The Other Things Brett Kavanaugh Stands Accused Of

From gambling issues to hiring only attractive women, the Supreme Court nominee has been accused of more than just sexual assault.
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On Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford delivered her sworn testimony that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both high school students in Maryland in the early 1980s.

But her allegations ― that a 17-year-old Kavanaugh and his friend corralled her in a bedroom so Kavanaugh could pin her to the bed, grope her, try to remove her clothes and cover her mouth when she tried to scream, to the point that she feared he might inadvertently kill her ― are not the only ones the nominee faces.

Below are some of the other accusations that various parties have leveled against Kavanaugh.

Christine Blasey Ford, overcome with emotion, gives her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Christine Blasey Ford, overcome with emotion, gives her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
Michael Reynolds/POOL New / Reuters

Sexually assaulting Deborah Ramirez in college

In an accusation that emerged shortly after Blasey’s, a woman named Deborah Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her and thrust his penis in her face during a party when they were both students at Yale University in the early 1980s.

As he did with the events described by Blasey, Kavanaugh has denied that this assault ever occurred.

Being involved in parties where women were drugged and raped

A third woman, Julie Swetnick, came forward after Ramirez to say that she was a victim of “one of these ‘gang’ or ‘train’ rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present” at a party in Washington, D.C., in approximately 1982.

Protesters display notes written on their arms reading "Believe Survivors" while demonstrating ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Protesters display notes written on their arms reading "Believe Survivors" while demonstrating ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Swetnick has not named Kavanaugh as one of the rapists, but she believes she was drugged at that party to render her incapacitated, and says she recalls seeing Kavanaugh and others attempt to spike girls’ drinks at various house parties so they would lose their inhibitions.

Kavanaugh, again, denies the accusation.

Having a gambling problem and financial issues

Multiple incidents have led to concerns that Kavanaugh may have a gambling problem or other financial issues.

Speculation into the possibility arose during a series of questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) early on in the confirmation process. Here’s the exchange:

Senate Judiciary Committee

In 2016, Kavanaugh reported credit card and personal loan debts of between $60,000 and $200,000. He has said the money was used for a series of home improvement projects and on season tickets to the Washington Nationals baseball team, an expenditure that attracted attention from the media.

Kavanaugh told the committee that he did not have any gambling earnings or debt reported to the IRS.

Additionally, in a 2001 email obtained by the committee, Kavanaugh wrote to some friends: “Apologies to all for missing Friday (good excuse) [...] and growing aggressive after blowing still another game of dice (don’t recall). Reminders to everyone to be very, very vigilant w/r/t confidentiality on all issues and all fronts, including with spouses.”

Kavanaugh told the committee that the “dice game” mentioned in the email was “for no money.”

Hiring only attractive women as clerks

Several media outlets, including HuffPost, spoke to Yale law students who say they were advised by those who knew Kavanaugh that he liked his female law clerks to have a certain feminine appearance.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

One unidentified Yale student told The Guardian that Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School, said it was “not an accident” that Kavanaugh’s clerks “looked like models.”

Chua has denied that she ever made such comments.

Knowing his longtime mentor and friend was sexually harassing people

Last December, Alex Kozinski, a well-known federal judge and Kavanaugh’s longtime mentor, resigned after many women came forward to describe his sexual harassment and misconduct.

Though Kavanaugh has claimed he was unaware of Kozinski’s actions, overwhelming evidence suggests this is unlikely.

“There’s no way Kavanaugh didn’t know,” a man who clerked for Kozinski more than a decade ago told HuffPost recently.

“Everybody knew,” Slate legal columnist Dahlia Lithwick wrote last year, explaining that she had experience with Kozinski dating back to the late 1990s.

Knowing about certain violations committed during the George W. Bush administration

During Kavanaugh’s hearing, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) raised the possibility that the nominee had lied in 2004 and 2006 regarding events that occurred while he was a White House staff secretary under President George W. Bush.

President George W. Bush speaks during the swearing ceremony for Brett Kavanaugh to be a judge to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, June 1, 2006.
President George W. Bush speaks during the swearing ceremony for Brett Kavanaugh to be a judge to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, June 1, 2006.
Alex Wong via Getty Images

Under scrutiny are Kavanaugh’s claims that he knew nothing about the Republicans infiltrating computer files belonging to Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, or about a warrantless surveillance program created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks ― even though he acted as a gatekeeper for all information sent to Bush’s desk.

Leahy, citing “committee confidential” emails that cannot be made public during the hearing process, said there is evidence raising some doubt about Kavanaugh’s claims that he was honest during those hearings.

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