Michael Avenatti says he will reveal the name of the 3rd Kavanaugh accuser, detail her allegations 'within 48 hours'

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published 25 September 2018

On Sunday night, lawyer Michael Avenatti announced he is representing a third woman with sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and on Monday, he told reporters that "within 48 hours we will release additional details relating to the allegations relating to Brett Kavanaugh," including the woman's name. That will put the big reveal very close to Thursday's high-stakes Senate Judiciary Committee testimony from Kavanaugh and his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. Avenatti's client "may sit for a televised interview at that time," he said. "She is 100 percent credible, and when the American people hear from her, they will determine, as I have, that she is to be believed."

Kavanaugh denies all the allegations and says he has never sexually assaulted anyone. Avenatti described the woman as a former State Department and U.S. Mint employee and said her information relates to how Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge "behaved at countless house parties" in high school. The woman will "literally risk her life" by coming forward, he claimed, and she will be willing to take a polygraph test if Kavanaugh does, too.

Democrats aren't necessarily thrilled with Avenatti's late entry into the Kavanaugh imbroglio. "Mr. Avenatti has a tendency to sensationalize and make his various crusades more about himself than about getting at the truth," a senior Senate Democratic aide told The Daily Beast. "This moment calls for the exact opposite." Avanatti dismissed the criticism as "certain Democrats being weak-kneed and not up for the fight."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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