

ramirez back in the day? >> i had not. i should say -- i knew deb -- she went by deb, and i knew brett. a lot of close mutual friends. i liked both of them. i didn't always hang out with the crowd that either of them were in, but was definitely friendly. yale's a pretty intimate environment. we have a great residential college system. people know each other. i knew all the people well, but i did not have information of that when we were freshmen. >> you came forward, and my final question, did you reach out to them? because my assumption is, based on my research on you, you saided to speak to the fbi. >> yeah. so last saturday, one week ago to right now, it hit me like a brick in the face. i was bothered by the information i was told on a phone and in a text, that brett had reached out to try to control the narrative around a story that was coming out. it bothered me. lath saturday i woke up and there was information that the fbi had kickstarted the investigation and there would be a probably short window, and honestly i f

ramirez gave names to the fbi.es say christine blasey ford and george kavanaugh are not on the initial list of witnesses. both testified before the senate judiciary committee last week, but there is another woman who wants to talk to investigators. we have more on that story from cnn's sarah sidner. >> reporter: the newly ordered fbi background investigation has begun into supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. after questions over its scope, the president responded with this. >> the fbi i believe is doing a really great job. they have been all over it. they have free reign. they're going to do whatever they have to do, whatever it is they do. they'll be doing things that we never even thought of. >> reporter: so far it appears fbi agents are focusing on the accusations of two women, deborah ramirez who says she met kavanaugh while the tua tended yale, and christine blasey ford who says she met kavanaugh in high school. the senate judiciary committee and the country has already heard the emotion-filled sworn testim

meanwhile, a source is telling nbc news the fbi spoke to his second accuser deborah ramirez. she accused him of exposing himself to her when they both attended yale. the fbi is investigating the sexual assault and misconduct claims against kavanaugh. the latest ontihe investi in a live report on capitol hill. >> 4:33. re's the top stories this rning. it's all in response to a tweet that attacked one of brett kavanaugh's accusers. >> the u.s. and cada reached a tentative trade deal. it gives the u.s. greater access to canada's dairy market and also dumps tariffs onia can cars in the u.s. it's now being called the united states-mexico-canada agreement. >> three men were killed in a car explosion surday nig in allentown. authorities are calling it annt innal attack. local and federal authorities believe one of those killed was the person responsible. so far no word on a motive. >> there will be no more professionalaseball in washington until april. it wasgh a tou season. they were shut out by the rockies in denver losing12-0. making matters most, this may be the last time we eve

the yale roommates of debbie ramirez, the woman claiming brett kavanaugh exposed himself at a party, said this about kavanaugh at yale.liz swisher/yal roommate of debbie ramirez/cuomo tonight:"he was a sloppy drunk. he was more interested in impressing the boys than he was in impressing the girls. i never saw him be sexually aggressive, but he definitely was a sloppy drunk."lynn brookes/yale roommate of debbie ramirez, via telephone: "i was witness to the night that he got tapped into that fraternity, and he was stumbling drunk in a ridiculous costume saying really dumb things... and i can almost guarantee that there's no way that he remembers that night."no one cnn has contacted claims to be a witness to aggressive sexual behavior or even unwanted sexual advances by kavanaugh (vicki) u-s senator dianne feinstein firing back at g-o-p senators, insisting she and her staff did not leak a letter detailing the first assault allegation against supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. she released a statement tonight saying: "president trump and senate republicans are trying to deflect atten

a source tells abc news ramirez provided a list of witnesses.0 minutes", democrat chris coons and republican jeff flake, who forced the investigation, agreeing -- >> if judge kavanaugh is shown to have lied to the committee, nomination is over? >> oh, yes, i would think so. >> reporter: investigators do not plan to interview kavanaugh's classmates who contradict his testimony about his drinking. >> isn't that relevant given there clearly was drinking going on? at least it's alleged at the party? >> no. i think you're trying to portray him as a stumbling, bumbling drunk, gang rapist. >> a former college friend trying this letter in the new york sometimes saying, quote, in denying the possibility that he ever blacked out while drinking and in down playing the degree of his drinking brett has not told the truth. also not being questioned, julie swetni swetnick. she claims she witnessed kavanaugh mistreat women at parties in high school. kavanaugh strongly denies all allegations. >> reporter: senator dianne feinstein asked the fbi for the full list

to ramirez -- 100% sure. an investigation designed to get at the truth would have interviewed people who recalled kavanaugh's propensity to drink to excess and his behavior when drunk relevant to these incidents. an investigation designed to get at the truth would have certainly sought toll investigate dr. christine blasey ford and brett kavanaugh. from public reporting we know that none of this happened. it is difficult to escape the conclusion that, like everything else in this nomination, like hiding 90% of the records from the bush white house days, like putting bogus executive privilege over other documents, like claiming other documents were not confidential, like everything else, it is hard to escape the conclusion that this investigation was designed not to get at the truth but to step carefully around it. i am a huge fan of the f.b.i. i admire that organization immensely, and it must have killed the agents to do such a half-baked and incomplete job because of marching orders from the white house. my

ramirez's story before it became public. that was in clear contradiction with his testimony before the judiciary committee. a search for the truth would have allowed the f.b.i. to at least speak for july swetnick, a third accuser. as vermonters said to me last weekend when i was home, if they have nothing to hide, why the rush? if they have nothing to hide, why don't they take the time to find the whole truth? but instead of calling on the f.b.i. to take these basic investigatory steps, inexplicably the republican-controlled judiciary committee has solely tried to discredit these women. the committee released a statement from a former acquaintance of ms. swetnick. this individual had no knowledge of the alleged incident, but instead wanted to describe the alleged sexual preferences of ms. swetnick. according to the national task force to end sexual and domestic violence, one of the most nonpartisan and respected voices on capitol hill, this shameless attempt to smear a victim violates the rape shield law. look what happened.

those people include mark judge, patrick pj smith, leland keyser and debra ramirez. >> the judge and team were communicating behind the scenes with friends to refute the claim, this according to text messages obtained by nbc news. text messages between friends of kavanaugh suggest that he was personally talking with former classmates about ramirez's story in advance of the new yorker article that made her allegation public. in fact, in one message kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defense. two others show communication between kavanaugh's team and former classmates in advance of this story. bertram has twice send a memo about the texts to the fbi and has yet to hear a response, this according to her lawyer. two days after ramirez's allegations were reported in now public transcripts from an interview with republican judiciary committee staff, kavanaugh claimed it was ramirez calling around to classmates trying to see if they remembered it. the texts also reveal kavanaugh and ramirez were more socially connected than previously thought and ramirez was uncomfortable around