Lawyers for Kavanaugh accuser want FBI investigation before committee hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford say she wants an FBI investigation of her allegation of being sexually assaulted decades ago by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before a Judiciary Committee hearing set for Monday.

They say in a letter Tuesday that Ford wants to cooperate with the panel. But they say that in the days since she went public with her allegation, she has been the target of "vicious harassment and even death threats." They say her family has relocated.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the lawyers say an FBI investigation "should be the first step in addressing the allegations."

Kavanaugh has denied Ford's allegations that he groped her and tried to pull off her clothes during a party in high school in the early 1980s.