Trump slams 'disgusting False Statements' about Kavanaugh that were never widely known
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Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Friday asked the Justice Department to investigate a Kentucky woman named Judy Munro-Leighton for making a false accusation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Munro-Leighton reportedly admitted in a phone conversation with the committee that she lied about being the author of an anonymous accusation letter against Kavanaugh. The letter, sent when Kavanaugh was a nominee, was actually penned by Christine Blasey Ford, who later gave congressional testimony about her allegations.
Grassley's message said Munro-Leighton also admitted she has never met Kavanaugh; "just wanted to get attention;" and that her assault claim "was just a ploy." Kavanaugh has denied all accusations.
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On Saturday, President Trump tweeted about Munro-Leighton's decision to recant:
Trump's tweet, which never mentions Munro-Leighton's name, suggests her deception had a far more significant impact on Kavanaugh's nomination than it did. Unlike allegations from Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick, her claims were not publicized during the nomination process.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
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