Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) asked Rep. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.) in a Sept. 17 letter to open a formal impeachment inquiry into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh following the New York Times's publication of new accusations that omitted exculpatory evidence.

Harris argued the sexual misconduct allegations made against Kavanaugh in a Sept. 14 New York Times book excerpt raised the possibility that he may have lied to the Senate during his confirmation hearing. She added that the FBI investigation into the original claims made against Kavanaugh by Christine Blasey Ford was insufficient. Harris reiterated her beliefs in an op-ed published in Elle magazine on Friday.

"If we want to live in a country where women are believed and given access to the justice they deserve, we must roll up our sleeves and get to work holding our leaders accountable," Harris wrote in Elle. "Especially those who serve on the highest court in our land."

The Times story, adapted from a new book about Kavanaugh by two of the newspaper's reporters, alleged that a friend of Kavanaugh "pushed" Kavanaugh's "penis into the hand of a female student" at a college party. The op-ed neglected to mention, however, that the woman in question was not interviewed for the story and that her friends say she does not recall the incident. The Times issued an update after author Mollie Hemingway pointed out the omission.

The authors of the Times piece, Kate Kelly and Robin Pogrebin, also backpedaled their allegations in the week following the story's publication. Kelly told Yahoo News on Sept. 20 that she was disappointed the story generated a "rush to impeachment" from 2020 candidates such as Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), and South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg.