Kavanaugh Was 'Aggressive And Belligerent' When Drunk, His Yale Roommate Says

James Roche said he was good friends with Deborah Ramirez, who accuses Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and she was "unusually honest and straightforward."
LOADINGERROR LOADING

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s freshman roommate at Yale University came forward late Monday, describing Kavanaugh as “a heavy drinker” who became “aggressive and belligerent” when drunk.

James Roche, Kavanaugh’s roommate in Fall 1983, said in a statement posted on Twitter that they didn’t socialize together much, but would chat at night after Kavanaugh would return from outings with his friends.

“It is from this experience that I concluded that although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time, and that he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk,” Roche said.

Roche said he issued the statement to support Deborah Ramirez, who was quoted in The New Yorker this week as saying Kavanaugh thrust his exposed penis at her at a college party. Roche said he and Ramirez became close friends at Yale, and she was “unusually honest and straightforward.”

“I cannot imagine her making this up,” he told ABC-7 News in California. “Based on my time with Brett, I believe that he and his social circle were capable of the actions that Debbie described.”

In The New Yorker article, Roche described Ramirez as “exceptionally honest and gentle.”

“I did not observe the specific incident in question, but I do remember Brett frequently drinking excessively and becoming incoherently drunk,” he said in his statement.

Roche’s recollection goes against what Kavanaugh told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum in an interview Monday night. He said he had never been drunk enough to forget any of his actions.

Ramirez came forward after the account of Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor who claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school.

GOP Senate Judiciary Committee leaders rebuffed Blasey’s call for an FBI investigation into her story, but she has nevertheless agreed to testify at a hearing on Thursday.

Kavanaugh has steadfastly denied the assault allegations and said Monday he wouldn’t withdraw in the face of what he called “false accusations.”

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot