In 1983 letter, Kavanaugh described himself and friends as 'loud, obnoxious drunks'
In a note he wrote in 1983 to friends ahead of their trip to Ocean City, Maryland, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said whoever got to their rental condo first should "warn the neighbors that we're loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us. Advise them to go about 30 miles..."
The New York Times reviewed a copy of the letter, which was given to seven of his high school classmates joining him on the trip. Kavanaugh, who has been accused by two women of sexual assault in 1982 and 1983, has denied drinking to the point of memory loss or vomiting while in high school and college, despite friends and classmates stating otherwise. Friend Tobin Finizio told the Times that drinking was "part of the social life. In the late '70s and early '80s, if you look at the statistics, underage drinking was fairly prevalent. We look at it now and say, 'Oh my God, that was crazy.'"
Kavanaugh declined to comment on the note, only saying through his lawyers, "This is a note I wrote to organize 'Beach Week' in the summer of 1983." The Times spoke with several of Kavanaugh's high school classmates who said they saw Kavanaugh and his friends inebriated during parties, and several remembered Kavanaugh lifting an empty beer keg above his head, celebrating the fact that he and his friends were getting closer to finishing 100 kegs before the end of the school year, something he mentioned in his senior yearbook. Four classmates also told the Times that Kavanaugh and his friends would sometimes drink so much they had difficulty standing; three of those classmates signed a letter in July endorsing Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published