Senate Judiciary aide resigns amid sexual harassment allegation: NBC

[September 24, 2018]    (Reuters) - A media adviser helping the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee respond to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has resigned amid allegations of his own sexual misconduct, a committee spokesperson said on Saturday.

Garrett Ventry, 29, a communications aide to Senate Judiciary committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, was "one of several temporary staff brought on to assist in the committee’s consideration of the Supreme Court nomination," a Senate Judiciary Committee spokesperson told Reuters.

"While he strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee," the spokesperson said.

Ventry was previously fired from the office of North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell because a female employee of the North Carolina GOP General Assembly accused him of sexual harassment, according to NBC.

In a statement to NBC, Ventry denied any wrongdoing.

Christine Blasey Ford claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party 36 years ago. Ford has until 2:30 p.m. Saturday to notify the committee whether she plans to testify before congress, according to the New York Times.

NBC first reported Ventry's resignation and the allegations against him.

(Corrects paragraph 6 to remove reference that Ford was a classmate of Kavanaugh; she was not.)

(Reporting by Christopher Bing, Editing by Franklin Paul)

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