Jewish woman accuses Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in high school
Trump signals he could ditch his Supreme Court nominee if he finds the evidence of sexual assault to be convincing
A third woman has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as a high schooler and was identified by her lawyer as Julie Swetnick.
On Wednesday, lawyer Michael Avenatti posted testimony by a woman who said she witnessed Kavanaugh drinking heavily at parties and engaging in “abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls” as a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s.
Among other things, Swetnick said that Kavanaugh had fondled and grabbed girls, attempted to remove their clothing and made “crude sexual comments” at house parties in the Maryland suburb near Washington, DC, where they attended school. She also said she “became aware of efforts” by Kavanaugh, his friend Mark Judge, now an author and journalist, and others “to cause girls to become inebriated and disoriented so they could then be ‘gang raped.’”
Swetnick said she was raped at one of the house parties where Kavanaugh and Judge were present.
Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 26, 2018
Avenatti told the Forward that his client is Jewish. Swetnick is the niece of Helene Moglen, a professor of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who has written about gender and sexual harassment in the academy, the Forward reported. Swetnick, an information technology specialist, is the daughter of the late Elaine Moglen Swetnick, who worked for the Atomic Energy Commission, and Martin Swetnik, a retired physicist, the Forward reported.
Swetnick’s allegations come on the heels of claims by two other women that Kavanaugh had engaged in sexual misconduct in high school and later as an undergraduate at Yale University.
Kavanaugh, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, has denied the allegations. On Wednesday, in a White House statement, he called Swetnick’s claims “ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone” and said he did not know her.
On Twitter, Trump called Avenatti — whose most famous client, adult film actress Stormy Daniels, is suing the president over an alleged sexual encounter in 2006 — “a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations.”
Avenatti is a third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations, like he did on me and like he is now doing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is just looking for attention and doesn’t want people to look at his past record and relationships – a total low-life!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2018
However, Trump later indicated he was open to pulling Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination if he finds the evidence against him of sexual assault convincing.
“I can always be convinced,” Trump said at a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, on the eve of a key Senate hearing at which a university professor accusing his nominee of assault will detail her allegations to lawmakers.
“If I thought he was guilty of something like this, yes, sure. I want to watch. I want to see,” the president said.
At the same time, Trump described Kavanaugh as a “great gentleman” and said he believed the accusations against the conservative were “false.”
Trump said he was skeptical because he personally has been the target of “false statements” in the past made by various women.
“It does impact my opinions because I’ve had a lot of false charges made against me,” he said. “People want fame, they want money, they want whatever.”
Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, is to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Kavanaugh also stands accused of exposing himself to a classmate, Deborah Ramirez, during an alcohol-fueled Yale University party a few years later.
The Times of Israel Community.