Brett Kavanaugh defied his accusers on Monday when he said that he will "not be intimidated into withdrawing" his Supreme Court nomination after a second woman emerged late on Sunday with a sexual misconduct allegation against him. In a letter from Kavanaugh to Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein - the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee - the SCOTUS candidate said the accusations against him are "smears, pure and simple."

"They debase our public discourse. But they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination - if allowed to succeed -will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service," Kavanaugh said in the letter to Grassley and Feinstein.

"I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed," an exasperated Kavanaugh write.

He sent the letter after The New Yorker reported that Senate Democrats are investigating a sexual misconduct allegation dating back to Kavanaugh’s freshman year at Yale University, Deborah Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself in front of her during a dorm party at Yale. She told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh thrust his penis in her face, causing her to touch it without her consent. The latest allegation emerged not long after Kavanaugh had faced earlier sexual assault allegations from Christine Blasey Ford, who says that at a party in the early 1980s Kavanaugh pinned her down to a bed and tried to remove her clothing.

Kavanaugh and Ford are both scheduled to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Earlier, president Trump said he backs Kavanaugh "all the way" and the accusations against him "totally political", and with other republicans joining in, it appears there will be a drawn out fight over his nomination. Republcian senator Orrin Hatch said the New Yorker piece was a "smear campaign." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) meanwhile said Democrats are engaged in "wholesale character assassination."