Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends support to Brett Kavanaugh accuser

College professor Christine Blasey Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexually and physically assaulting her in the early 1980s when both were high school students in Washington's Maryland suburbs. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Louis-Dreyfus is an alumna of Ford's school, Holton-Arms, a college prep school for girls.

The Emmy Award-winning star of "Veep" said on Twitter Monday that she had signed an open letter of support for Ford being circulated and signed by alumnae from the Maryland school's classes of 1967-2018.

The draft letter was posted online as a Google document. It says the signatories believe Ford and that her story needs to be thoroughly and independently investigated before the Senate can vote on Kavanaugh's nomination.

'Consistent with stories we heard and lived'

"I was class of '79 & signed this letter," Louis-Dreyfus said on Twitter, posting a link to the Huffington Post's article on the document.

"Dr. Blasey Ford's experience is all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton. Many of us are survivors ourselves," the letter says.

"Holton's motto teaches students to 'find a way or make one.' We dream of making a world where women are free from harassment, assault and sexual violence. We hold deep gratitude to Dr. Blasey Ford for bravely stepping forward and bringing us closer to that world we all seek," it concludes.

Holton-Arms' current head of school, Susanna A. Jones, also praised Ford for coming forward. "As a school that empowers women to use their voices, we are proud of this alumna for using hers," Jones' statement on the school's website reads.

The Holton-Arms letter follows one circulated by Judiciary Committee Republicans on Friday and signed by 65 women, vouching for Kavanaugh's character, who said they knew the nominee in high school.

New public hearings

The Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Monday he would convene remarkable new public hearings in a week's time, following the new claims against Kavanaugh.

Both Kavanaugh and Ford will testify before the panel.

In a statement earlier Monday, Kavanaugh called Ford's allegations "completely false."

"I have never done anything like what the accuser describes -- to her or to anyone," Kavanaugh said. "Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity."

Kavanaugh's statement came shortly after Ford said through her attorney that she would be willing to speak with Congress to tell her side of the story.

READ: How the accusations unfolded

Ford went public with her allegation in an article published by The Washington Post on Sunday. In the article, she alleged that at a party during their high school years, Kavanaugh pushed her into a bedroom along with his friend Mark Judge, attempted to remove her clothes and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream.

Judge denied the allegation in an interview with The Weekly Standard on Friday, before Ford publicly identified herself. "I never saw Brett act that way," Judge said.