President Donald Trump‘s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee indicating he will not remove his name from consideration for a seat on the highest court in the land.
“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” Kavanaugh wrote to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed.”
Many seized on Kavanaugh’s charge that the accusations against him are allegedly a “coordinated effort”:
@KamalaHarris ask him for proof of the “coordinated effort” https://t.co/5qjk207hOA
— Dale Miller (@DaleMillerIMO) September 24, 2018
Kavanaugh claims there is a “coordinated effort to destroy my good name “. But Jane Mayer says the 2nd accusation only came out when she dug up a woman other people had been talking about on emails. https://t.co/FeBpv0tfSc
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) September 24, 2018
I am looking for the part where he welcomes an FBI investigation to clear his good name.
— Prof. Garrett Epps (@Profepps) September 24, 2018
In the letter, Kavanaugh said the mounting accusations of sexual improprieties against him “are smears, pure and simple.”
He went on to say “they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country [which] will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.”
Kavanaugh further complained that he learned of the accusations only after first enduring the “exhaustive process” of the confirmation hearing. He also chided those who did not notify him earlier, saying the “36-year-old allegation from high school . . . had been asserted months earlier and withheld from me throughout the hearing process.”
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez have both accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Ford alleged that there was an incident at a house party in high school where a drunken Kavanaugh attempted to sexually assault her as his friend Mark Judge witnessed it. Ramirez came forward on Sunday in a New Yorker story to allege that Kavanaugh had exposed his penis at a dorm room party.
Meanwhile, reports began swirling Monday morning as to whether authorities in Montgomery County, Maryland, are aware of yet a third accusation against Kavanaugh. In an official statement, authorities said that they have “not received a request by any alleged victim nor a victim’s attorney to initiate a police report or a criminal investigation regarding Supreme Court [N]ominee Brett Kavanaugh.” The puzzling statement goes on to say that the authorities “recognize[] that victims of sexual assault may not want to involve law enforcement and/or initiate a criminal investigation . . . we respect that position.” It then says the authorities are “ready to investigate any claim of sexual assault that is alleged to have occurred within our County.”
Furthermore, attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents porn star Stormy Daniels in disputes against President Donald Trump and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, says he has a client who has “credible information” against Kavanaugh. Others have questioned Avenatti’s ethics in bringing the information public via Twitter; however, when questioned, Avenatti doubled down.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated after publication with additional information.
[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
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