WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee staff interviewed two men who said they believed that they, and not US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, had "the encounter" with the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, according to new information released Wednesday night by committee Republicans. 
 
 The revelation — which came on the eve of much-anticipated public testimony from Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of attacking her, Christine Blasey Ford — included few details. The committee didn't identify the men, offer details about what they said, state whether committee staff found their accounts credible, or indicate whether there would be any further follow-up. 
 
 The committee released a timeline describing how committee chair Chuck Grassley and his staff had responded to misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, starting with Ford's account of being attacked at a party in the summer of 1982. On Sept. 24, the committee said that staff interviewed "a man who believes he, not Judge Kavanaugh, had the encounter with Dr. Ford in 1982 that is the basis of his complaint." 
 
 Committee staff interviewed the man again the next day, on Sept. 25, according to the timeline. "He described his recollection of their interaction in some detail," according to the committee. 
 
 On Sept. 26, the committee received "a more in-depth written statement" from the man they had previously interviewed. Committee staff also spoke by phone "with another man who believes he, not Judge Kavanuagh, had the encounter with Dr. Ford in 1982 that is the basis of her allegation. He explained his recollection of the details of the encounter." 
 
 A spokesperson for Grassley did not immediately return a request for comment. Lawyers for Ford also did not immediately return a request for comment. 
 
 A Democratic aide told BuzzFeed News in an email that committee Democrats were not told about the allegations, which was a violation of committee rules. The aide called the release from the Republican side "shameful and the height of irresponsibility." 
 
 Ford and Kavanaugh are scheduled to testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee; Senate Republicans have brought in Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to ask questions on their behalf. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations. In written remarks submitted in advance of Thursday's hearing, Kavanaugh said that he "never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes." 
 
 "I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. 
 
 I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge," Kavanaugh wrote. 
 
 Ford has stood by her accusation. In her prepared remarks, she recounted her claims that at a party while the two were in high school, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her, and tried to take off her clothes. He covered her mouth with his hand when she tried to scream, she said. Ford said that another high school friend, Mark Judge, was also in the room. 
 
 Judge's lawyer submitted a statement from Judge to the committee saying he had "no memory of this alleged incident" and "never saw Brett act in the manner Dr. Ford describes." 
 
 
 
 "It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me," Ford wrote. "Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack. They both seemed to be having a good time. Mark was urging Brett on, although at times he told Brett to stop. A couple of times I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me, but he did not." 
 
 Since Ford's accusations became public earlier this month, two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, have come forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied those allegations as well. The committee is only set to hear from Ford and Kavanaugh at Thursday's hearing. 

 WASHINGTON—On the eve of a critical Senate hearing that could decide the fate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a third woman came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct in the early 1980s as partisan anger deepened on both sides. 
 
 The revelations shocked Capitol Hill, where Republican lawmakers are seeking to advance a nomination that legal scholars and lawmakers have said could cement a conservative majority. 
 
 Judge... 

 Attorney Michael Avenatti revealed Julie Swetnick's allegations against Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday. | David McNew/Getty Images Kavanaugh Confirmation Ex-boyfriend filed restraining order against third Kavanaugh accuser 
 
 Julie Swetnick, the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a friend of attending house parties where women — including herself — were sexually assaulted, had a restraining order filed against her years later in Miami by her former boyfriend. 
 
 A Miami-Dade County court docket shows a petition for injunction against Swetnick was filed March 1, 2001, by her former boyfriend, Richard Vinneccy, who told POLITICO Wednesday the two had dated for four years before they broke up. 
 
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 Thirteen days later, the case was dismissed, not long after an affidavit of non-ability to advance fees was filed. 
 
 According to Vinneccy, Swetnick threatened him after they broke up and even after he got married to his current wife and had a child. 
 
 “Right after I broke up with her, she was threatening my family, threatening my wife and threatening to do harm to my baby at that time,” Vinneccy said in a telephone interview with POLITICO. "I know a lot about her.” 
 
 "She’s not credible at all,” he said. “Not at all.” 
 
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 The allegation is likely to raise questions among Republican defenders of Kavanaugh about Swetnick’s credibility after her attorney Michael Avenatti revealed her for the first time on Wednesday. 
 
 Reached late Wednesday, Avenatti said he knew nothing of a restraining order and called the line of inquiry irrelevant. 
 
 "Complete nonsense. No truth to this at all. Her ex-boyfriend fraudulently used her resume to apply for and obtain jobs and was caught by her," said Avenatti. “Why are you all attacking a sexual assault victim? Would that be appropriate in a court of law?” 
 
 Citing the sensitive nature of the case and the explosive politics surrounding it, Vinneccy said he wanted to talk to an attorney first before further discussing the case, which has kept him occupied all day. 
 
 “My phone has not stopped since this morning. Everyone is calling,” Vinneccy said. 
 
 Vinneccy, 63, is a registered Democrat, according to Miami-Dade County voting records. 
 
 Swetnick was identified on Wednesday by Avenatti, who produced a sworn statement asserting that she met Kavanaugh in the 1980-1981 time period and subsequently attended more than 10 house parties where she said Kavanaugh and a close friend of his, Mark Judge, attended. 
 
 Swetnick does not accuse Kavanaugh himself of sexually assaulting her in the sworn statement. But she asserts Kavanaugh was present when she was the victim of a “gang rape” by multiple boys at one party. 
 
 Vinneccy made clear that he did not believe her story. 
 
 “I have a lot of facts, evidence, that what she’s saying is not true at all,” he said. “I would rather speak to my attorney first before saying more." 
 
 Avenatti called the reporting “outrageous” and accused the press of “digging into the past” of a woman who stepped forward and is willing to testify under oath. 
 
 “I am disgusted by the fact that the press is attacking a sexual assault victim,” Avenatti said. 
 
 When asked if the allegation of a restraining order were true, Avenatti said: “I don’t know one way or another,” adding he would research it further. 
 
 Avenatti previously said he had vetted the client and in a sworn statement, she said she still held government clearances. 
 
 Matt Dixon and Marianne Levine contributed to this report.
– In a late-night development, Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed that two men have told the Senate Judiciary Committee they were the ones who had the alleged 1982 encounter with Christine Blasey Ford. The details are scarce and come via a news release issued by Grassley, reports USA Today, which notes "it's unknown whether the men's claims are being taken seriously." Neither man was named and BuzzFeed News notes the release gave no indication of whether the committee would follow up further with the men. The first was interviewed Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday provided "a more in-depth written statement." The second man "explained his recollection of the details of the encounter" on Wednesday as well. More: Politico separately reports on an ex-boyfriend's accusation that third accuser Julie Swetnick is "not credible at all. Not at all." That man, Richard Vinneccy, filed for a restraining order against Swetnick on March 1, 2001, claiming that after their four-year relationship ended she threatened his wife and child. The case was dismissed two weeks later. When asked about it, Swetnick attorney Michael Avenatti called it "complete nonsense" and described Vinneccy as the problematic one. "Her ex-boyfriend fraudulently used her resume to apply for and obtain jobs and was caught by her. Why are you all attacking a sexual assault victim? Would that be appropriate in a court of law?" The Wall Street Journal digs into Swetnick's background and reports that she worked as an agent for New York Life Insurance from 2006 to 2008. She filed a sexual-harassment complaint against the company that ultimately earned her a financial settlement. She was repped by Debra Katz's firm; Katz is now representing Ford.