NBC News has obtained text messages from a friend of Kavanaugh’s that make clear he was attempting damage control on the Deborah Ramirez story before it broke:
The texts between Berchem and Karen Yarasavage, both friends of Kavanaugh, suggest that the nominee was personally talking with former classmates about Ramirez’s story in advance of the New Yorker article that made her allegation public. In one message, Yarasavage said Kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defense. Two other messages show communication between Kavanaugh's team and former classmates in advance of the story.
[….]
In a series of texts prior to the publication of the New Yorker story, Yarasavage wrote that she had been in contact with “Brett's guy,” and also with “Brett,” who wanted her to go on the record to refute Ramirez.
Problem for Kavanaugh is, this is what he said to the Senate Judiciary Committee, under oath:
Kavanaugh was asked by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, when he first heard of Ramirez’s allegations. Kavanaugh answered: “In the New Yorker story.”
That’s not a mistaken memory. That’s not a half-truth. That is a clear lie... and it’s also clearly an intentional lie. Those are the two components of a perjury charge.
Assuming these texts are as described in the NBC News story — which seems clear enough given that they came directly from one of the two people in the exchange — Kavanaugh is guilty of perjury. His nomination should be withdrawn immediately and he should resign from his post on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals as well.
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2018 · 1:04:13 AM +00:00
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DiesIrae
I’m going to update this because Kavanaugh does have one potential defense. He could claim that the first he heard about this was when the New Yorker reporters contacted him for comment (upon which he contacted Yarasavage and others), and that his response of “the New Yorker story” was inartful rather than false.
I don’t buy it, though, because of passages like this:
Further, the texts show Kavanaugh may need to be questioned about how far back he anticipated that Ramirez would air allegations against him. Berchem says in her memo that Kavanaugh “and/or” his friends “may have initiated an anticipatory narrative” as early as July to “conceal or discredit” Ramirez.
If Berchem or NBC News or both have the receipts, he’s still in deep trouble.