Third Kavanaugh Accuser Comes Forward: Alleges 'Train' Rapes Where Kavanaugh and Mark Judge Were Present

I'm sure Republicans will call her a liar too.

Justice Kavanaugh? (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Yeah, so, whatever you think of Michael Avenatti, he’s no Ed Whelen.

Avenatti has been teasing a possible third Brett Kavanaugh accuser for days and now, she’s come forward with detailed allegations.

Julie Swetnick claims in a sworn affidavit that she witnessed Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge spike drinks in an effort to cause girls to “lose inhibitions,” and would then take turns having sex with them.

“I have a firm recollection of seeing boys lined up outside rooms at many of these parties waiting for their ‘turn’ with a girl inside the room. These boys included Mark Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” Swetnick said.

She also said that in approximately 1982 “I became the victim of one of these ‘gang’ or ‘train’ rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present.”

Here’s the most damning part of the declaration:

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Here’s an Avenatti tweet, because I guess that’s how we do things now.

Swetnick also claims that Kavanaugh’s conduct extended to “Beach Week,” though she does not appear to have been present. Beach Week… links up with Kavanaugh’s calendar, for what it’s worth. Avenatti says that there are other corroborating witnesses, but they have not been made public at this time.

There are two ways to look at these allegations, and I can tell you which one the Republicans are going to take:

Soon-to-be GOP Talking Points: Swetnick is not specific about what Kavanaugh actually did to her. Her allegations are mainly about what she claims she saw Kavanaugh participating in, and how he treated other women. This allegation is coming at the last minute (they’ll ignore the fact that Avenatti has been trying to get the Senate Judiciary Committee to meet with her since Sunday). And there’s no corroboration of these allegations (they’ll ignore that the Committee has refused to call Mark Judge). There’s nothing to see here. Let’s move forward with the smearing of Christine Ford tomorrow and a vote on his confirmation on Friday.

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But there’s another, reasonable way to view these charges:

No-Rapey-SCOTUS Talking Points: Swetnick describes a high school culture that has been backed up by numerous people over the past two weeks. The behavior described by Swetnick, any of the acts described by Swetnick, should be disqualifying for a Supreme Court Justice. Whether he participated or was “merely present” is a criminal matter, but either way it should be disqualifying. The allegations directly contradict Kavanaugh’s categorical denials. There should be an investigation into these allegations, made in a sworn affidavit, and other named witnesses, including Mark Judge, must be called to testify.

This shouldn’t still be an open question. This is a goddamn job interview. Find another arch-conservative Supreme Court nominee.


Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and the Legal Editor for More Perfect. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at elie@abovethelaw.com. He will resist.