Mark Judge, a high school friend of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairmen Chuck Grassley and ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday again denying witnessing an assault on Christine Blasey Ford or any such action by Kavanaugh.
Ford claims Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a “gathering” during their high school years when she was 15 and Kavanaugh was 17, though she cannot identify the location nor when the alleged event happened.
Under penalty of felony, Judge again denied the accusations made by Ford. “I do not recall the events described by Dr. Ford in her testimony before the US Senate Judiciary Committee today. I never saw Brett act in the manner Dr. Ford describes,” reads the signed letter.
As highlighted by Kavanaugh during Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Judge avoids public speaking since, as a recovering alcoholic and cancer survivor, he sufferers from intense anxiety and depression.
“As I stated in my attorney, Barbara Van Gelder’s September 18, 2018, letter, I did not ask to be involved in this matter nor did anyone ask me to be involved,” says Judge. “We have told the Committee that I do not want to comment about these events publicly. As a recovering alcoholic and a cancer survivor, I have struggled with depression and anxiety. As a result, I avoid public speaking.”
Senate Democrats urged on Thursday that Judge be subpoenaed to answer questions about the uncorroborated and refuted allegations against Kavanaugh. Their subpoena request was denied on Friday morning. “Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected an effort by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to subpoena Mark Judge in a party line vote,” reports The Hill.
Still grandstanding, several Senate Democrats walked out of a Committee meeting on Kavanaugh to make a beeline for the cameras.
The letter can be viewed, here.