Feinstein - "the incident was too distant in the past to merit public discussion" - New Yorker 9/14

According to Ronan Farrow's article: Feinstein had the letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault since July. She didn't share it with other committee members. She felt the incident didn't 'merit public attention" since was "too distant in the past." She held back the information because she wanted the committee to focus on "legal rather than personal issues."

A Sexual-Misconduct Allegation Against the Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh Stirs Tension Among Democrats in Congress By Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer The New Yorker September 14, 2018
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-sexual-misconduct-allegation-against-the-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaugh-stirs-tension-among-democrats-in-congress

"A source familiar with the committee’s activities said that Feinstein’s staff initially conveyed to other Democratic members’ offices that the incident was too distant in the past to merit public discussion and that Feinstein had taken care of it.

"The woman, who has asked not to be identified, first approached Democratic lawmakers in July, shortly after Trump nominated Kavanaugh. "

"After the interactions with Eshoo’s and Feinstein’s offices, the woman decided not to speak about the matter publicly." (Does this mean the woman was going to speak out before these interactions?)

We couldn’t understand what their rationale is for not briefing members on this. This is all very weird, one of the congressional sources said. Another added, She’s had the letter since late July. And we all just found out about it.

"Feinstein also acted out of a sense that Democrats would be better off focussing on legal, rather than personal, issues in their questioning of Kavanaugh. Sources who worked for other members of the Judiciary Committee said that they respected the need to protect the woman’s privacy, but that they didn’t understand why Feinstein had resisted answering legitimate questions about the allegation."