Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R) submitted a criminal referral to the FBI requesting a Federal criminal investigation into attorney Michael Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnick for their parts in false allegations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. (RELATED: Full text of the criminal referral)
“It has become apparent that the statements Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Swetnick submitted to the Committee likely contained materially false claims,” the referral reads as it alleges that Avenatti and Swetnick are guilty of Lying to Congress, Obstruction, and conspiracy.
“It is illegal to knowingly and willfully make materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements to Congressional investigators,” the referral reads. “It is illegal to obstruct Committee investigations. It is illegal to conspire to do either of those things.”
The referral, which can be read HERE, describes how the two diverted committee resources and contradicted their own sworn testimony. The 29-page document then lays out issues with the credibility of both Avenatti and Swetnick.
The referral tears apart Swetnick’s credibility and story in great detail:
During the course of the Committee’s investigation of allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, Committee investigators spoke with 45 individuals, obtained 25 written statements, and reviewed numerous other materials. This included speaking with ten associates of Ms. Swetnick who knew her at various times in her life ranging from junior high to the present day. In doing so, Committee investigators did not find any information to corroborate Ms. Swetnick’s claims. On the contrary, they received substantial information calling into question her credibility. Based on this and public reports, it appears Ms. Swetnick has a history of making false legal claims and false accusations of sexual misconduct.
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Not only did Ms. Swetnick materially contradict the allegations of sexual misconduct she and Mr. Avenatti made to the Committee about Judge Kavanaugh, there is simply no credible evidence that Ms. Swetnick ever even met or socialized with Judge Kavanaugh. On the contrary, there is substantial evidence they did not know each other. Ms. Swetnick was older and attended a different high school in a different town – one whose students were reportedly not known to regularly socialize with students from Judge Kavanaugh’s high school. The only apparent commonality between Ms. Swetnick and Judge Kavanaugh is that they both lived in Montgomery County, Maryland in the early 1980s.
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When the NBC interview with Ms. Swetnick addressed claims in her sworn statement that she had “a firm recollection of seeing boys,” including Brett Kavanaugh, “lined up outside rooms at many of these parties” to gang rape incapacitated women, Ms. Swetnick again contradicted her statement to the Committee. She denied both that there were lines of boys outside rooms and that she had any actual knowledge at the time of any gang rapes in those rooms by these boys.
and on Avenatti:
In addition to the credibility issues Committee investigators uncovered surrounding Ms. Swetnick, Mr. Avenatti has substantial credibility issues of his own. For example, Mr. Avenatti appears to have several issues stemming from his involvement with Global Baristas, a company he reportedly formed with actor Patrick Dempsey in 2012, which purchased the Tully’s Coffee chain out of bankruptcy. Mr.Dempsey sued Mr. Avenatti in 2013, stating that Mr. Avenatti had lied to him about serious financial
matters...
In short, Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Swetnick made grave allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, and the Committee diverted significant resources to investigate the claims. However, in light of Ms. Swetnick’s and Mr. Avenatti’s own statements to the media, information obtained from Committee interviews of her associates, and publicly reported information about her and Mr. Avenatti, it has become apparent that the statements Mr. Avenatti and Ms. Swetnick submitted to the Committee likely contained materially false claims.
The allegations are serious and well-supported. This could also believe just the first in a string of referrals issued against any of the accusers who made false allegations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.
