Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Yale roommate says he believes second accuser

Monday, September 24, 2018
SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's roommate from Yale says he believes the second woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.

WATCH: Best moments, videos from Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Blasey Ford Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

James Roche says he was Kavanaugh's roommate in the Fall of 1983.

"We shared a two-bedroom unit in the basement of Lawrence Hall on the Old Campus. Despite our living conditions, Brett and I did not socialize beyond the first few days of freshman year. We talked at night as freshman roommates do and I would see him as he returned from nights out with his friends," Roche said in a statement.

RELATED: Here's what the three women accusing Brett Kavanaugh have said

He went on to describe how Kavanaugh conducted himself while they shared a living space.

"It is from this experience that I concluded that although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time, and that he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk. I did not observe the specific incident in question, but I do remember Brett frequently drinking excessively and becoming incoherently drunk."

WATCH: Christine Blasey Ford's full statement about Brett Kavanaugh allegations

Roche says he became friends with Debbie Ramirez. "She stood out as being exceptionally honest, with a trusting manner. As we got to know one another, I discovered that Debbie was very worried about fitting in. She felt that everyone at Yale was very rich, very smart and very sophisticated and that as a Puerto Rican woman from a less privileged background she was an outsider. Her response was to try hard to make friends and get along."

Roche says he does not consider himself to be a political person and went on to say he has no political agenda.

Find more stories, photos, and videos on Brett Kavanaugh here.

James Roche's full statement in its entirety is below:

I was Brett Kavanaugh's roommate at Yale University in the Fall of 1983. We shared a two-bedroom unit in the basement of Lawrence Hall on the Old Campus. Despite our living conditions, Brett and I did not socialize beyond the first few days of freshman year. We talked at night as freshman roommates do and I would see him as he returned from nights out with his friends. It is from this experience that I concluded that although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time, and that he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk. I did not observe the specific incident in question, but I do remember Brett frequently drinking excessively and becoming incoherently drunk.

I became close friends with Debbie Ramirez shortly after we both arrived at Yale. She stood out as being exceptionally honest, with a trusting manner. As we got to know one another, I discovered that Debbie was very worried about fitting in. She felt that everyone at Yale was very rich, very smart and very sophisticated and that as a Puerto Rican woman from a less privileged background she was an outsider. Her response was to try hard to make friends and get along.

Based on my time with Debbie, I believe her to be unusually honest and straightforward and I cannot imagine her making this up.

Based on my time with Brett, I believe that he and his social circle were capable of the actions that Debbie described.

I do not consider myself to be a political person and I have no political agenda. I have shared this information with a small number of reporters who reached out to me directly because Debbie has a right to be heard and I believe her.

I have been asked for more detail and additional stories, but this is all that I am comfortable sharing. If I could contribute more first-hand information, I would, but I will not be granting any more interviews or answering any more questions at this time.
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.