‘Have No Idea’: Kavanaugh Accuser's Classmate Backtracks on Sexual Assault Claim

Cristina King Miranda, a former classmate of Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of having sexually assaulted her in high school, has backed off from her earlier claims suggesting she had information about the alleged assault.

"That it happened or not, I have no idea," Miranda said, speaking to NPR. "I can't say that it did or didn't," she added.

The woman's remarks are at odds with her earlier comments on the case, including a Facebook post where she wrote the "the incident DID happen," and that "many" of her classmates "heard about it in school." The post has since been deleted. 

"In my post, I was empowered and I was sure it probably did [happen]," Miranda admitted. "I had no idea that I would now have to go to the specifics and defend it before 50 cable channels and have my face spread all over MSNBC News and Twitter."

Miranda said she would not be willing to be interviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee if asked.

Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school in the 1980s, just before the Republican-controlled Senate was expected to begin voting on whether or not to confirm him to the Supreme Court. The charges prompted some Republicans, including President Trump, to accuse the Democrats of trying to "obstruct and resist" the nomination.

Kavanaugh adamantly denied that the incident took place, and agreed to testify in the Senate inquiry. Ford agreed to come forth publicly, but requested an FBI investigation into her case before the Senate held hearings. The accuser also admitted that she didn't remember many important details of the event, such as the exact time it happened or who owned the house where it occurred.

Earlier this week, Ford's attorney accused Republican senators of acting unfairly by scheduling a hearing on her claims on Monday without looking for any further witnesses. Ford said she would cooperate, but said that she would not want to appear at a hearing where she and Kavanaugh were the only witnesses.

Donald Trump picked Kavanaugh to replace  retiring justice Anthony Kennedy in July. Serving as a White House secretary during the Bush administration between 2003 and 2006, Kavanaugh was appointed to the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. in 2006. In the 1990s, he worked with Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr on an investigation into President Bill Clinton's sexual misconduct and perjury regarding said testimony during a sworn deposition.