Brett Kavanaugh: Third woman accuses Trump's supreme court nominee of sexual misconduct

The US Senate's top Democrat on Wednesday demanded Republicans "immediately suspend" the confirmation process for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, after explosive new allegations of sexual misconduct by Brett Kavanaugh emerged.

"Republicans need to immediately suspend the proceedings related to Judge Kavanaugh's nomination," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the eve of a scheduled hearing in which lawmakers were to hear from another Kavanaugh accuser.

"I strongly believe Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration. If he will not, at the very least, the hearing and vote should be postponed while the FBI investigates all of these allegations."

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Meanwhile, US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Wednesday once more rejected allegations he sexually abused women as "last minute smears" that were "false and uncorroborated."

In a statement prepared for a crunch Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the judge again denied the allegation by Christine Blasey Ford -- who will testify at Thursday's hearing about her claim Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were teenagers.

"Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired," he added. "These are last minute smears, pure and simple."

Deborah Ramirez, a former Yale classmate, has also accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her during a party in the 1980s.

On Wednesday, Julie Swetnick became the third woman to accuse Kavanaugh of misconduct, saying in a statement that she saw him "drink excessively" at high school parties in the 1980s and engage in abusive behavior including the "fondling and grabbing of girls without their consent."

It was unclear whether Kavanaugh's testimony was written before or after a third woman came forward.