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| Brett Kavanaugh Regrets Some Choices in High School, but Again Denies Sexual Assault | Brett Kavanaugh Regrets Some Choices in High School, but Again Denies Sexual Assault |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, confronting a new accuser and Democratic calls to withdraw his nomination, plans to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday that he sometimes drank too much and “was not perfect” in high school. But he will adamantly deny the accusation that he sexually assaulted a fellow student at a party in the 1980s or anyone else. | |
| “I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now,” Mr. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, will tell the committee, according to prepared remarks released by the committee on Wednesday. “But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior.” | “I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now,” Mr. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, will tell the committee, according to prepared remarks released by the committee on Wednesday. “But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior.” |
| [Read Judge Kavanaugh’s written testimony.] | [Read Judge Kavanaugh’s written testimony.] |
| Judge Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, were preparing on Wednesday to testify in an extraordinary hearing on Thursday with the Supreme Court’s future in the balance. But around them a whirlwind of new accusations, new evidence, charges and countercharges were engulfing the confirmation process. | Judge Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, were preparing on Wednesday to testify in an extraordinary hearing on Thursday with the Supreme Court’s future in the balance. But around them a whirlwind of new accusations, new evidence, charges and countercharges were engulfing the confirmation process. |
| A new accuser stepped forward with perhaps the most explosive charges yet, aided by Michael Avenatti, the firebrand lawyer who already represents a pornographic film actress going after the president. The Senate Judiciary Committee released handwritten calendar notations from Judge Kavanaugh’s high school days that laid out the party-hopping lifestyle of a pampered prep schooler, as well as affidavits from Dr. Ford’s friends and husband and a copy of the polygraph test administered in August at the advice of her lawyers indicating no deception. | A new accuser stepped forward with perhaps the most explosive charges yet, aided by Michael Avenatti, the firebrand lawyer who already represents a pornographic film actress going after the president. The Senate Judiciary Committee released handwritten calendar notations from Judge Kavanaugh’s high school days that laid out the party-hopping lifestyle of a pampered prep schooler, as well as affidavits from Dr. Ford’s friends and husband and a copy of the polygraph test administered in August at the advice of her lawyers indicating no deception. |
| The Democratic leader said Judge Kavanaugh ought to withdraw, while another Senate Democrat said he would file a lawsuit seeking to halt the nomination on procedural grounds. And Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican on the Judiciary Committee whose vote could determine Judge Kavanaugh’s fate, delivered a fiery speech on the Senate floor chastising both parties for prejudging the women’s claims — and Mr. Trump for dismissing Dr. Blasey altogether because she did not report a sexual assault as a 15-year-old. | The Democratic leader said Judge Kavanaugh ought to withdraw, while another Senate Democrat said he would file a lawsuit seeking to halt the nomination on procedural grounds. And Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican on the Judiciary Committee whose vote could determine Judge Kavanaugh’s fate, delivered a fiery speech on the Senate floor chastising both parties for prejudging the women’s claims — and Mr. Trump for dismissing Dr. Blasey altogether because she did not report a sexual assault as a 15-year-old. |
| “How uninformed and uncaring do we have to be to say things like that, much less to believe them?” Mr. Flake said of the president he has often condemned. “Do we have any idea what kind of message that sends, especially to young women?” | “How uninformed and uncaring do we have to be to say things like that, much less to believe them?” Mr. Flake said of the president he has often condemned. “Do we have any idea what kind of message that sends, especially to young women?” |
| The polygraph report, which concluded “No Deception Indicated,” previewed previously undisclosed details that could bolster Dr. Blasey’s own case before the committee, particularly in rebutting a central piece of the defense by Judge Kavanaugh and Republican allies who have asserted that she must be misremembering the identity of her assailant. In an interview in August with the former F.B.I. agent conducting the test, Dr. Blasey said that, in fact, she “had met Kavanaugh before at previous parties and she briefly dated one of his friends.” | The polygraph report, which concluded “No Deception Indicated,” previewed previously undisclosed details that could bolster Dr. Blasey’s own case before the committee, particularly in rebutting a central piece of the defense by Judge Kavanaugh and Republican allies who have asserted that she must be misremembering the identity of her assailant. In an interview in August with the former F.B.I. agent conducting the test, Dr. Blasey said that, in fact, she “had met Kavanaugh before at previous parties and she briefly dated one of his friends.” |
| Potentially most troubling was a declaration from Julie Swetnick, who said that in the 1980s, she witnessed Judge Kavanaugh and a friend, Mark Judge, trying to get teenage girls “inebriated and disoriented so they could then be ‘gang raped’ in a side room or bedroom by a ‘train’ of numerous boys.” | Potentially most troubling was a declaration from Julie Swetnick, who said that in the 1980s, she witnessed Judge Kavanaugh and a friend, Mark Judge, trying to get teenage girls “inebriated and disoriented so they could then be ‘gang raped’ in a side room or bedroom by a ‘train’ of numerous boys.” |
| [Read about Julie Swetnick’s allegations against Judge Kavanaugh.] | [Read about Julie Swetnick’s allegations against Judge Kavanaugh.] |
| In a statement released by the White House, Judge Kavanaugh said there was no truth to the claim. | In a statement released by the White House, Judge Kavanaugh said there was no truth to the claim. |
| “This is ridiculous and from the ‘Twilight Zone,’” he said. “I don’t know who this is and this never happened.” | “This is ridiculous and from the ‘Twilight Zone,’” he said. “I don’t know who this is and this never happened.” |
| Sidestepping the accusations themselves, Mr. Trump dismissed Ms. Swetnick’s lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, on Twitter as a “third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations” and is seeking attention. | Sidestepping the accusations themselves, Mr. Trump dismissed Ms. Swetnick’s lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, on Twitter as a “third rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations” and is seeking attention. |
| Judiciary Committee aides confirmed that they are examining Ms. Swetnick’s declaration. But the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, told reporters that he did not expect to find anything. | Judiciary Committee aides confirmed that they are examining Ms. Swetnick’s declaration. But the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, told reporters that he did not expect to find anything. |
| “We have had accusation after accusation, accusation, very few of them, if any, corroborated,” he said. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, another Republican on the committee, said he would “not be a participant in wholesale character assassination that defies credibility.” | “We have had accusation after accusation, accusation, very few of them, if any, corroborated,” he said. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, another Republican on the committee, said he would “not be a participant in wholesale character assassination that defies credibility.” |
| A lawyer for a third woman, Deborah Ramirez, who went public this week with an account of collegiate sexual misconduct, wrote to the committee saying that his client would be “willing to cooperate” and tell her story under certain terms. | A lawyer for a third woman, Deborah Ramirez, who went public this week with an account of collegiate sexual misconduct, wrote to the committee saying that his client would be “willing to cooperate” and tell her story under certain terms. |
| Ms. Ramirez told The New Yorker that during a drinking party when they were students at Yale, Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her. Ms. Ramirez was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants. | Ms. Ramirez told The New Yorker that during a drinking party when they were students at Yale, Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her. Ms. Ramirez was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants. |
| Mr. Kavanaugh, who has spent days preparing to defend himself publicly, will appear before the committee on Thursday after Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in California, in an attempt to save what once looked like a sure confirmation to the Supreme Court. He has denied the charges against him since Dr. Blasey’s story first became public this month, but his written testimony released on Wednesday suggested that the tone of his defense may be shifting to acknowledge his own drinking. | Mr. Kavanaugh, who has spent days preparing to defend himself publicly, will appear before the committee on Thursday after Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in California, in an attempt to save what once looked like a sure confirmation to the Supreme Court. He has denied the charges against him since Dr. Blasey’s story first became public this month, but his written testimony released on Wednesday suggested that the tone of his defense may be shifting to acknowledge his own drinking. |
| Mr. Kavanaugh will condemn sexual assault as “morally wrong” and contrary to his Catholic values. But he will dismiss accusations by Dr. Blasey and two other women that have emerged in recent days as “last-minute smears, pure and simple” meant to block his confirmation to the court. | Mr. Kavanaugh will condemn sexual assault as “morally wrong” and contrary to his Catholic values. But he will dismiss accusations by Dr. Blasey and two other women that have emerged in recent days as “last-minute smears, pure and simple” meant to block his confirmation to the court. |
| “I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time,” he plans to say. “But I have never done that to her or to anyone.” | “I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time,” he plans to say. “But I have never done that to her or to anyone.” |
| In advance of that testimony, the Judiciary Committee released calendar pages from the summer of 1982 that could complicate his self-drawn portrait of a diligent student obsessed mainly with sports and reaching the top of his class. | In advance of that testimony, the Judiciary Committee released calendar pages from the summer of 1982 that could complicate his self-drawn portrait of a diligent student obsessed mainly with sports and reaching the top of his class. |
| At the same time, lawyers for Dr. Blasey gave the committee four affidavits — one from Dr. Blasey’s husband and three from friends — stating that she had told them in recent years that Judge Kavanaugh had assaulted her in high school. | At the same time, lawyers for Dr. Blasey gave the committee four affidavits — one from Dr. Blasey’s husband and three from friends — stating that she had told them in recent years that Judge Kavanaugh had assaulted her in high school. |
| Released as both sides prepare for an extraordinary public hearing before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, neither disclosure proves or disproves the cases that Dr. Blasey or Judge Kavanaugh have sought to advance, but Democratic senators are likely to use the calendars to question how truthful Judge Kavanaugh has been about his younger days. And although the affidavits suggest that Dr. Blasey’s story has been consistent, Republicans are more likely to focus on the lack of contemporaneous evidence that could corroborate her story. | Released as both sides prepare for an extraordinary public hearing before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, neither disclosure proves or disproves the cases that Dr. Blasey or Judge Kavanaugh have sought to advance, but Democratic senators are likely to use the calendars to question how truthful Judge Kavanaugh has been about his younger days. And although the affidavits suggest that Dr. Blasey’s story has been consistent, Republicans are more likely to focus on the lack of contemporaneous evidence that could corroborate her story. |
| Judge Kavanaugh intended to use the calendar, a green 1982 Northwestern Mutual Audubon wall calendar, as a part of his defense that he did not assault Dr. Blasey nor had any memory or record of a party like the one she described. No such entry exists to note a gathering that summer that exactly corresponds with Dr. Blasey’s memory. | Judge Kavanaugh intended to use the calendar, a green 1982 Northwestern Mutual Audubon wall calendar, as a part of his defense that he did not assault Dr. Blasey nor had any memory or record of a party like the one she described. No such entry exists to note a gathering that summer that exactly corresponds with Dr. Blasey’s memory. |
| But the calendars from May, June, July and August do contain notations that could be seen as helpful to her. He did “go to Judge’s,” an apparent reference to Mr. Judge, the friend of Judge Kavanaugh’s whom Dr. Blasey identified as participating in the assault. On July 1, 1982, he was to go to a friend’s house for “skis” with Mr. Judge and “P.J.” — possibly “brewskis” with Patrick J. Smyth, a classmate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Georgetown Preparatory School, identified by Dr. Blasey as P.J., another student attending the gathering where she says she was assaulted. | But the calendars from May, June, July and August do contain notations that could be seen as helpful to her. He did “go to Judge’s,” an apparent reference to Mr. Judge, the friend of Judge Kavanaugh’s whom Dr. Blasey identified as participating in the assault. On July 1, 1982, he was to go to a friend’s house for “skis” with Mr. Judge and “P.J.” — possibly “brewskis” with Patrick J. Smyth, a classmate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Georgetown Preparatory School, identified by Dr. Blasey as P.J., another student attending the gathering where she says she was assaulted. |
| There are multiple parties, multiple sporting events, and a couple of nights where Mr. Kavanaugh notes that he was grounded. At others, he travels to visit his grandmother in Connecticut and to spend the weekend with his parents in New York. He also appears to have spent considerable time at Washington-area country clubs, including the one where Dr. Blasey said a small group of teens congregated on the evening that she was assaulted. | There are multiple parties, multiple sporting events, and a couple of nights where Mr. Kavanaugh notes that he was grounded. At others, he travels to visit his grandmother in Connecticut and to spend the weekend with his parents in New York. He also appears to have spent considerable time at Washington-area country clubs, including the one where Dr. Blasey said a small group of teens congregated on the evening that she was assaulted. |
| Dr. Blasey has said that she did not tell anyone about the assault at the time out of fear that she might get in trouble. But the affidavits, all signed this week, suggest that Dr. Blasey had told some of the people closest to her, including her husband, about the episode at various points in recent years. | Dr. Blasey has said that she did not tell anyone about the assault at the time out of fear that she might get in trouble. But the affidavits, all signed this week, suggest that Dr. Blasey had told some of the people closest to her, including her husband, about the episode at various points in recent years. |
| Russell Ford, Dr. Blasey’s husband, said that his wife shared the details of the assault in a 2012 couple’s therapy session. | Russell Ford, Dr. Blasey’s husband, said that his wife shared the details of the assault in a 2012 couple’s therapy session. |
| “She said that she had been trapped in a room and physically restrained by one boy who was molesting her while the other boy watched,” he said. | “She said that she had been trapped in a room and physically restrained by one boy who was molesting her while the other boy watched,” he said. |
| The details are consistent with the account that Dr. Blasey shared with a Democratic senator this summer and The Washington Post earlier this month. Mr. Ford said that his wife mentioned Judge Kavanaugh’s name again in 2017, when Mr. Trump announced Justice Neil M. Gorsuch would be his nominee for the court. | The details are consistent with the account that Dr. Blasey shared with a Democratic senator this summer and The Washington Post earlier this month. Mr. Ford said that his wife mentioned Judge Kavanaugh’s name again in 2017, when Mr. Trump announced Justice Neil M. Gorsuch would be his nominee for the court. |
| Dr. Blasey has said that her therapist took notes during the session, but her lawyers said on Wednesday that they did not plan to release her medical records because of privacy concerns. | Dr. Blasey has said that her therapist took notes during the session, but her lawyers said on Wednesday that they did not plan to release her medical records because of privacy concerns. |
| In another affidavit, Keith Koegler, one close friend, says that Dr. Blasey mentioned the assault to him in the summer of 2016, around the time that the news was awash with the story of a Stanford student, Brock Turner, who raped an unconscious woman. Dr. Blasey told him that she had been assaulted by a man who was now a federal judge. | In another affidavit, Keith Koegler, one close friend, says that Dr. Blasey mentioned the assault to him in the summer of 2016, around the time that the news was awash with the story of a Stanford student, Brock Turner, who raped an unconscious woman. Dr. Blasey told him that she had been assaulted by a man who was now a federal judge. |
| Shortly after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement from the court in July, Dr. Blasey wrote an email to Mr. Koegler saying that her assailant was a “favorite for SCOTUS,” short for Supreme Court of the United States. When Mr. Koegler inquired who, she said it was Brett Kavanaugh. | Shortly after Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement from the court in July, Dr. Blasey wrote an email to Mr. Koegler saying that her assailant was a “favorite for SCOTUS,” short for Supreme Court of the United States. When Mr. Koegler inquired who, she said it was Brett Kavanaugh. |
| Another friend, Adela Gildo-Mazzon, recounted a 2013 meal with Dr. Blasey at a Mountain View, Calif., pizzeria in which she grew “visibly upset.” When Ms. Gildo-Mazzon asked her what was wrong, Dr. Blasey said she had been having a hard day, thinking about being assaulted years before. | Another friend, Adela Gildo-Mazzon, recounted a 2013 meal with Dr. Blasey at a Mountain View, Calif., pizzeria in which she grew “visibly upset.” When Ms. Gildo-Mazzon asked her what was wrong, Dr. Blasey said she had been having a hard day, thinking about being assaulted years before. |
| “She said that she had been almost raped by someone who was now a federal judge,” Ms. Gildo-Mazzon stated. “She told me she had been trapped in a room with two drunken guys, and then she escaped, ran away, and hid.” | “She said that she had been almost raped by someone who was now a federal judge,” Ms. Gildo-Mazzon stated. “She told me she had been trapped in a room with two drunken guys, and then she escaped, ran away, and hid.” |