September 16, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The mainstream media erupted over the weekend with a new sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that fizzled almost as quickly as it began, thanks to the revelation that the alleged victim herself has no memory of any such incident.
On Tuesday, New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly release The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation, which purports to offer a “deeper look” at the jurist’s “formative years” and bitter 2018 confirmation battle. An excerpt published by the Times on September 14 contains the following allegation from Kavanaugh’s college days:
A classmate, Max Stier, saw Mr. Kavanaugh with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student. Mr. Stier, who runs a nonprofit organization in Washington, notified senators and the F.B.I. about this account, but the F.B.I. did not investigate and Mr. Stier has declined to discuss it publicly.
The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway highlights several details missing from the original Times piece, including that Stier is a Democrat attorney who has represented the Clinton family through multiple scandals and even fought against Kavanaugh during at least one of them, when the latter worked in the office of Independent Counsel Ken Starr.
More significantly, the book includes one key detail the Times excerpt originally did not: that the female student “has refused to discuss the incident, though several of her friends said she does not recall it.”
On September 15, the Times added an “Editors’ Note” acknowledging the omission and adding that “the female student declined to be interviewed and friends say she does not recall the episode.”
Even so, several Democrat senators and presidential candidates have called for impeachment proceedings against Kavanaugh based on the claims:
The House Judiciary Committee should immediately begin an impeachment inquiry to determine whether Justice Kavanaugh lied to Congress and why the FBI wasn’t permitted to investigate all credible allegations against him.
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) September 15, 2019
I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice.
He must be impeached.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 15, 2019
Last year the Kavanaugh nomination was rammed through the Senate without a thorough examination of the allegations against him. Confirmation is not exoneration, and these newest revelations are disturbing. Like the man who appointed him, Kavanaugh should be impeached.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 15, 2019
The revelations today confirm what we already knew: During his hearing, Kavanaugh faced credible accusations and likely lied to Congress. I support any appropriate constitutional mechanism to hold him accountable.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 15, 2019
Furthermore, Washington Examiner reporter Byron York observed Monday that despite updating the original story, the Times published another report on September 15 that repeated the charge without the detail about the woman’s memory (but appears to have added it on September 16):
You know how NYT added editor's note saying Brett Kavanaugh alleged victim is said not to recall new alleged incident from 35 years ago? Times again leaves that out of new piece, this one about Dem calls for impeachment. https://t.co/Oo7fFW1AsG pic.twitter.com/HOxSycIMsR
— Byron York (@ByronYork) September 16, 2019
Republicans blasted the Times over the situation:
Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue. The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
The correction, written by NYT, reads: “the female student declined to be interviewed & friends say that SHE DOES NOT RECALL the incident. That information has been added to the article.” Please, somebody, try to give an explanation for omitting that central fact other than bias.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 16, 2019
The controversy follows a pair of revelations about Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of raping her without corroborating evidence.
Another recent Kavanaugh book by National Law Journal reporter Ryan Lovelace reveals comments by Ford’s attorney Debra Katz admitting they were partially motivated by a desire to taint any future ruling Kavanaugh might join to overturn Roe v. Wade. Mollie Hemingway and Carrie Severino, the authors of another Kavanaugh book, report that Ford’s own father Ralph Blasey told the Supreme Court Justice’s father Ed Kavanaugh “I’m glad Brett was confirmed” during a meeting at the Maryland golf club to which both men belong.