Michael Avenatti, a New York attorney and prospective Democratic Presidential candidate, released the name of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s third accuser. Avenatti on Sunday announced that another accuser had hired him. He did not make her name and information available until Wednesday, the day before the public hearing with Kavanaugh’s first accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
Julie Swetnick, a resident of Washington, DC, alleges that Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, were present during a party where she was drugged and gang-raped.
Kavanaugh in a statement released by the White House said the allegations were “ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone.” He also stated he did not know who Swetnick is and that the event never happened.
Judge, through his attorney, The Wall Street Journal reports, also denies the allegation.
Swetnick, in a declaration sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that from 1981 to 1983 she attended at least ten house parties in the Washington, DC area where Kavanaugh and Judge were present.
She alleges that on numerous occasions she saw Kavanaugh and Judge drink excessively.
“I observed Brett Kavanaugh drink excessively at many of these parties and engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls including pressing girls against him without their consent, ‘grinding’ against girls and attempting to remove or shift girls’ clothing to expose private body parts,” Swetnick alleges.
She also said Kavanaugh was verbally abusive.
Swetnick accused Kavanaugh and Judge of spiking the punch at parties she attended in 1981-1982 with drugs or grain alcohol to “cause girls to lose their inhibitions.”
She also said that she witnessed Judge, Kavanaugh, and others cause girls to become intoxicated and disoriented “so they could then be ‘gang raped’ in a side room or bedroom by a ‘train’ of numerous boys.”
She said she observed Kavanaugh and Judge waiting for their “turn” during these alleged activities.
“In approximately 1982, I because the victim of one of these ‘gang’ or ‘train’ rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present,” Swetnick alleged.
She also said she told at least two other people and is aware of other witnesses that can attest her statement.
In his prepared testimony for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, Kavanaugh stated that he did drink to excess on occasion.
“I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. 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
Read Swetnick’s declaration here or below:
Conclusion: This is a serious allegation, and, if true, would be disqualifying. Swetnick has done something thus far that none of Kavanaugh’s accusers have done and that is to provide a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee under penalty of perjury.
As I’ve said with every other accusation, the accuser needs to provide corroboration. Swetnick says she has that, so let’s see it.
Her declaration, like Ford’s, lacks a lot of detail as far as times and places are concerned. Also, like Ford’s accusation at this point it is he said/he said/she said. The Senate Judiciary Committee should interview Swetnick’s corroborative witnesses and go from there. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) should invite Swetnick to testify at Thursday’s hearing.
