Michael Avenatti published on Twitter Wednesday the sworn statement of a client accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexually harassing girls during high-school parties and being “present” when she was gang raped at one such gathering.
Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 26, 2018
Avenatti’s client, Julie Swetnick, claims to have attended a high school close to Kavanaugh’s and says she routinely attended parties in the Washington, D.C. area hosted and attended by his friends.
“I have 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 their body parts,” Swetnick wrote.
Swetnick further alleges that these house parties, of which she claims to have attended “well over ten,” often featured “gang rapes.” While she does not claim to have ever witnessed Kavanaugh participate in such rapes, she does say she saw him waiting on line outside the door to a room where she believed a gang rape was occurring. She also claims he was “present” when she fell victim to a gang rape at one of these parties herself.
Avenatti, who rose to prominence by representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, also attached emails he has sent to Mike Davis, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s chief counsel for nominations, asking that his client’s claims be investigated by the FBI.
The new allegation comes just one day before Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the first of the now three women who have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault or harassment as a teenager, are scheduled to testify publicly before the Judiciary Committee.
Avenatti first mentioned that he represented another of Kavanaugh’s accusers in a Sunday tweet.
I represent a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. We will be demanding the opportunity to present testimony to the committee and will likewise be demanding that Judge and others be subpoenaed to testify. The nomination must be withdrawn.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 23, 2018
Later that day, he speculated about the meaning of what appears to be an inside joke written in Kavanaugh’s year book.
Brett Kavanaugh must also be asked about this entry in his yearbook: "FFFFFFFourth of July." We believe that this stands for: Find them, French them, Feel them, Finger them, F*ck them, Forget them. As well as the term "Devil's Triangle." Perhaps Sen. Grassley can ask him. #Basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 24, 2018
A number of liberal commentators and journalists have suggested that Avenatti’s penchant for claiming to possess credible evidence while refusing to produce it would hurt accusers’ case against Kavanaugh.
“I would suggest ignoring him until he comes forward with real evidence, which he promises is coming in the next few days,” Washington Bureau Chief for The Intercept, Ryan Grim, wrote in a newsletter emailed to readers.
A senior Democratic aide concurred with Grim in a recent statement to the Daily Beast. “Mr. Avenatti has a tendency to sensationalize and make his various crusades more about himself than about getting at the truth,” the aide said. “This moment calls for the exact opposite.”
The previously unknown attorney, who now appears constantly on cable news, has been sued for allegedly defrauding a business associate. He was also sued after a coffee chain he purchased was ordered to pay a fired female employee $120,000 for discriminating against her due to her pregnancy. The woman had not been paid as of June.