THIRD WOMAN ACCUSES KAVANAUGH BEFORE HEARING
GOP wants vote; Dems want delay
WASHINGTON — On the eve of a showdown hearing, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the senators who will judge him confronted a third set of lurid allegations Wednesday accusing him of sexual misconduct as a young man. Kavanaugh heatedly denied them all, while Democrats complained about a rush to approval and President Donald Trump said the accusations added up to no more than “a con job.”
Trump praised Kavanaugh anew at a news conference Wednesday, but, in answer to a question, he said he could consider changing his mind on the nomination if testimony by Kavanaugh-accuser Christine Blasey Ford is totally convincing. He said of the allegations by Ford and another woman, Deborah Ramirez, “If I thought he was guilty of something like this … yeah, sure.”
As with the allegations by the two previous accusers, the latest incidents are alleged to have occurred decades ago. In a sworn declaration, Julie Swetnick of Washington, D.C., said she witnessed Kavanaugh “consistently engage in excessive drinking and inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with women in the early 1980s.” Her attorney, Michael Avenatti, provided the declaration to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Republican leaders indicated they were still determined to have the committee vote on recommending Kavanaugh on Friday — after a dramatic hearing today at which both Kavanaugh and Ford are to testify. A roll call would presumably follow next week by the full Senate, where Republicans hold a scant 51-49 majority.
Kavanaugh would be likely to cement a conservative tilt to the Supreme Court for years to come, but that could be thrown into doubt if he cannot be confirmed before November elections that might swing Senate control to the Democrats. Republicans, therefore, are anxious to get to the climactic vote, while Democrats insist there should be a time-out to investigate the women’s allegations.
There are scattered hints of GOP hesitancy.
Kavanaugh supporter Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, was asked as he left a closed-door luncheon attended by Vice President Mike Pence whether GOP senators remained united behind Kavanaugh. His answer: Republicans are impressed by the judge and don’t know the accusers and “I think that goes to his advantage.”
Susan Collins of Maine, a pivotal moderate who hasn’t announced her position, said she was taking Swetnick’s claims seriously.
Kavanaugh, the 53-yearold appeals court judge, released a statement denying the Swetnick accusations.
“This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened,” he said.