As they race to distance themselves from Michael Avenatti, who was arrested this week and charged with trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike, it’s worth taking a moment to remember that during the the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight, leading Democrats peddled absurd attacks from the disgraced lawyer as “serious” and “credible.”

Among the many far-fetched claims made against Kavanaugh last fall in the attempt to tear down his nomination, few were as immediately absurd as the accusation pushed by Avenatti that client Julie Swetnick witnessed a teenage Kavanaugh orchestrate gang rapes.