Two women who dated U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are coming to the federal judge’s defense after swirling accusations suggested he sexually assaulted a young woman years ago.
Late last week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, went public with the claims against Kavanaugh after a report from The Intercept was published. Prior to the story breaking, the lawmaker said, the jurist’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, asked to remain anonymous.
Ford, now 51 years old, has accused Kavanaugh of pinning her down on a bed and molesting her when she was 17 years old. She said he was in a drunken stupor at the time.
President Donald Trump has called for a “full process” to examine the serious accusations against his nominee for the high court, but now two of Kavanaugh’s supporters are speaking out in his defense.
The two women, Maura Kane and Maura Fitzgerald, dated Kavanaugh in high school and college, respectively, and each remain friends with him to this day.
Fitzgerald said in a statement the judge “is nothing like the person who has been described” in news reports about Ford’s claims. She went on to say he “always conducted himself honorably with me at all times when we were together.”
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“He was always a perfect gentleman, and I vouch for him completely,” she added.
Kane, for her part, noted she’s been friends with Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and said during their romantic relationship in high school he was “always respectful, kind and thoughtful.” She said the reports about his alleged abuse “in no way represent the decent young man I knew.”
“We remain good friends and I admire him as a husband, father and professional,” Kane said.
New statements issued by "two women who dated" Kavanaugh pic.twitter.com/q8xe4Po6aj
— Robert Costa (@costareports) September 17, 2018
Both Kane and Fitzgerald appeared on Fox News Monday night, when anchor Martha MacCallum interviewed them about their experiences with Kavanaugh. Both women said they were “shocked” when Ford’s accusations surfaced.
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Fitzgerald told MacCallum the allegations are “just so polar opposite of the Brett Kavanaugh that I have known,” adding she was “confused, surprised, shocked” and “still can’t believe it.”
Kane said her reaction to the claims was “the exact same.”