by Sudha Sudhaker ’21

In a forthcoming book, “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation,” by The New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly  investigate Brett Kavanaugh’s past to determine whether or not the accusations of sexual assault and harrasment against him are credible. Pogrebin and Kelly spend a significant time further investigating Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations, as well as those of Deborah Ramirez, who also claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a Yale college party.

 Ramirez’s accusations of sexul misconduct uncovered in the book prompted several Democratic candidates, such as Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, to call for Kavanaugh’s impeachment. Empathizing with his suffering if he was falsely accused, Pogrebin and Kelly offer Kavanaugh the benefit of the doubt. However, a critical part of the book is where Pogrebin and Kelly point out that the FBI did not interview witnesses who may have been able to provide corroborating testimony to support Ramirez’s allegations. 

 A previously unreported allegation came from Washington lawyer Max Stier, who claimed that he witnessed Kavanaugh sexually assaulting female classmates during their freshman year. However, the FBI never contacted Stier, nor were any of the classmates who said they were present during the incident Stier reported interviewed. 

President Donald Trump rushed to Kavanaugh’s defense, as he called on the Justice Department to “rescue” Kavanaugh from the allegations. Trump tweeted that Kavanaugh “should start suing people for libel.” Trump accused the media and the “radical left” Democrats of trying to “scare” Kavanaugh. The president then claimed that the allegations were an attempt by the Democrats to try and influence Kavanugh’s rulings as Supreme Court Justice.