Trump declares Kavanaugh allegation 'false,' and Avenatti viciously fires back
A third woman has come forward to accuse Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, and President Trump-foe Michael Avenatti has her back.
Julie Swetnick went to high school near Kavanaugh and said he was at parties where incapacitated girls were "gang raped," she revealed in a sworn affidavit Wednesday. Avenatti represents both Swetnick and Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with the president, leading Trump to compare himself and Kavanaugh.
In a Wednesday tweet, Trump slammed Avenatti as a "third-rate lawyer who is good at making false accusations" against both himself and Kavanaugh, in what seems to be the president's first public mention of the attorney.
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.
Avenatti quickly fired back, and he made it personal. In a tweet, the attorney asked, "'False accusations?' Like those crimes your fixer Cohen pled to?" referencing the apparent hush money payments paid to Daniels that landed longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in deep legal trouble. "You are so inept that your 'best and brightest' are Cohen and [Rudy] Giuliani," Avenatti added.
Swetnick joins Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez in publicly accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied all the allegations against him, and Trump has defended the nominee every step of the way.
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
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversible
Speed Read Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published