Christine Blasey Ford on Thursday dismissed a mistaken-identity theory put forward by a supporter of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Prominent conservative lawyer Ed Whelan raised the possibility Thursday in a string of tweets that Ford may have been assaulted by a former classmate of Kavanaugh’s rather than the federal appeals court judge himself.
[New: Kavanaugh friend apologizes for naming possible assault suspect]
“I knew them both, and socialized with” them, Ford told the Washington Post, adding she had once visited the classmate named by Whelan in the hospital. “There is zero chance that I would confuse them.”
Whelan, the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, faced considerable criticism for making the unsubstantiated suggestion on social media.
Ford alleges Kavanaugh drunkenly forced himself on her during a high school party in the 1980s when she was 15 and he was 17. Kavanaugh has “categorically and unequivocally” the claim.
Kavanaugh has accepted an invitation from the Senate Judiciary Committee to address Ford’s accusation. Ford’s legal team is negotiating with the panel over the timing of her potential testimony, as well as other conditions they want in exchange for her appearance.
