Grassley sends criminal referral for attorney Michael Avenatti and Kavanaugh accuser
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday he has referred attorney Michael Avenatti and client Julie Swetnick – who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct – for criminal investigation regarding a potential “conspiracy” to provide false statements to Congress and obstruct its investigation.
Avenatti, who also is a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and works as the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, represented Swetnick, who accused Kavanaugh during confirmation proceedings of being involved in or present at “gang” and “train” rapes at high school parties in the 1980s. He denied it.
Grassley penned a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray Thursday, claiming Swetnick and Avenatti’s allegations were leveled at a “suspicious” time.
“When a well-meaning citizen comes forward with information relevant to the committee’s work, I take it seriously. It takes courage to come forward, especially with allegations of sexual misconduct or personal trauma. I’m grateful for those who find that courage,” Grassley wrote.
“But in the heat of partisan moments, some do try to knowingly mislead the committee. That’s unfair to my colleagues, the nominees, and others providing information who are seeking the truth,” Grassley continued. “It stifles our ability to work on legitimate lines of inquiry. It also wastes time and resources for destructive reasons.”
Avenatti fired back: "It is ironic that Senator Grassley now is interested in investigations. He didn’t care when it came to putting a man on the SCOTUS for life. We welcome the investigation as now we can finally get to the bottom of Judge Kavanaugh’s lies and conduct. Let the truth be known."
In the letter, Grassley cited contradictory statements by both Avenatti and Swetnick in media interviews, specifically pointing to an NBC interview on Oct. 1, when Swetnick walked back the claim that she watched Kavanaugh spike the punch at parties.
“I saw [Kavanaugh] giving red solo cups to quite a few girls,” Swetnick said in the interview, adding that she didn’t “know what he did.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/grassley-sends-criminal-referral-for-kavanaugh-accuser-julie-swetnick-and-attorney-michael-avenatti