New page in court drama
Kavanaugh faces third accuser ahead of hearing on allegations
WASHINGTON — A highstakes hearing into the character of U.S. Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh will unfold Thursday, a day after fresh allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled by a third woman, prompting immediate denials by the nominee.
The new allegations rocked the already circus-like atmosphere surrounding the confirmation of Kavanaugh, whose nomination now teeters on the votes of several moderate
WHAT:
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. PDT
All major networks, 24-hour news networks and C-SPAN Streaming at various sites such as C-SPAN.ORG
WHEN: TV: ONLINE:
senators who will play an outsized role in the final decision that could come in just days.
As the new allegations were unveiled, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked President Donald Trump to withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination or call for a full background investigation into the accusations
KAVANAUGH
before the process moves forward.
Trump scoffed at the Democrats’ demand and doubled down on his support for Kavanaugh, an appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Columbia. He called the allegations a “con game” that is ruining the reputation of an honorable man.
“These are all false, to me, these are false accusations in certain cases,” Trump said during a news conference in New York, where he attended meetings at the United Nations. “I can only say that what they’ve done to this man is incredible.”
At one point, the president said Democrats would “100 percent” not vote for George Washington if Trump nominated him for the Supreme Court.
The president claimed to have an open mind about Christine Blasey Ford’s charges, even as he spoke skeptically about two women who launched similar accusations this week.
“When you’re guilty until proven innocent, it’s not supposed to be that way,” Trump lamented.
Trump, however, said he would watch the hearing and is open to “changing my mind” if Ford’s testimony is credible.
Allegations against Kavanaugh
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing called by Chairman Charles Grassley, R-iowa, will focus only on the claims made by Ford, a university research psychologist, who said a drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a suburban Washington house party when they were teenagers.
Kavanaugh denied the Ford charges and those by another woman, Deborah Ramirez, a classmate at Yale University, who claimed he exposed himself to her while the two were drunk at a dorm party.
In a bold step, Kavanaugh agreed to a Fox television interview to deny the charges, claiming he remained a virgin through high school and many years thereafter. He was interviewed with his wife, Ashley, sitting next to him.
Following the TV appearance, a third woman, Julie Swetnick, a client of lawyer Michael Avenatti, who also represents adult film star Stormy Daniels, came forward Wednesday with claims that Kavanaugh and a high school friend were present when teenage girls were gang raped.
The charges leveled by Swetnick included the use of drugs and alcohol to lure girls into gang-rape situations — an allegation immediately denied by Kavanaugh.
“This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this