HBO host Bill Maher, a prominent critic of President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE, dismissed Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court nominee this week but said publicizing anonymous accusations against him dating back to high school make critics "look bad."

“Now they’re coming at him with this accusation from someone anonymous who said that he was at a party … but sexual assault in high school from an anonymous source, I think it makes us look bad,” he said on Friday's “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Bill Maher Dismisses Kavanaugh Misconduct Allegation: 'I Think It Makes Us Look Bad' #RealTime pic.twitter.com/P5zjJ6crj6 — Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) September 14, 2018

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The New Yorker reported Friday details of a letter disclosed to Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinFeinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll MORE (D-Calif.) from a woman who says that Kavanaugh “held her down and that he attempted to force himself on her” at a party in the early 1980s.

Kavanaugh denied the allegations, saying, “I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” in a statement provided by the White House.

Feinstein, who is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she wanted to make the information public, but the woman involved in the incident did not want details to be publicly disclosed. She received the information “through a third party,” according to a spokesman.

"The senator took these allegations seriously and believed they should be public. However, the woman in question made it clear she did not want this information to be public," the spokesman said.

"It is critical in matters of sexual misconduct to protect the identity of the victim when they wish to remain anonymous, and the senator did so in this case," he added.

Sen. Chuck Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Ginsburg lies in repose Top GOP senators say Hunter Biden's work 'cast a shadow' over Obama Ukraine policy Read: Senate GOP's controversial Biden report MORE (R-Iowa) responded by releasing a letter signed by 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school and vouched for his character.