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Yale Law professor who endorsed Kavanaugh says he has second thoughts

Greg Nash

A Yale Law School professor who initially endorsed Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court and testified in support of Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings now says he has second thoughts about the nominee.

“I still stand by what I have said about Kavanaugh’s uniquely impressive judicial and scholarly record over the last dozen years,” Akhil Reed Amar wrote in Yale Daily News Monday.

But, Amar said, the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh have made him question his support.

{mosads}“But now that serious accusations have arisen about his conduct in his teenage years, I believe that these accusations deserve the best and most professional investigation possible — even if that means a brief additional delay on the ultimate vote on Judge Kavanaugh, and even if that investigatory delay imperils his confirmation,” he added.

Kavanaugh was thought to have an easy road to confirmation shortly after his hearing, but his confirmation has come under fire following the sexual misconduct allegations of two women being made public this month.

Christine Blasey Ford, now a 51-year-old professor in California, went public with her allegation earlier this month that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party when the two were in high school in the 1980s.

And The New Yorker reported Sunday that Senate Democrats were investigating a claim from Deborah Ramirez that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during their time as students at Yale. Both women have alleged that Kavanaugh was drunk in each incident.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in her suit against President Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, tweeted Sunday that he is representing a third woman with “credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh.”

“In the long run this additional investigation is the best way forward, not just for the Court and the country and Kavanaugh’s accusers, but also for Kavanaugh himself. If the investigation’s facts and findings support him, then he will join the Court in the sunshine and not under a cloud. If instead the investigation uncovers compelling evidence against him, President Trump should be ready with a pre-announced back-up nominee,” Amar wrote.

Kavanaugh has strongly denied the allegations of sexual misconduct on multiple occasions, most recently during a Fox News interview on Monday. 

Ford and Kavanaugh are both expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Tags Donald Trump

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